Bailiwick Chicago Welcomes New Executive Director Kate Garassino

Bailiwick Chicago announced today that Brian LaDuca is stepping down as Executive Director, and that Founding Collective member Kate Garassino has been appointed Executive Director for the 2012-13 Season.

After two years with Bailiwick Chicago, LaDuca is moving to Ohio to become the Director of ArtStreet, an innovative learning and living arts complex located in the heart of the University of Daytoncampus.

“We are very grateful to Brian for his leadership of this organization”, said Board President Scott Hildebrand. “He has done so much to help us mature our business structure and operations, and he will be greatly missed. Kate has been actively involved with the company since our very beginning, and we are excited to support her in this position.”

“I’m looking forward to leading Bailiwick Chicago thru the upcoming season”, said Garassino, “and will focus my efforts on fiscal awareness, responsiveness to audience and artistic needs, and strengthening our ties to the corporate community.”

Kate Garassino is a Founding Collective member of Bailiwick Chicago. After receiving her education at Roosevelt University in Musical Theater, she helped co-found two theater companies, Gilead Theatre (who produced the award winning production of RENT in the late 90’s) and Landscape Theater Ensemble. Additionally she worked as the Marketing Manager at BoHo Theater Ensemble.

She is also the founder of Garassino Partners, a business development and consulting firm that helps companies respond to real estate proposals and procurement opportunities; training, designing, and implementing corporate sales processes; providing B2B support and initiatives; overseeing and designing Social Media launches; and aligning administrative staff with corporate marketing strategies.

Garassino received an Equity Jeff Nomination for her role of Lady Thiang in Porchlight Music Theater’s production of King & I, and is a Jeff Award recipient for Best Supporting Musical Theatre Actress in Bailiwick Repertory’s production of Bombs Away. She will soon be seen as Christmas Eve in Nightblue Theater’s production of Avenue Q this fall at Stage773.

Bailiwick Chicago is a non-profit professional company with a mission to produce contemporary musicals and plays, reinvent classic musicals, and develop new work, while sharing a powerful and authentic theatrical experience. We celebrate and engage our community through diverse programming, artistic partnerships and outreach opportunities.

In just two seasons, Bailiwick Chicago has garnered 28 award nominations, including 10 Non-Equity Jeff Award Nominations in their first Jeff-Eligible season (2011-12). Recently closed earlier this summer was their performance art collaboration with The New Colony, Rise of the Numberless, and this fall they will produce the Chicago premiere of the hit rock stage musical Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson.

For additional information, visit bailiwickchicago.com, or facebook.com/bailiwickchicago.