The Minnesota Shubert Center Welcomes Mary McColl, Jeff Bartlett, and Troy Linck
Opening in 2011, but the Curtain has Already Risen on New Programming
The Minnesota Shubert Center Welcomes Mary McColl, Jeff Bartlett, and Troy Linck
Less than two weeks after breaking ground, the Minnesota Shubert Center announced the addition of three core staff members, including its new Executive Director, Mary McColl. Ms. McColl will be joined by Jeff Bartlett, Dance Community Liaison, and Troy Linck, Marketing Director.
“Organizational success always begins with the right leadership team,” says Shubert Steering Committee Chair Rebecca Yanisch. “Given Mary’s exemplary background with premier arts organizations, coupled with her personal history in dance, we could not envision an executive better prepared than Mary McColl to lead the Minnesota Shubert Center.”
Ms. McColl was trained in ballet. She worked at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts for 20 years, beginning as an usher in the Ordway’s opening season before serving as Director of House Operations, Director of Operations, and ultimately Vice President and General Manager from 2001–2005. She joined the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra as Vice President for Operations from 2005–2007 before moving to the Broadway League in New York City as Director of Labor Relations in 2008.
“As a center for dance that integrates affordable space to work, teach, rehearse and perform, the Minnesota Shubert Center has the potential to help lift the Twin Cities dance community to new heights of visibility and excellence,” says Mary McColl. “It is a dream opportunity for me to help launch this new institution and join staff, board, and partners in pursuit of a transformative vision.”
Ms. McColl will begin on February 1, 2010. She will succeed Colin Hamilton, who joined the Minnesota Shubert Center in 2007 to manage its capital campaign and became its Executive Director in 2008. Having successfully guided the Shubert to construction, Mr. Hamilton will transition to other national projects in his role as Vice President at Artspace Projects, the nonprofit development company that has managed the Minnesota Shubert Center project.
Jeff Bartlett was the Founding Artistic Director of the Southern Theater, a position he held from 1981–2008. He is widely acclaimed within the Twin Cities dance community for his work with a multitude of companies, including ARENA Dances, Black Label Movement, Flying Foot Forum, Minnesota Dance Theatre, Ragamala Dance, Shapiro and Smith Dance, TU Dance, Zenon Dance, and Zorongo Flamenco. As Dance Community Liaison, Mr. Bartlett will help implement a plan funded by DanceUSA to more deeply engage constituents of the Twin Cities’ dance community and support audience-expanding collaborations.
Troy Linck will bring marketing expertise to the Minnesota Shubert Center developed through a 20-year career at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Target, Campbell & Mithun, and Space150. Mr. Linck will guide the public launch of the Minnesota Shubert Center and coordinate audience development strategies.
The Minnesota Shubert Center will be a new home for dance that supports the continued artistic and organizational growth of the local dance community. A multifaceted center for dance, the Shubert will:
The intimate Shubert Theater is specifically designed for the needs of dance, with a sprung floor, a fly-loft, unusual intimacy, and sightlines that keep dancers visible from their toes to their greatest leaps. Like an appropriately lit gallery or a concert hall with great acoustics, this dance-centric stage will allow our dance companies to fully shine.
The Minnesota Shubert Center is being developed by Artspace Projects, the nation’s leading developer for the arts. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Artspace has completed 24 arts facilities in 12 states and has consulted with communities and arts organizations in 49 states.
Opening in 2011, but the Curtain has Already Risen on New Programming
As the Minnesota Shubert Center moves into construction, we talk about a spring 2011 opening, but the truth is the Shubert is already very much in business. The Hennepin Center for the Arts wing of the Shubert currently provides affordable administrative and rehearsal space to 24 nonprofit arts organizations, including two of the Twin Cities’ largest and most acclaimed dance schools.
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