SEATTLE: Seattle Children’s Theatre (SCT) has named Courtney Sale its new artistic director. Sale will succeed Linda Hartzell. Sale will work closely with Hartzell over the summer and will lead SCT with managing director Karen Sharp starting in August.

“This was a challenging process for two reasons: One, we were charged with replacing Linda Hartzell, an icon in the field as well as part of the team of artistic directors nationally who have taken theatre for young audiences to a whole new level,” said president of the board Bob Evans in a statement. “The Second [reason] was the amount of very talented candidates from around the country who applied for the position. We are not expecting Courtney to fill Linda’s shoes, but bring her own.”

Sale is currently the associate artistic director at Indiana Repertory Theater (IRT), where she focuses on education outreach programming, new artistic projects, and casting. Sale is the co-director of IRT’s Summer Conservatory for Youth, and produced IRT’s Write Now, a national conference for playwrights focused on youth. She is also the co-artistic director of The Duplicates, an Austin-based theatre ensemble. Sale has also worked as a freelance director, with credits including uncertain terms (NW Playwrights at Seattle Repertory Theatre), Sagittarius Ponderosa (New Harmony Project), Birdsong (Write Now), and Zen Prayers and Songs (Fusebox Festival), among many others. Her production of The Scandal! was nominated for a New York Innovative Theater Award. She holds a BFA from Cornish College of the Arts, and a graduate degree from University of Texas at Austin.

“Seattle is the city where I trained as a young artist,” said Sale in a statement. “I was drawn to this community because of its dynamic artists, discerning audiences, and ineffable beauty. As a student, SCT, ACT, Intiman, and the Rep were all powerful forces in shaping my artistry.”