Arts & Entertainment

News Artistic Director Brings Smarts to Theatre of Western Springs

Western Springs native names executive artistic director of lauded theater program.


The Theatre of Western Springs -- now in its 85th season -- has brought on board an exciting young leader to take the theater program to new artistic heights.

Eddie Sugarman comes to Theatre of Western Springs after two years as managing director of Berwyn’s 16th Street Theater, winner of the 2013 Broadway in Chicago Emerging Theatre Award.

At 16th Street he led marketing and fundraising, significantly increasing grant and event income and creating 16th Street’s corporate sponsorship program. Prior to that, he worked in the marketing department at the Tony Award-winning Chicago Shakespeare Theater. During his three seasons as managing director of the Jedlicka Performing Arts Center in Cicero, Sugarman produced 18 plays and musicals and increased overall attendance and box-office revenue year after year.

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Sugarman co-wrote the musical Meet John Doe, which enjoyed its world premiere at the Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C., won 2 Helen Hayes Awards and is licensed by the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization. Also, he had the coolest job on Broadway when he was a stuntman for two years in the original production of the musical Ragtime.

Sugarman holds a Master’s degree in Arts Administration from Drexel University and a BFA in Musical Theater from University of Michigan. He lives right here in Western Springs with his amazing wife, Kara (who took classes as TWS as a girl!), and their very cool kids, Sam and Lucy.

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