CHICAGO: Lookingglass Theatre Company has announced that executive director Rachel Kraft will step down as executive director at the end of 2017. Kraft has served in the role since 2005, and the company will begin the search for her successor in July.

“On the eve of our 30th anniversary season, I am very proud that our ‘great experiment’ begun at Northwestern University continues to create new work and partnerships with our community,” said artistic director Heidi Stillman in a statement. “Rachel has been a true collaborator to the ensemble and me, and we are so grateful to her fierce love of the art and her commitment to the health of our company. Rachel’s leadership has set a high bar as we look for an executive director who will allow us to build on the many accomplishments during her tenure.”

Under Kraft’s leadership, Lookingglass Theatre Company created 29 world premiere productions and toured and/or coproduced nine original productions. The company retired $500,000 in debt, had operating surpluses seven out of the past 11 years, and completed a capacity building assessment.

“From a very young age, the arts, and specifically theatre, have been my greatest passion,” said Kraft in a statement. “After 12 years at the Goodman and 12 years at Lookingglass, I am convinced of the unique place Chicago theatre occupies in our country. Lookingglass’s bold mission to develop new work, primarily from within its ensemble, while sharing with the community its values of innovation, transformation, and collaboration, remains an inspiration to me. I am proud of the Lookingglass marriage of artists, board, and staff, and how the company is not afraid to learn and change. As Lookingglass prepares for its 30th anniversary, I look forward to supporting a smooth transition and taking a personal ‘intermission’ to consider what form my service will take in the future.”