16th Street Theater Interim Artistic Director
16th Street Theater is pleased to announce that Jean (Adamak) Gottlieb (she, her, they, them) has been appointed Interim Artistic Director, following the resignation of 16th Street founder Ann Filmer.
Jean is the former Artistic Director of Footsteps Theatre in Chicago (1991-1999) and New World Repertory Theater in Downers Grove (2003-2009). She graduated with honors from DePaul University’s Theatre School (formerly the Goodman School of Drama) in 2002 with an MFA in Directing. Jean has directed more than thirty productions in her career, ranging from new plays and adaptations, to children’s theatre to Shakespeare. She has appeared on various Chicago stages and online readings as an actress, most recently appearing as Prospero in The Tempest for Hong Kong Live Play Readings. She is also a published playwright (NextStagePress.net). Three of her original plays have been produced, one receiving an After Dark Award from Gay Chicago Magazine. Also an entrepreneur, Jean opened a Montessori school in 2010, and experienced great success in growing the school into a thriving business. Jean focused her creative energy on writing while running the school, and has recently stepped fully back into the theatrical arena. In 2020, she founded Dragonfly Theatre Company to provide a virtual creative outlet for artists during the pandemic.
“Theater will always be a part of my soul,” Jean says, “Even while opening and running a Montessori school I kept my hands in the creative world of theater, using every spare moment to write and organize readings. Theater colleagues kept calling with directing and acting projects, which of course I accepted, and it got to the point where it was clear to me I was ready to jump back in full time. So when this opportunity with 16th Street came along, I felt the time was right to use the skills I have gathered from over 30 years in theater to support this great organization.”
“I am excited and inspired by the changes that are occurring in Chicago theaters and in theaters across the country,” Jean continues, “I look forward to working closely with Michele DiMaso (Managing Director) to move forward in a positive light, with a strong commitment to diversity and equity while developing and producing exciting new plays. In the meantime, my presence will give the Board of Directors time to conduct a thorough search for a permanent Artistic Director.”
16th Street Theater welcomes Jean, and looks forward to resuming live theater in 2022!
ABOUT 16TH STREET THEATER
A Core Member of the National New Play Network, 16th Street has a national reputation for being a model theater for new play development and production. World premieres by Will Dunne, Laura Jacqmin, Robert Koon, Aline Lathrop, Rohina Malik, Arlene Malinwoski, Elaine Romero, Tanya Saracho, Andrea Thome, Loy A. Webb, and Karen Zacarías, among others, have graced their stage since its beginnings in 2008.