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Local Voices

New leadership at TWS

The Theatre of Western Springs (TWS) welcomes Eddie Sugarman as its new executive artistic director. For the 86th season (2014-2015), he will help shape the artistic vision of the theatre, run the day-to-day operations and act as liaison to the community at large. He assumes leadership June 2, 2014.

“The plays I have seen and the people I have met at the Theatre of Western Springs have been filled with passion, commitment and joy,” Sugarman said. “I am honored to join this great cultural institution and dive into a season of exciting, engaging plays.”

"We are incredibly thrilled to welcome Eddie Sugarman as our executive artistic director,” said Jennifer Jermano Miller, chairwoman of the TWS Board of Governors. “His passion for theatre combined with his expertise in the areas of theatre management, marketing and development will definitely make TWS a household name in our community."

According to TWS vice chair Bob Baker, a nationwide search was undertaken this winter.

“We believe Eddie's vision, energy and commitment to the community makes him the ideal person to assist TWS in its mission to entertain, to educate and to inspire across the generations through the art of live theatre,” Baker said.

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 operations and fundraising, significantly increasing grant and event income and creating 16th Street’s corporate sponsorship program. 

Prior to that, Sugarman worked in the marketing department at the Tony Award-winning Chicago Shakespeare Theater as part of a team which exceeded sales goals, increased group sales, and increased the theatre’s Facebook presence to more than 6,000 friends.

During his three seasons as managing director of the Jedlicka Performing Arts Center in Cicero, he produced 18 plays and musicals and increased overall attendance and box-office revenue by more than 10 percent a year.

Sugarman co-wrote the musical “Meet John Doe,” which had its world premiere at Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C. It won two Helen Hayes Awards, and it’s licensed by Rodgers and Hammerstein Theatricals. For two years, he appeared on Broadway in the original production of the musical, “Ragtime.”

He received a BFA in Musical Theater from the University of Michigan. His master’s degree is in Arts Administration from Drexel University where he is an adjunct faculty member in the online master’s program teaching, “Writing for the Arts.”

Sugarman lives in Western Springs with his wife, Kara, who took classes at Children’s Theatre of Western Springs as a girl, and their children Sam, 12, and Lucy, 8.

For more information, go to: http://www.theatreofwesternsprings.com.


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