Cutting Ball Theater Launches Search for New Managing Director

San Francisco's cutting-edge Cutting Ball Theater today announced the departure of Managing Director Suzanne Appel. During her tenure at Cutting Ball, Appel developed deep connections with the Cutting Ball community, including Glide Memorial Church, Del Seymour's Tenderloin Tours, and the Tenderloin Community Benefit District, on whose Board she served for two years. She secured Cutting Ball's first ever corporate funding from Twitter, ZenDesk, Yammer, and Wells Fargo, and created a successful membership program that rewarded audience loyalty. Additionally, she developed Cutting Ball's Board of Directors and helped grow the company's operating budget from $360k to $600k. Most recently, Appel secured major grants for Cutting Ball from The Andrew Mellon Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies, and served on the Arts for a Better Bay Area Budget committee, which was instrumental in bringing together arts groups across the city to jointly advocate for an increase in arts funding, resulting in a $7 million increase in the Mayor's budget for the arts. Appel is moving to Chicago where she will take on the role of Director of External Affairs for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago; she will step down from her role at Cutting Ball at the end of July. The company will begin a search for an interim Managing Director followed by an extensive national search for a permanent Managing Director.

"It has been a pleasure to work with a Managing Director of Suzanne's caliber," said Cutting Ball Board Vice President Erik Blachford. "As a Board, we couldn't be happier with the results of her hard work and dedication to Cutting Ball. Thanks in large part to Suzanne, Cutting Ball has never been in better shape, with great shows, a strong foundation, and popular support. Though saddened by her departure, we are forming a search committee and will conduct an extensive national search for a new Managing Director who will continue to help lead the company in a positive direction through the next phase of its growth."

"These four years at Cutting Ball have been incredibly rewarding and I have enjoyed every minute of working with Artistic Director Rob Melrose and Associate Artistic Director Paige Rogers. They have a unique vision for the theater form, and their commitment to artists experimenting with text, movement, and music in new and classic plays makes Cutting Ball a vital piece of the artistic community in San Francisco," said departing Cutting Ball Managing Director Suzanne Appel. "I am proud of the growth we have accomplished together, and the development of our Board under the leadership of Board Chair Mary Anne Cook. I will miss the relationships I have developed with our local community in the Tenderloin. The arts have the capacity to build bridges between differences and at no time has Cutting Ball's mission to engage the imagination of our audiences been more important to the civic life of the Tenderloin and all of San Francisco. I look forward to bringing the lessons I have learned from this vibrant company and community with me to Hubbard Street Dance and to Chicago."

"Suzanne has made a tremendous impact here at Cutting Ball," said Cutting Ball founding Artistic Director Rob Melrose. "Suzanne was our first Managing Director and an instrumental part of the company's growth. Everyone in the Cutting Ball family is extremely proud of her work with us and of her next exciting move to Hubbard Street Dance in Chicago. We wish her all the best. She will be greatly missed."

"Suzanne came to us directly after spending four years at Yale School of Drama, where she earned a combined MBA and MFA in Theater Management," said Cutting Ball founder, Associate Artistic Director and acting Artistic Director Paige Rogers. "Her high standards moved Cutting Ball to a new level of professionalism which was perceived by the entire community, our Board, foundational funders, and all who came in contact with her. Her drive and extraordinary work ethic will be missed by the Cutting Ball family."

Cutting Ball Theater opens its 17th season in October with LIFE IS A DREAM, written by Pedro Calderón de la Barca in a new translation by Cutting Ball resident playwright Andrew Saito, directed by Paige Rogers. The company presents the World Premiere of Katharine Sherman's ONDINE in February, directed by Rob Melrose. The RISK IS THIS...THE CUTTING BALL NEW EXPERIMENTAL PLAYS FESTIVAL returns in March with three new works in staged readings that push the boundaries of what theater can be. August Strindberg's A DREAM PLAY, in a new translation by Paul Walsh and directed by Rob Melrose, closes the season in May. The entire 2015-16 season, dedicated to the theme of "Dreams," will be staged in San Francisco at the Cutting Ball Theater in residence at EXIT on Taylor. Single tickets on sale August 1. For tickets, season memberships, or more information, the public may visit cuttingball.com or call 415-525-1205.