After over 17 years as Executive Director, Colleen Blake will be leaving the Shaw Festival in early spring 2012.
In announcing her decision to move on, Ms. Blake commented that, as the 50th season comes to an end, the timing was right to take stock, look forward to her own future and The Shaw’s.
“The Shaw is an incredibly creative company, full of dedicated and talented people who give their all on a continual basis,” reflected Ms. Blake. “It has been an enormous privilege to share the leadership of this remarkable organization with Jackie Maxwell since 2002 and with Christopher Newton before that.”
Ms. Blake was born in Alberta, educated in Canada and the United States, and is a graduate of the University of Windsor with an honours degree in English. She is the recipient of the 1972 Jean A. Chalmers Apprentice Award (awarded annually by the Stratford Festival to young professionals) and the 1983 Pauline M. McGibbon Award (awarded by the Ontario government for excellence in the early stages of a theatre professional’s career). In June 2004, Ms. Blake was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from the University of Windsor.
While the search for a new Executive Director will begin immediately, Ms. Blake will continue in her current role until her successor is appointed.
Read the full press release at Shawfest.com.
