Barbara Gaines to Step Down as Artistic Director in 2023

Dear Friends and Supporters,

As I write this note, it is with unending gratitude to all of you who have joined me in creating a theater that is—I believe—like no other and (as Ben Jonson said of Shakespeare) “not of an age, but for all time.”

After thirty-six joyous years, I’ve decided to step down as Artistic Director of Chicago Shakespeare in 2023. I feel it’s time now for the Theater to welcome new artistic leadership. Change can infuse a new and bold creative energy, as our work to imaginatively explore Shakespeare alongside other playwrights continues and evolves in new ways to meet our changing world.

When I founded the Theater in 1986, I hoped it would be a gift to the city of Chicago. Nineteen artists gathered on the rooftop of a Lincoln Park pub in what would become the company’s first production, and spoke aloud the first words of Henry V: “O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention.”

It was that invention—that idea of what Chicago Shakespeare could become—which ignited incomparable creativity over the years and grew into an organization that is and will continue to be a beacon of light shining throughout our city. It’s a torch that brings together the talents of artists from Chicago and across the globe to our home on Navy Pier. My mission over these many years has been to fill the world with the humanity of Shakespeare—a writer who understands the immediacy of being human, and gives us all the chance to delve into the mysteries of life. And that’s exactly what I believe we’ve been able to do together.

I am immensely proud of all that we’ve done and deeply inspired by the thrilling possibilities ahead for Chicago Shakespeare in the decades to come.

To be clear, this is far from goodbye…we still have much to accomplish together this year. Artistry will be filling our stages this spring, and we’ll be sharing our plans for the upcoming season soon. More than ever, our city needs art to fill people’s lives with hope, beauty, courage—and with radiant light. That has always been the personal human connection that feeds my soul. Until I see you next at the Theater, I hope this video message expresses the fullness of my heart.

Here’s to the brightest future—

Barbara Gaines,
Artistic Director

Carl and Marilynn Thoma Chair