After three years as executive director at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Kimberly Motes will step down in November. Motes will become President and CEO of Hennepin Arts in her hometown of Minneapolis, the company’s board announced this week.
In Motes' three years at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, she worked with Artistic Director Edward Hall to produce 35 plays and musicals, including 10 North American world premieres, and sending two productions to Broadway.
“We had a wonderful partnership, and I’m sad to see her go,” said Hall.
Her most notable accomplishments also include fostering commercial partnerships that gave Chicago Shakes co-production credits on major productions like “Paranormal Activity.”
“These were projects that needed so much skill to pull off,” said Hall. “I approached them with her encouragement, and she supported making them happen.”
Motes' last day at Chicago Shakespeare will be Nov. 13. She told WBEZ/Sun-Times earlier this year that one goal of the theater under her leadership had been to reflect Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods in the organization’s programming.
“One of the things that’s consistently important for us is that the work on our stages represents the breadth of Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods,” Motes said. “I think this season really does continue to demonstrate that commitment to our Chicago communities.”
The theater’s 2026-2027 season opened with”Play on!” The season will also feature the February remount of “Illinoise,” Justin Peck’s Tony Award-winning dance musical set to the genre-bending Sufjan Stevens album of the same name.
The 2026-27 season also will feature the world premiere of a Pat Benatar-backed “Heartbreakers,“ based on the classic “Romeo and Juliet.” Starting this month, the theater is initiating its first repertory staging with consecutive productions of “The Winter’s Tale” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” starring the same 14-person cast under the direction of Hall.
Moving forward, Hall said the company's 40th season will continue as planned.
“We’ve already shifted,” he said. “Everything is planned. I’ll head the organization with senior staff, and we’ve already started the search.”
