TRUSTY SIDEKICK THEATER COMPANY ANNOUNCES TRANSITION

DREW PETERSEN STEPS DOWN AS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AFTER A SUCCESSFUL AND PROLIFIC FIVE YEAR TENURE, CONTINUING THE COMPANY’S COMMITMENT TO ROTATING ARTISTIC LEADERSHIP

Trusty Sidekick Theater Company, New York’s innovative ensemble that creates bold and immersive theatrical experiences for young audiences, announces today a milestone of transition for the company. After five years as Artistic Director, Drew Petersen will step down from his position, ending a successful tenure of leading the company’s new work development and commencing what will be a new chapter in artistic leadership for the company. While this move was already in the works prior to the pandemic, the timing allows the company space to reflect on the past and envision the future.

“As a company, we have always believed in rotating leadership and evolution of both the form and content of the TYA we create. After 5 years as artistic leader, and 10 years as part of the leadership team, I’m ready to pass the torch and support the next phase of the company’s direction,” said Petersen. “My predecessor and our co-founder Jonathan Shmidt Chapman also stepped away from this role at the 5 year mark. For companies like Trusty to remain innovative and dynamic, artistic leadership also needs to continually change and forge new pathways.”

Petersen, a founding member of the company, has devised and performed more than 15 original productions in his tenure, constantly pushing the genre of Theatre For Young Audiences forward through experimentation of form and content. Petersen’s character “Flash” and his mischievous shadow delighted early years audiences from around the country in the 2018-19 national tour of SHADOW PLAY. Petersen created a groundbreaking partnership between Trusty Sidekick and the Park Avenue Armory, which became an incubator and presenter of the company's work including THE 7 AND 1/2 MYSTERIES OF TOULOUSE MCLANE and THE ELECTRIC DOYENNE, a trilogy of original narrative concerts for middle schoolers celebrating unsung women of music history. In 2018, Petersen received the Artistic Innovation Award from TYA/USA, the leading national organization for the professional field of theatre for children and families.

“Drew’s contributions to the company have made a lasting impression on a generation of young people and families who were able to experience the magic of the work he led the company in creating,” shared Board President Nellie Perera. “His creative spirit and innovative vision have inspired a re-imagining of what theater can be for young people. His legacy will remain a deep part of the fabric of the company, and we know he will be an active part of the team as we collectively envision the next chapter of Trusty Sidekick.”

Rather than immediately conduct a search, the company will spend a good portion of 2021 in strategic planning work with its core ensemble, board, community partners, and young audiences, led by the transition leadership team of current staff members: Managing Director Paul Brewster McGinley, Head of Enrichment Renata Melillo Townsend, and Associate Artistic Director Spencer Lott. This process will center antiracism and equity at the foundation of envisioning the next chapter, and will allow for an expansive look at leadership models, programming development, and organizational growth. Following this period of time, the company will announce a strategy and a search process for its next leadership team.

In the meantime, the company will continue to find innovative ways to serve audiences remotely until we can gather again. Most recently, Trusty Sidekick has led a series of projects that allowed families to be a part of the creative process at home under the mentorship of company member to create live, virtual theater generated by a community of families and professional artists.“Trusty Sidekick gave us just the rocket booster we needed to get through a scary and isolating time,” shared Jessica Lorenz, whose family recently engaged in a devising process for a virtual theater piece. These works have inspired audiences, participants, and artists alike in finding a unique way to feel connected in this time of isolation. #

Contact:
Paul Brewster McGinley, Managing Director
Email: pbrewster@trustysidekick.org