Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis hires new artistic director

The Children's Theatre Company has a new artistic director.

Rick Dildine, who has led the Alabama Shakespeare Festival since August 2017, has been tapped as the Tony-winning Minneapolis company's next leader.

Dildine starts July 1, succeeding Peter Brosius, who's retiring after 27 years.

"His remarkable background, combined with his genuine passion for our mission, makes him the ideal leader to guide us into this new era," said board chair Silvia Perez. "His vision encompasses expanding upon CTC's existing national leadership in multigenerational work, propelling the organization towards even greater levels of excellence and innovation."

Dildine said he was drawn to CTC because of "a strong alignment with mission, vision and values."

He added that he wants to build on the bright spots of Brosius' legacy because "creating art for young people is the most important thing that a theater can do today."

For Dildine, 45, the CTC job is his biggest gig in a cross-country leadership tour that has taken him from Kentucky to Rhode Island, Chicago to St. Louis.

As a farm kid growing up in Wynne, Ark., Dildine dreamed of scoring movies. But that seemed about as far-fetched as floating off in a spaceship to the moon. So, he shifted to acting, and studied theater at both Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark., and Brown University in Providence, R.I., where he earned his master of fine arts degree.

He was still determined to be a stage star in graduate school when he had a mid-20s eureka moment: A summer stock company that was going under asked him to take the reins. He resuscitated the theater and hasn't longed for the stage lights since.

"I didn't know any better, so I threw myself into it," Dildine said, adding that he had worked in many different departments of the company, so he knew its strengths and weaknesses.

"My happy place is working with people — helping them realize their dreams," Dildine said.

He served as managing director of Chicago's About Face Theatre for 15 months before becoming executive director of the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, where his tenure lasted from 2009 to 2017. He increased attendance by 55% and revenue by 38%.

At the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, which has a $9 million budget, he launched an ambitious project commissioning 22 playwrights to write works about the South.

He would not go into details about his vision for Children's Theatre, which has a $13.4 million operating budget, but he named two things off the bat.

He wants CTC to be more of a destination company for families across the country. And he is interested in making the company's work more accessible to a global audience.

"I think there's a role for us to play in streaming our work," Dildine said. "We have a unique mission, and I would love to share it with young people and families around the world."

He and his husband, museum marketing executive Stephen Hayes, will soon be looking for housing in the Twin Cities, where he already has strong connections. He counts Guthrie Theater leader Joseph Haj as a friend.

"Storytelling helped me tap into my inner life and imagination, helped me understand who I am and where I fit in the world," Dildine said. "Stories have been misused throughout the world, but they're incredibly powerful when used to bring people together."