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Sherrie Johnson announced as Crows Theatre’s new executive director

Crows Theatre has just announced that Sherrie Johnson will join artistic director Chris Abraham as executive director.

Joining the Crows Theatre family feels like home to me says Johnson, in a statement. Chris Abraham is one of the most dynamic and aspirational Artistic Directors in our country. We share a similar focus and desire to be influential connectors of the people in this city, in the country and around the world through the participation and animation of the arts. As a team, Chris and I intend to be a catalyst for an inclusive and accessible organization that champions new works, builds a holistic blueprint for the artists creating the work, and redefines our way of thinking about institutional power.

“In addition to being excited about the artistic side,” Johnson adds, “I am also looking forward to embracing the city-building facets which have become part of Crows growth. By expanding our relationships with our east end neighbours outside of performances, we intend to evolve Streetcar Crowsnest as a meeting point where everyone belongs, and we are known not only for robust artistic programming, but our extraordinary commitment to enhancing our communitys quality of life.”

Johnson comes from Canadian Stage, Toronto’s largest not-for profit contemporary theatre company, where she began in 2013 and served as executive producer and director of international partnerships. Later, during a time of executive transition she became interim artistic and managing director and executive producer. In July, Canadian Stage hired Brendan Healy as its new artistic director.

Before Canadian Stage, Johnson accumulated 14 years of experience as a producer and general manager. She co-founded theatre company da da kamera with Daniel Maclvor.

Her experience includes being a founding artistic director for Outside the Box, a multi-arts festival in Boston, and senior curator at PuSh International Performing Arts Festival in Vancouver. She also programmed and produced the Six Stages Festival in Toronto, Prague, Berlin and Glasgow.

In 2017, Abraham was NOW’s top stage artist of the year, and several shows that played at Crow’s among them The Wolves, Jerusalem and Punk Rock made it on several theatre critics’ best of 2018 lists.

In an odd coincidence, last November Monica Esteves, former managing director of Crow’s Theatre, left to become an executive director at Canadian Stage.

Johnsons new position becomes official on February 11.

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