Ryan French. (Photo courtesy of Children’s Theatre Company)
MINNEAPOLIS: Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) announced that Ryan French will be its new managing director, succeeding Jill A. Anderson. French joined CTC in 2022 as its chief operating officer. He will oversee all administrative functions for the theatre, including development, marketing and communications, audience services, education, finance, human resources, community partnerships, facilities, and legal affairs.
“We’re thrilled to have Ryan’s leadership at this time. He brings a diverse set of skills and experience, plus necessary strategic insight, as CTC continues to advance as the nation’s leading children’s theatre,” said Mary Loeffelholz, chair of the Children’s Theatre Company board of directors, in a statement.
As the organization’s current deputy managing director, French has been “an incredible resource and support to me over the past year-and-a-half that I’ve known him,” CTC artistic director Rick Dildine said in a statement.
Prior to CTC, French served as associate vice president of advancement and campaign director at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. He led marketing and communications at the Walker Art Center, and held leadership roles at the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and other nonprofit organizations. French has an MBA with an emphasis in marketing and nonprofit management from the University of Minnesota and a BA in Music from St. Olaf College. For over 20 years, he sang professionally with ensembles in Milwaukee and the Twin Cities. French lives in St. Paul with his wife and two children.
“I’ve spent the majority of my professional career working and performing in the rich cultural landscape of Minneapolis-St. Paul,” French said in a statement. “I know the power the arts can have and the value it brings to our entire community. Co-leading the theatre with a partner like Rick and with the many talented staff members, actors, and artisans at CTC will be an honor.”
Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) is the nation’s largest theatre for young people and serves a multigenerational audience. It creates theatre experiences that educate, challenge, and inspire more than 200,000 people annually. CTC is committed to creating world-class productions at the highest level and to developing new works, more than 200 to date, dramatically changing the canon of work for young audiences. As of 2023, the theatre’s budget was around $13.4 million.
