ASHLAND, ORE.: Play On Shakespeare has announced Taylor Bailey as their new interim executive director. He succeeds Dr. Lue Douthit, who will helm a new department at Play On Shakespeare focusing on research, education, and engaging dramaturgy in the support of modern Shakespeare practice.

Bailey is a theatre artist and educator living and working in Chicago. He spent three years as an associate producer at Oregon Shakespeare Festival producing the Play on! Commissions program there. He is now the producing director of Play On Shakespeare, where he continues his work producing and advocating for the commissioned translations. In his time with Play On, Taylor has collaborated with dozens of theatres and educational institutions around the world and hired over a thousand artists to participate in developing the work. Taylor is an alumni of National Arts Strategies and holds a certificate in executive arts and culture strategy from the University of Pennsylvania and a BFA in theatre from the University of Evansville in Indiana. Away from the world of Shakespeare and theatre, Taylor is a stained glass artist working primarily with the Chicago Mosaic School, where he also teaches introductory classes in stained glass art.

Bailey has served in various leadership roles at Play On Shakespeare since 2019, including producing director. Under Bailey’s leadership the organization will be continuing its work of partnering with theatre producers, funding Shakespeare performance, and commissioning modern-verse translations to support the global Shakespeare community.

Play On Shakespeare is a nonprofit company promoting and creating contemporary modern translations of Shakespeare’s plays. Play On Shakespeare partners with artists and organizations across the globe to deliver and advocate for these translations through theatrical productions, podcasts, and publications. The organization is made possible through the generous support of the Hitz Foundation. As of 2023, they have a budget of approximately $2.2 million.