Meet CTC's New Leadership Team

CTC: What excites you about joining Children’s Theatre Company?

Rick Dildine (RD): I truly feel that there is no nobler task than creating something for a young person. Especially in this moment, when we are still understanding the impacts of the pandemic and our young people are experiencing a mental health crisis, we need theatre more than ever. I want to create theatre that engages young people through every stage of their development and self discovery, and CTC is precisely the place to do this work. It’s an iconic institution, and one that sets the benchmark nationally and internationally for multigenerational theatre. I’m honored to be joining the team.

Jill A. Anderson (JA): I feel the same. I’m excited by the opportunity to consistently center the next generation—not just our future theatre artists, but also our future donors, trustees, and patrons. At CTC, our work with young audiences is not an add-on or a bonus; it’s the heart and soul of what we do. And this role is a kind of homecoming for me—I started my career at CTC, and that experience has opened up countless pathways for me in the decades since. I’m particularly excited to be able to pay that forward.

CTC: You are both joining CTC from theatres that primarily serve adult audiences. What excites you about creating theatre for multi-generational audiences? Why do you think it’s important?

RD: In some ways, storytelling is storytelling—our job as theatre makers is to create a piece of work that translates from the stage to the audience. The difference now is that the audience we’re choosing to center is made up of young people, who are intuitive, truthful, and totally present. Older audiences can sometimes come into a theatre with expectations—what a play is supposed to look like, how they’re supposed to act or react—but young people are free from that. They are honest, for better or for worse, and that’s what makes it special.

JA: The benefits that early arts engagement offers a young person are powerful and indisputable. For their academic lives, their future civic engagement, their professional skills, their mental health—theatre provides so many opportunities to cultivate a creative and confident sense of self. One of my biggest and most exciting questions is, how do we think about expanding that opportunity to serve even more young people? How are we meeting the needs of pre-verbal children, of non-English speaking children, of children with varying access needs? How can we make sure that every young person has access to this lifelong gift?

CTC: Which shows in our 2024-2025 Season are you particularly looking forward to?

JA: So many of my own theatre passions converge this season. I love developing new work, so Drawing Lessons is exciting. I have some history in the world of puppetry, so I can’t wait for Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster. And Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is iconic—for so many people, that’s their first experience at CTC, and there is truly nothing like witnessing that kinetic connection of people discovering the magic of theatre.

RD: I’m excited about all of them, to be honest. One of the great things about CTC is that it’s a world-class institution, which means we don’t put something on stage unless we’re proud of it. Every piece that makes it to stage has been carefully developed, rigorously examined, and thoughtfully brought to life.

CTC: CTC has a co-leadership model, which means that you are working as equal partners to lead the theatre. What is your shared vision for CTC, and how do you imagine your partnership will support it?

RD: I know I speak for both of us when I say, we love the CTC we see today. We’re inspired by this theatre and its community, and we want to build on the decades of success. And, we share the vision of this being the nation’s children’s theatre—a place people travel to, with their families, to experience the transformational work that so many in this community already know and love.

JA: Absolutely. CTC is already in a place of incredible strength and reputation, and we get to build on that. This moment of transition is an opportunity for us to dig deeply into our mission, vision, and values. It’s a chance for us to ask how we can reach more young people, how we can grow and deepen our existing programming. We’re just one piece of CTC’s history, so it’s our opportunity to amplify the powerful work that’s already happening and find ways to make it even better and stronger for the next generation.

CTC: We saved the hardest question for last: You are joining our Minnesota institution mere weeks before the Minnesota State Fair. What food are you most excited to eat on a stick?

JA: My answer has to be walleye, but wouldn’t it flake off of the stick? What’s more Minnesotan than walleye in the summer?

RD: I have a huge sweet tooth, so any kind of sweet treat is a must for me. I want to try them all!