New Shakespeare & Company President Wins St. Louis Award
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LENOX, Mass. — The St. Louis Post-Dispatch announced this week that Shakespeare & Company’s new leader, Rick Dildine, has been named Theater Artist of the Year in that city, his professional home prior to joining the Lenox-based theater company.
The award, given annually by the Post-Dispatch theater critic Judith Newmark, pays tribute to Dildine’s work with Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, where he served as artistic and executive director for the last five years.
“(It’s a) small wonder Shakespeare & Co. wanted Dildine,” writes Newmark. “Audiences need artists who try new things to whet our appetites, artists who have confidence in their own vision and in their audiences’ brains and nerve. That’s the kind of artist Dildine is.”
Newmark’s article goes on to describe some of Dildine’s biggest achievements, including the invention of Shake38, an annual whirlwind of Shakespeare performances in which versions of all 38 of Shakespeare’s plays are presented all over town. He also introduced Shakespeare in the Streets – adaptations of Shakespeare plays with modern settings in St. Louis neighborhoods.
“I'm incredibly humbled and honored,” Dildine said. “St. Louis is an amazing city, and I'm so lucky it was my artistic home for the past five years. The experience opened many doors for me, including the one to Shakespeare & Company, and I’m thrilled to be part of this remarkable community, and excited for the upcoming season.”
Dildine was named president and executive director of Shakespeare & Company in September of 2014. He is expected to announce the Company’s 2015 Performance Season in February.
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