The League of Chicago Theatres Announces Marissa Lynn Ford as the Organization’s New Executive Director

The League of Chicago Theatres Announces 

Marissa Lynn Ford as the Organization’s New Executive Director

The League of Chicago Theatres Board of Directors announces the selection of Marissa Lynn Ford as the organization’s new Executive Director. Ford comes to the League of Chicago Theatres from Goodman Theatre where she was Associate Managing Director. Among her accomplishments are spearheading IDEAA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access, Anti-Racism) initiatives, contract negotiations, and overseeing Chicago’s first Covid-19 Equity approved production. Ford will begin at the League in October 2022. 

Ford succeeds Deb Clapp who stepped down from her position on June 30, 2022, after leading the service organization for 14 years. Clapp will continue to consult with the League through the leadership transition. 

The national search for the Executive Director began in March 2022 with a Search Committee of League Board members representative of the vast and diverse membership. The Committee worked in partnership with Arts Consulting Group to lead a thoughtful, diligent search, including input from League staff and key community stakeholders.  

“The committee unanimously recommended Marissa Lynn Ford to the position based on her proven leadership, vision, and care for community that will serve the organization, the membership, and the field at-large. Marissa’s deep experience in Chicago theatre, her distinguished work at the Goodman for the past eight years and her passion for Chicago theatre made her the top choice from a field of excellent and well-qualified candidates,” stated search committee co-chairs Charlique C. Rolle, League secretary and Executive Director of Congo Square Theatre and John Collins, immediate past chair of the League board and Managing Director of the Goodman Theatre. “We are grateful to the members of the Search Committee: Stan Brown, Director of Graduate Studies of the MFA in Acting program at Northwestern University, Eileen LaCario, past League board chair and Vice-President at Broadway In Chicago, Kate Lipuma, past League board chair and Executive Director at Writers Theatre, Marcela Muñoz, Co-Artistic and Managing Director at Aguijón Theater, Tyrone Phillips, Artistic Director at Definition Theatre, Heidi Thompson Saunders, current League board chair and Managing Director at Court Theatre, and Ivan Vega, Co-founder and Executive Director at UrbanTheater Company.

League of Chicago Theatres Board Chair Heidi Thompson Saunders adds, “On behalf of the League’s Board of Directors, I am thrilled to welcome Marissa Lynn Ford as Executive Director. Marissa’s commitment to Chicago and Chicago theatre make her an ideal choice to step into this role. We are lucky that Deb Clapp served the League so effectively for so long, and I look forward to partnering with Marissa as she works to help Chicago theaters continue to emerge from the pandemic.”

Marisa Lynn Ford comments. “What excites me about working with the League of Chicago Theatres is the opportunity to help share the stories of many voices across the Chicago community. The opportunity to develop the strategic plan, create new relationships and call-in community members and artists is exciting work. By building off the current framework and programs with the League’s amazing team of board and staff, I am confident that we will uplift Chicago theatre in a new way.”

Marissa Lynn Ford comes to the League of Chicago Theatres after 8 years at Goodman Theatre, working for the past 4 as the company’s Associate Managing Director. In that leadership position, she was responsible for IDEAA programs, negotiating contacts, supervising and maintaining a $5 million budget for artistic expenses and special projects for the 9-production season and securing production licensing, playwright contracts, commissions, and royalties. She oversaw Chicago’s first Covid-19 Equity approved production, including the Health and Safety and supervised a staff committee, company manager and accessibility coordinator.

Prior to that, she was the Special Projects Associate at Goodman Theatre. Her accomplishments include producing Goodman’s first Sensory Friendly Performance, curating the Black Words Matter Celebration, coordinating the League of Resident Theaters 2016 Fall Conference in Las Vegas, NV, and producing the Leonard Bernstein, Latino and Lorraine Hansberry Celebrations. She served on the Goodman Strategic Pricing Team to research and develop a new subscription model. Ford managed the 2015 Chicago accessibility summit in partnership with Chicago Community Trust and developed the Touch Tour Accessibility program.

She began at Goodman as Apprentice Producer to Roche Schulfer in 2014. Prior to that she spent time at Collaboraction Theatre Company as a marketing intern, American Theater Company as a development and events apprentice, and Broadway In Chicago as an operations intern.

A Chicago native, Ford graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, IA, with a B.S in Business Administration, International Business and a B.F.A. in Theatre Acting. She has served on the League of Resident Theaters Equity Diversity and Inclusion Committee and Mentorship Committee, the Theatre Communications Group Programming Council, the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival ASPIRE program and the Woodlawn AME Church Daniel H. Guy Scholarship Committee.

The League of Chicago Theatre’s Board of Directors is: Heidi Thompson Saunders, Managing Director, Court Theatre (Chair); Doreen Sayegh, Producer/General Manager, Pemberley Productions (Vice-Chair); Kate Piatt-Eckert, Executive Director, Steep Theatre Company (Treasurer); Charlique C. Rolle, Executive Director, Congo Square Theatre (Secretary); Stan Brown, Director of Graduate Studies, Northwestern University; Karen Cardarelli, Executive Director, Facets Multi-Media; Elaine Cohen, John Collins, Managing Director, Goodman Theatre; Alice da Cunha, Co-Artistic Director, Physical Theater Festival Chicago; Cody Estle, Artistic Director, Raven Theatre; Rachel Fink, Executive Director, Lookingglass Theatre;; Kirsten Fitzgerald, Artistic Director, A Red Orchid Theatre; Lisa Naparstek Green, Iceberg Enterprises; Ashlee Harris, Executive Director of Marketing, Broadway In Chicago; Jen Hoyt, Director of Special Projects, Steppenwolf Theatre; Emily Jelsomeno; Rachel Kraft; Eileen LaCario, Vice-President, Broadway In Chicago; Kate Lipuma, Executive Director, Writers Theatre; Marcela Muñoz, Managing and Co-Artistic Director, Aguijón Theater; Susan Padveen, Associate Professor, Associate Chair, Columbia College Chicago; Tyrone Phillips, Artistic Director, Definition Theatre; Dr. Marcus Robinson, Enrich Chicago; Roche Schulfer, Executive Director, Goodman Theatre; Michael Patrick Thornton, Founder, The Gift Theatre; and Ivan Vega, Executive Director, UrbanTheater Company.

About Chicago theatre

Chicago theatre is the leader in the U.S. with more than 250 theatres throughout Chicagoland, comprising a rich and varied community ranging from storefront, non-union theatres to the most renowned resident theatres in the country, including 5 which have been honored with Regional Tony Awards, and the largest touring Broadway organization in the nation. Chicago’s theatres serve 5 million audience members annually and have a combined budget of more than $250 million. Chicago typically produces and/or presents more world premieres annually than any other city in the nation. Each year Chicago theatres send new work to resident theatres across the country, to Broadway, and around the world. 

League of Chicago Theatres’ Mission Statement

Theatre is essential to the life of a great city and to its citizens. The League of Chicago Theatres is an alliance of theatres which leverages its collective strength to support, promote, and advocate for Chicago’s theatre industry. Through our work, we ensure that theatre continues to thrive in our city.