Adrianna Desier Durantt Takes the Helm Following the Triumphant Opening of NIGHT WATCH
Chicago, Illinois (October 17, 2023) – Chicago’s Raven Theatre Company today named Adrianna Desier Durantt as Managing Director, following the opening of the highly anticipated revival of Lucille Fletcher’s psychological thriller NIGHT WATCH. Durantt joins Raven after serving as founding partner and producing executive director of PARA.MAR Dance Theatre where she drove business strategy, creative development, strategic partnerships, community relations, brand and identity strategy, fundraising communication, artistic programming and producing. She brings her vast experience as a multi-disciplinary arts producer and cultural strategist in the creative sector as Raven enters a new chapter of its storied history.
“As a resident of Edgewater, with vested interest in the success of this theatre, I am eager to partner with Sarah and the Raven community at this pivotal moment for the organization and the cultural community at large,” said Managing Director Adrianna Desier Durantt. “In part due to the forward-thinking artistic and financial investments Raven has made over the past few decades, this organization is well-positioned to respond and adapt to the evolving needs of the arts sector and theater community. I am optimistic that together, we'll be able to advance and cement this treasured organization as the north star of Chicago for new and reimagined work and I look forward to being a part of re-centering community and re-investing in artists by joining Sarah as we turn the page on the next chapter for Raven.”
“Adrianna comes to Raven with a wide variety of experience in arts leadership and producing” saidSarah Slight, Artistic Director of Raven Theatre Company. “She and I share a passion for our local and theatrical community that drives us to make Raven a cultural hub for the Edgewater neighborhood and the city of Chicago. After nearly a year of leadership transition, Raven is now poised to move to its next phase.”
“We are pleased Adrianna has agreed to join the theatre as its Managing Director,” said Stephen Johnson, Board President of Raven Theatre Company. “She brings a wealth of administrative, leadership, and production experience as well as a broad based artistic sensibility to the organization. I look forward to the impact she will undoubtedly make to the ongoing viability of the theatre.”
Raven’s 41st season began October 5, 2023 with a revival of Lucille Fletcher’s hit Broadway psychological thriller “Night Watch”; continues in February 2024 with the World Premiere of Paul Michael Thomson’s “brother sister cyborg space,” exploring the political divisions within families against the backdrop of a rapidly-accelerating climate crisis; and culminates in May 2024 with the World Premiere of the final installment in Joshua Allen’s “The Grand Boulevard Trilogy,” set in 1919 during the Chicago Race Riots.
41st Season subscription packages are on sale now at www.raventheatre.com/subscriptions, with individual tickets going on sale in August 2023.
About Adrianna Desier Durantt
Adrianna Desier Durantt (she/her) is a multi-disciplinary arts producer and cultural strategist focusing on brand identity and business development for impact-driven organizations and projects in the creative sector.
Most recently, Adrianna served as the founding partner and producing executive director of PARA.MAR Dance Theatre where she drove business strategy, creative development, strategic partnerships, community relations, brand and identity strategy, fundraising communication, artistic programming and producing.
Before PARA.MAR, she was part of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s producing team, where she led and/or managed several strategic programming initiatives – including, but not limited to, the commissioning and licensing of works by MacArthur Genius recipient Kyle Abraham, Crystal Pite, Ohad Naharin, Azure Barton, Osnel Delgado, and Rena Butler with presentations at the Harris Theater, the Auditorium, and the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Prior to Hubbard Street Dance Company, Adrianna worked on brand and communication strategy for several Chicago-based projects and companies – including 2nd Story; CURE Epilepsy; BPI Chicago; Northwestern Theater Department’s MFA Program; among others. She also helped manage and support the executive team of Steppenwolf Theatre Company through transitional leadership and the development of their capital campaign for the extension of their campus.
Before moving to Chicago, Adrianna produced fashion shows and campaigns for NYFW, consulted for Teen Vogue, Vicks, West Elm, Nike, and Pepsi on experiential campaigns, and helped develop the winning stage design strategy for music artist DRAKE’s International tour.
She holds certificates in Innovation & Entrepreneurship from both Stanford Graduate School of Business and NYU Stern, where she was a founding member of their Innovation Lab.
She studied stage design at NYU Tisch’s Design for Stage and Film MFA Program and received her BFA in Theatrical Production from Ithaca College. She is from Brooklyn, NY and is raising three young boys in Chicago with her designer husband, with whom she co-founded casaboyce – a chicago-based creative and production studio bridging art, architecture, design, and storytelling for live events and performance.
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