Opportunity Snapshot: Theater by Women, for Everyone

Overview: Renaissance Theaterworks (RTW), Milwaukee’s only professional theater company dedicated to gender equity, is at a historic turning point. With the planned retirement of its co-founding Artistic Director, Suzan Fete, after 33 seasons of bold leadership, RTW is seeking a visionary new Artistic Director to carry forward its nationally recognized legacy. This is a rare opportunity to lead a debt-free, mission-driven theater into its next era of daring artistry, community connection, and sustainability.

The Artistic Director will join a deeply committed team of artists, staff, and Board members who have collectively advanced RTW’s pioneering role as a champion for women’s voices and inclusive storytelling. The next leader will bring creative courage, collaborative spirit, and a passion for equity to one of the nation’s oldest gender-balanced theaters.

Submissions, which should include a resume, tailored cover letter, and portfolio materials, will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with a priority deadline of Friday, November 14th at 5:00 PM CT.

About Renaissance Theaterworks

Founded in 1993 by five Milwaukee artists, RTW has redefined the cultural landscape by centering women’s stories on stage. With its enduring tagline, Theater by Women, for Everyone, RTW has consistently produced three times the national average of plays written by women, engaged more than 4,700 patrons annually, and offered meaningful opportunities for emerging and established artists alike.

The company’s mission is to create moving theater that connects with our shared sense of being human while promoting the work of women onstage and off. With a staff of seven, and more than fifty artists employed each season, RTW has sustained a scale that allows for ambitious programming, while maintaining intimacy and community connection. Its commitment to accessibility is reflected in a fully accessible venue, a hearing loop system, and a range of performance options, which include Open Captioned, ASL Interpreted, Audio Described, and Sensory Friendly.

RTW is known for its three bold mainstage productions each season as well as the Br!NK New Play Festival, which supports emerging women-identifying Midwest playwrights and has become a hallmark of Milwaukee’s theater landscape. RTW goes beyond the predictable, bringing unconventional stories to the stage that leave audiences feeling moved. The company has also received national recognition, including the International Centre for Women Playwrights’ 50/50 Applause Award, affirming its place as the nation’s second-oldest professional theater dedicated to gender equity.

Notably, RTW has met these milestones while remaining debt-free throughout its history, a record of stewardship now reinforced by the “100 Years of RTW Initiative,” a $3 million campaign designed to expand reserves, build an endowment, and secure the company’s long-term resilience.

RTW’s 2025-26 season exemplifies its tradition of bold, inclusive storytelling. Audiences will experience Switzerland by Joanna Murray-Smith, a sharp psychological thriller inspired by the life of author Patricia Highsmith, and Cardboard Piano by Hansol Jung, a powerful exploration of love, forgiveness, and faith set against the backdrop of civil war in Uganda. The season will end with Barefoot in the Park by Neil Simon, a classic romantic comedy reimagined with RTW’s signature blend of intimacy and wit. Together, these productions highlight the company’s commitment to presenting stories that move audiences to reflection, dialogue, and action.

To learn more about Renaissance Theaterworks’ history and current priorities, visit: rtwmke.org

Organizational Structure

The Artistic Director will partner with Managing Director Lisa Rasmussen and a dedicated staff of 3 full-time and 2 part-time team members. The Artistic Director will also report to and partner with a volunteer Board of directors composed of leaders from law, academia, technology, finance, and community service. Together, they will steward RTW’s mission, operations, and artistic vision.The Artistic Director reports directly to the Board of Directors.

The Moment

As RTW approaches its 35th season, the company is poised to expand its artistic reach while deepening community connection. RTW has responded to the challenges currently facing artistic organizations with creativity and vision, whether navigating rising production costs or post-pandemic audience shifts. Through the “100 Years of RTW Initiative,” the company is investing in people, infrastructure, and artistic risk-taking to secure a bold future.

This leadership transition is both a celebration of extraordinary legacy and a call for fresh ideas from the company’s new creative visionary. The next Artistic Director will inherit a company rooted in collaboration and equity, with the freedom to shape new artistic directions while honoring the values that define RTW.

About the Role

The Artistic Director serves as the lead storyteller and cultural strategist of RTW, responsible for guiding its creative vision, programming, and artistic partnerships. Working in close collaboration with the Managing Director, staff, and Board, the Artistic Director ensures that RTW’s artistic programming remains relevant, accessible, and aligned with its mission.

Key responsibilities include:

Artistic Vision and Programming

• Curate and guide a season of bold, moving productions that center women’s voices and foster dialogue.
• Advance the Br!NK New Play Festival as a signature incubator for emerging women-identifying playwrights in the Midwest, ensuring continuity at a time when opportunities are becoming more limited.
• Balance new work with contemporary and classic plays that inspire and connect audiences.

Community and External Relations

• Serve as the public face of RTW’s artistic identity; build partnerships with artists, funders, community organizations, and audiences.
• Expand outreach efforts to engage diverse communities across Milwaukee and beyond.

Leadership and Collaboration

• Partner with the Managing Director to align artistic and operational goals.
• Mentor and uplift emerging artists, directors, and designers.
• Support a culture of inclusion, collaboration, and artistic risk-taking.
• Lead with authenticity and conviction, inspiring trust through a genuine connection to RTW’s mission and values.

Financial and Strategic Stewardship

• Collaborate with the Board and staff on strategic planning and fundraising strategy.
• Partner with the Managing Director to engage in donor cultivation and stewardship, deepening relationships that advance RTW’s artistic and community mission.
• Ensure programming decisions are aligned with fiscal health and long-term sustainability.
• Harmonize operational discipline with artistic imagination, ensuring both innovation and creativity thrive.

Leadership Attributes

Ideal candidates will bring many of the following qualities:

Artistic Visionary: The Artistic Director will be an artistic visionary; someone who brings bold, innovative ideas to the stage while curating seasons that resonate deeply with audiences and expand the cultural dialogue. This leader will be expected to balance new work with contemporary and modern classic plays, ensuring that RTW remains at the forefront of inclusive, thought-provoking theater.

Collaborative Leader: Collaboration is at the heart of RTW’s ethos, and the Artistic Director must embody this spirit by partnering seamlessly with staff, Board members, artists, and the wider community. Strong candidates will be skilled in nurturing talent and fostering an environment where actors, directors, designers, and playwrights feel supported and inspired to take risks.

Equity-Driven: Equity is central to RTW’s identity, and the Artistic Director must be deeply committed to advancing gender balance and inclusive storytelling. This includes elevating underrepresented voices, ensuring accessibility for all audiences, and honoring the company’s founding vision of theater by women, for everyone.

Public Presence: The Artistic Director will serve as a public presence for the organization, and in partnership with the Managing Director and Board members, will serve as a compelling communicator who can inspire donors, audiences, community members, and the broader arts field. This leader will be expected to champion RTW’s mission with authenticity, building relationships that strengthen both the company’s reputation and its reach.

Strategic Thinker: The Artistic Director must bring a strategic mindset, balancing artistic ambition with organizational sustainability. They will need to understand the financial and operational realities of running a theater company while making thoughtful decisions that help secure RTW’s long-term health and relevance.

Ideal Experience

Strong candidates will bring many of the following experiences and perspectives, understanding that no one path leads to artistic leadership.

• Significant artistic leadership experience in professional or educational theater, or other performing arts settings.
• Experience curating seasons and directing or producing work for diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated success collaborating with playwrights, actors, and designers, fostering new work, and offering fresh interpretations of established plays.
• Background in performing arts leadership, with experience managing the financial, operational, and fundraising aspects of a mid-sized company.
• Experience partnering with Board members to cultivate donor, foundation, and community support.
• Proven commitment to gender equity, accessibility, and inclusive storytelling in artistic programming.
• History of championing underrepresented voices and practices that expand representation onstage and off.
• Knowledge of or openness to the unique dynamics of Milwaukee’s theater community, with the ability to connect local audiences to national conversations.
• Established national networks that can elevate RTW’s profile and partnerships.
• Capacity to balance creative ambition with sustainability and strategic growth.
• Although experience in nonprofit theater leadership is strongly preferred, candidates with experience in related performing arts settings are welcome.

Residency and Compensation

The Artistic Director must reside in the greater Milwaukee area to ensure consistent presence and connection with the community. Candidates who are not currently based in Wisconsin must be willing to relocate. As this will be a national search, relocation support will be available, scaled to the selected candidate’s distance and individual circumstances.

Compensation for this position will be competitive, commensurate with experience, and will include a comprehensive benefits package.

Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with a priority deadline of:

Friday, November 14th at 5:00 PM CT

About Avra Search Partners

We believe in turning moments of transition into moments of transformation.

Avra Search Partners is a boutique executive search firm committed to placing transformative leaders in mission-driven organizations. We partner with a wide range of nonprofits and impact-focused businesses, including foundations, advocacy organizations, associations, and artistic and cultural institutions to design search strategies that honor organizational values and help institutions thrive.

We prioritize access, transparency, and authenticity in every engagement, helping institutions build stronger futures through exceptional talent.

With a deep commitment to inclusion, resilience, and leadership excellence, Avra supports clients in identifying outstanding candidates from all backgrounds, including individuals who have historically had limited access to executive opportunities.