Carson Grace Becker

Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department faculty member Carson Grace Becker has been named artistic director of Chicago Dramatists. Becker, who launched her playwriting career at Chicago Dramatists in the 1990s, is currently serving in a part-time capacity and will transition to full-time status in May.

Carson Becker with Chicago Dramatists’ late founding artistic director, Russ Tutterow.

“Carson has a distinguished career, an astute and creative mind, and is a long-time member of the Chicago Dramatists community,” said Ajitha L. Reddy, president of Chicago Dramatists’ board of directors, in a statement. “She has a natural ability to relate to and nurture playwrights and other artists, no matter where they are in their artistic journeys. That skill, her formidable talent and networks, her warmth and authenticity, and her ability to bring people together led her to the top of the list of impressive candidates.”

“Chicago Dramatists was my first artistic home, and helped launch my career,” said Becker in a statement. “As a collective of playwrights and artistic associates, it nurtured and challenged my craft, provided collaborative opportunities, and gave me room to play, think, experiment, succeed, and fail. Such spaces are more important than ever now in our American landscape. I’ve been many places since my beginnings at Dramatists. It is both an honor and pleasure to accept this position, and I can’t wait to return.”