Chicago Children’s Theatre grows staff, appoints Jamal Howard as Associate Artistic Director, Catherine Councell as Director of Education

Chicago Children’s Theatre grows staff, appoints Jamal Howard as
Associate Artistic Director, Catherine Councell as Director of Education

 

Chicago Children’s Theatre has tapped Jamal Howard (left) as the company’s new
Associate Artistic Director, and promoted Catherine Councell to Director of Education.


The Chicago Children’s Theatre announces the appointment of Jamal Howard as the company’s new Associate Artistic Director, and the promotion of Catherine Councell to Director of Education.

“I am thrilled and honored to add such experienced, passionate artists/administrators to our small but mighty staff at Chicago Children’s Theatre,” said Jacqueline Russell, Co-Founder and Artistic Director. “Both Catherine and Jamal have years of experience and proven dedication to creating significant work for young people. The gifts that these two professionals bring to CCT will allow us to further deepen our service and offerings to the children of Chicago.”

Jamal Howard (he/him) is a Chicago-based director, choreographer and producer with a focus on creating courageous and empathetic theater. He served as Associate Artistic Director of Emerald City Theatre, where he directed Corduroy, The Wiz, Magic Tree House: Showtime with Shakespeare, and created inspiring productions that helped Chicago’s children creatively face the world. Howard was a member of Theatre Communication Group’s 2024 Rising Leaders of Color Cohort and the 2023-24 Michael Maggio Directing Fellow at Goodman Theatre, where he co-directed The Lizard y El Sol and Splish Splash. Other Goodman credits include English, A Christmas Carol, Highway Patrol and Antonio’s Song. Other select directing and choreography credits include Doctor De Soto, The Wong Kids (Northwestern University); Think Fast, Jordan Chase (Filament Theatre); The Wiz, The Mole Hill Stories (Children’s Theatre Madison); 8-Track: The Sounds of the 70s (Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre); and, Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Backstage Breckenridge Theatre). Howard is also Co-Artistic Director of New American Folk Theatre, a TUTA Theatre company member, and an alum of Loyola University Chicago. jamalhoward.com


Raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Catherine Councell (she/her) is an actor and teaching artist. She has been with Chicago Children's Theatre since 2022 teaching classes for the very young to teens, Red Kite classes for children with autism and special needs, and much more. In 2023 she joined the cast of Red Kite Green Mountain Friendship Tour in 2023, and was hired as a Curriculum Development Associate in 2024. In that capacity, she collaborated on the development of CCT's Residencies of Art and Resilience (R.O.A.R), Red Kite Drama Time, and Cabinet of Wonder with Natalie Merchant and the CSO. Councell has been a theater artist since 2012 and has taught with professional theater companies and university programs in North Carolina, Georgia, Iowa and Illinois. She holds her Master of Fine Arts in Performance Arts from the University of Iowa, and her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performance Arts from Brenau University. She’s also certified in Youth Mental Health First Aid, Muscle Music Nervous System & the Artist, and in trauma-conscious, consent-based practices for the classroom and stage. catherinecouncell.com.


Chicago Children’s Theatre is located at 100 S. Racine Ave., at Monroe, in Chicago’s West Loop. What was a former Chicago Police Station is now a popular family destination for arts, education and live entertainment. The company’s 21st season opens October 15- November 25 with Carmela Full of Wishes, a hopeful story about a young Latina girl in a big city who dreams of her papi getting his papers fixed so he can finally come home. A CCT world premiere in 2022, the play is adapted from the contemporary children’s book by Newbury Award-winners Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson. Tickets go on sale August 24. For tickets and information, visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org.


Chicago Children’s Theatre also welcomes more than 20,000 CPS students each year with free or reduced-price tickets to student matinees so they, too, can experience live theater.


Particularly following federal immigration enforcement activities in Chicago this past year, schools are encouraged to inquire about CCT’s in-class R.O.A.R. Residencies rooted in the world of Carmela Full of Wishes. R.O.A.R. (Residencies of Arts and Resilience) provide trauma-informed activities to help students authentically reflect on challenging or stressful situations. Children gain tools like sharing with others, self care and self agency while learning coping mechanisms, social-emotional expression and resilience. CCT’s R.O.A.R. program was developed in partnership with the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Center for Childhood Resilience. To inquire, email Councell at cc@chicagochildrenstheatre.org.

Beyond its stage, Chicago Children’s Theatre also offers performing arts education programs for ages 0 to 14 year round at its West Loop home and Menomonee Club’s Drucker Center in Lincoln Park. Visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org/family-programs for information on classes, workshops, winter break, spring break and “school’s out” day camps, a robust roster of summer camps experiences, and programs for children with special needs via CCT’s Red Kite Project.
 

Chicago Children’s Theatre is supported by Goldman Sachs Gives, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The Ralla Klepak Foundation for Education in the Performing Arts, Polk Bros Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity and the Arts, Bayless Family Foundation, Mark Edelman Theater Fund, The Shubert Foundation, Camp Out for Kids, Crown Family Philanthropies, PwC, Rivers Gives, US Bank, Thomabravo, Multiple Inc., Theater League Kansas City, Illinois Arts Council Agency and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE).

To learn more, visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org and follow the company on Instagram and Facebook.

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