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Chicago Shakespeare Theater director Kimberly Motes to leave for Minneapolis arts post
Kimberly Motes will leave Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Nov. 13 after three years to become president and CEO of Hennepin Arts in Minneapolis. The Navy Pier theater says its 2026-27 season will continue as planned while it searches for her successor.
Kimberly Motes will step down as executive director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Nov. 13 and return to her hometown of Minneapolis to lead Hennepin Arts as its president and CEO, the theater’s board announced this week.
During her three years at the Navy Pier-based theater, Motes worked with Artistic Director Edward Hall on 35 plays and musicals, including 10 North American world premieres. Two productions went on to Broadway. She also helped build commercial partnerships that gave the theater co-production credits on projects including “Paranormal Activity.”
Hall praised Motes’ support for ambitious productions and said he was sad to see her leave. Earlier this year, Motes said she wanted the theater’s programming to reflect the range of Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods.
The theater’s 2026-27 season is underway. Upcoming productions include a February return of Justin Peck’s Tony Award-winning dance musical “Illinoise” and the world premiere of “Heartbreakers,” a Pat Benatar-backed work based on “Romeo and Juliet.” The company is also staging “The Winter’s Tale” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in repertory with the same 14-person cast.
Hall said the season and the theater’s 40th-anniversary plans will proceed as scheduled. He will lead the organization alongside senior staff while a search for Motes’ successor is underway.