With a new building on the horizon, a new leadership infrastructure is now in place
Kim Deaton – Managing Director and CEO, Roderick Justice – Producing Artistic Director, Jay Goodlett – Artistic Director of Education and Outreach, and Krista Katona Pille – Creative and Marketing Director.
In January 2016, The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati (TCTC), the country’s oldest theater for young audiences, will open a new destination for theater education, expanding its reach into the community. With this new building comes the creation of a new leadership infrastructure capitalizing upon existing internal talent.
Kim Deaton adds the title of CEO to her already existing title of Managing Director, fully taking the reins within the organization with accountability across all divisions as the theater enters this next chapter in history. Prior to joining The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati in 2013, Kim worked as the President of the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National MS Society, as the Director of Major Gifts for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and prior to that as the Director of Market Development for Local 12 WKRC-TV and Clear Channel Broadcasting. She served as the Executive Director of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and spent time operating her own consulting company, advising both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations in the area of special events, board building, marketing, corporate sponsorship, public relations, fundraising and promotions.
Roderick Justice has been promoted to Producing Artistic Director with responsibility for the overarching artistic vision of the organization. Roderick is an award-winning choreographer, director, costume/wig designer, adjudicator, and actor. Originally hailing from the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, he is a graduate of NKU, where he obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre Performance. He has trained and worked in cities all over the United States, Canada, and Europe, but now proudly calls Cincinnati his home. Over the last ten years, Roderick has dedicated his love of the theatre to The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati. For eight seasons, he worked as the Associate Artistic Director under former artistic directors Jack Louiso and Angela Powell Walker. As Associate Artistic Director, he directed many Touring and MainStage productions, including last season’s Aladdin JR., Annie JR., The Fantastic Toy Shoppe, Seussical JR., Christmas Carol. and High School Musical 2. Each summer, Roderick turns his focus to The STAR Program, a highly-acclaimed, audition-based, musical theatre training program for young performers ages 9 to 18. Many of his STAR Program alums have gone on to great success on Broadway, television, and film. His favorite credits include: A. Lincoln: A Pioneer Tale with the Lincoln Boyhood Drama Association in Lincoln City, Indiana; Spelling Bee; Legally Blonde (LCT Award); Church Girls, Umatilla USA; Ruthless; I Love A Piano (Acclaim Award); Santa’s Toy Factory; Seussical, the Musical (LCT Award); Forever Plaid; Urinetown (Acclaim Award); Jesus Christ Superstar (CEA Nomination); Spamalot (LCT Nomination); Beauty and the Beast; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (SCPA); Man of LaMancha (Romania); Burgertown (Chicago); The Elephant Man, and The Top Job (Off-Broadway).
Jay Goodlett has been promoted to Artistic Director of Education and Outreach, focusing on our touring and educational division as well as our classes, both of which are expected to experience tremendous growth in the new facility. Born at Dayton’s Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Jay Goodlett attended the School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) in Cincinnati for nine years majoring in dance, drama, and musical theatre. By the age of 18, Jay joined the Cincinnati Ballet and rose quickly to the rank of Senior Soloist by 2002. Jay enjoyed 17 seasons with Cincinnati Ballet retiring in 2008. In 1991, Jay began his career as choreographer and has worked with Cincinnati Ballet, The Saint Louis Opera and the Cincinnati Opera. He has choreographed and directed for numerous professional, universities, community theaters and high schools groups as well. He is currently a guest lecturer at Northern Kentucky University, has taught for the International Cecchetti Council of America and has judged for Ohio Dance Masters. In addition to the multitude of TCTC ArtReach Shows and TCTC WorkShops that Jay has either developed, directed, choreographed or composed, Jay has directed The Snow Queen (2014-15) Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka JR. (2013-14), Disney’s Cinderella KIDS (2012-13) and Jack and the Beanstalk (2009-10) for The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati Mainstage Productions at the historic Taft Theatre, where he grew up performing with SCPA.
Krista Katona Pille has been promoted to Creative and Marketing Director in anticipation of growth in this department and the need to focus efforts on marketing associated with the new space. Since 2001, Krista has served as Director of Marketing and PR for The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati. Before The Children’s Theatre, she worked for the Cincinnati Division of Time Warner Cable as the Manager of Public Relations. Prior to that, Krista worked for Local 12, as the Public Service/Creative Projects Coordinator. While there, she garnered three Regional Emmy Awards for producing, and her work was selected as a finalist for the National Emmy Awards. Krista graduated from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Electronic Media and a Writing Certificate in Journalism. She’s worked in Los Angeles at Paramount Pictures, and in New York, on the set of the daytime drama, “As the World Turns.” the second-longest continuous running network soap opera on American television.
The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s new building at 4015 Red Bank Road will offer more space for drama, vocal music and dance-specific studios for the ever-growing musical arts classes offered by TCTC. A small 150-seat performance space will also be a key component, along with a costume shop and expanded rehearsal space for both MainStage productions as well as touring shows. The company’s administrative offices will be housed in the new facility as well.
Important to note: The Children’s Theatre’s four professional, Broadway-style MainStage productions will continue to be performed in the historic Taft Theatre in downtown Cincinnati.
Construction began in June, with a December 2015 move-in date scheduled. Classes and rehearsals will start in January 2016. Once up and running, the facility will be a measurable draw for visitors and students from the entire region, bringing more people to the area and more patrons to local businesses. The total cost of the project is $6.5 million dollars. The Children’s Theatre is conducting a capital campaign for the project, and has secured a generous lead gift from the dissolution of The Corbett Foundation.
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 