MILWAUKEE: Milwaukee Chamber Theatre has announced that Megwyn Sanders-Andrews is their new managing director, following a search led by Evolution Management Consultants. Sanders-Andrews succeeds Amy Salat, who stepped away from the company at the end of 2022 to be closer to family. Sanders-Andrews officially began her new role alongside artistic director Brent Hazelton on Jan. 2.
“I’m honored to join the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, which has a tremendous 50-year history of creating high-quality theatre and offers stories from unique voices that audiences won’t see anywhere else,” said Sanders-Andrews in a statement. “It is my sincere belief that theatre has the ability to bridge divides and bring communities together. I am eager to contribute to this shared vision and continue building Milwaukee Chamber Theatre as an essential hub for Milwaukee artists, Milwaukee audiences, and Milwaukee stories.”
In a statement, Jason Rae, president of the MCT board of trustees, praised the experience and expertise of Sanders-Andrews, sharing the belief that “her dynamic leadership will propel the theatre into a new era of success.”
The announcement comes a little less than a year after MCT put out an emergency appeal to donors and audience members so that the company could avoid folding. Last February, as the company extended its appeal deadline, Hazelton told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that the company had begun the season with a “board-approved break-even budget of $1.05 million,” but by February MCT was projecting a $365,000 deficit. Since February, according to MCT’s website, the company was able to raise $1.2 million for its Sustainability Campaign, bringing its total to just over $1.5 million and allowing MCT to proceed with its 2023-24 season.
As Sanders-Andrews joins the company, she brings with her a PhD in interdisciplinary theatre studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MA in performance studies from New York University. As a nonprofit executive director, most recently at Our Odyssey, Inc., Sanders-Andrews has spearheaded sustained fundraising gains, overseen regional and national program growth, and driven programmatic and organizational excellence through vibrant, collaborative partnerships and data-driven change management. She has dedicated her career to accessibility and inclusion in the arts for over 20 years, with an interest in platforming voices that have traditionally been kept in the margins and the humanizing power of community-based devised theatre and storytelling.
“Megwyn and I share a belief that live theatre has a unique value in fostering connections and understanding within our diverse community,” said Hazelton. “Megwyn’s demonstrated commitment to creating impactful experiences aligns perfectly with our goal of using theatre to inspire multicultural and multigenerational conversations throughout our community. I’m absolutely thrilled to collaborate with Megwyn as we move MCT into its next 50 years.”
Founded in 1975, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre aims to produce intimate, high-quality, professional theatrical works that engage and challenge audiences, while employing and nurturing local theatre artists.
