Ignaut will oversee programming and presentations in the Guthries Dowling Studio

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) Guthrie Theater Director Joe Dowling today announced the appointment of Lauren Ignaut to the position of Director of Studio Theater Programming, a promotion from her position as Presentations Administrator in which she developed experience with and ties to a wide range of Twin Cities, national and international artists and companies presenting work at the Guthrie.

Lauren will bring a new spirit to the studio, Dowling said. Her experience with guest companies will be invaluable as we continue these relationships and establish new ones, and she will bring the energy of the younger generation to the studios continuing mission.

Ignaut, a Minneapolis native and graduate of Boston University, interned for two years with the artistic staff of Huntington Theatre Company in Boston. She arrived at the Guthrie in the fall of 2006 and first joined the staff in the Literary Department, contributing to dramaturgy on nine projects including Tiny Kushner in the Dowling Studio in 2009. She has worked in a freelance capacity with Emigrant Theatre, Pillsbury House Theatre, 20% Theatre Company and The Playwrights Center. She is a founding member of The Strange Capers, a local company dedicated to emerging artists and theater accessibility for all audiences through innovative productions of Shakespeares work in Minneapolis parks.

The GUTHRIE THEATER (Joe Dowling, Director) was founded by Sir Tyrone Guthrie in 1963 and is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. The Tony Award-winning Guthrie Theater is dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature, developing the work of contemporary playwrights and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. With annual attendance of nearly 500,000 people, the Guthrie Theater presents a mix of classic plays and contemporary work on its three stages. Under the artistic leadership of Joe Dowling since 1995, the Guthrie continues to set a national standard for excellence in theatrical production and performance. In 2006, the Guthrie opened its new home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, the Guthrie Theater houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms and dramatic public lobbies. www.guthrietheater.org

For more information contact:

Seena Hodges 612.225.6142

seenah@guthrietheater.org

Quinton Skinner 612.225.6140

quintons@guthrietheater.org

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