Marriott Theatre looks to its own for new artistic director, executive producer
Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire has hired internally for its top two management positions, the longstanding North Shore venue has announced.
Peter Blair will become executive producer, replacing Terry James, who announced his retirement in March after a run of some 40 years in the position. And Peter Marston Sullivan will become artistic director, replacing Aaron Thielen. James and Thielen (who is James’ husband) both are exiting this summer.
Both the Peters have been associated with the theater for more than decade and their ascension is no surprise to close observers of the theater.
Blair has been associate producer at the Marriott for the past six years. He was formerly executive director of the BoHo Theatre, an off-Loop theater in Chicago that produced many musicals. Marston Sullivan was most recently associate artistic director at the Marriott. He was formerly artistic director of the BoHo Theatre.
The Marriott Theatre, located in a suburban resort, has one of the largest subscription audiences in the county with over 30,000 subscribers. A year-round operation that never goes dark, the for-profit operation, owned by The Bricton Group, sells more than 300,000 theater tickets a year and mostly produces familiar musicals with an occasional new work. It’s one of the biggest employers of Chicago actors and long has employed a large roster of guest directors and choreographers.
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
