Kaitlyn Riordan and Eva Barrie are excited to announce that they will be stepping down as Ruff’s leadership following the summer of 2021. While serving the company for a number of years (Kaitlyn is a founding member, and Eva joined the company in 2016) they have had the opportunity to work with the community that makes Ruff what it is: talented artists, East-End businesses, future game-changers in the training programs, the Board of Directors, long-time audience members, the vibrant Withrow Park community, and the raccoons, who occasionally make cameo appearances and steal the show. That long and incomplete list ensures us that Ruff never was, and never will be, just two individuals. It is a community, a spirit, and a radical love for connection.
Both Eva and Kaitlyn believe that the health of an organization includes bringing in new voices who can refocus and reimagine what’s possible for it. After five and ten years at the helm, respectively, it’s time for a new vision.
This means that Ruff will be seeking new leadership! This city is ripe with amazing potential artistic leaders who can take the company to brave new places, bring new perspectives, and make great art! A full job description, fee, and application guide will be released in the coming days. If you think you are Ruff’s next leader (maybe along with someone else, because hey, shared leadership is what the cool kids do), check back here!
Here’s a photo of Eva and Kaitlyn doing their pre-show speech, which always involved at least four jokes that never got laughs, but that they tested out every night anyway (they once even took a stand-up comedy class with the Young Ruffians . . . this did not help). The next leader(s) will undoubtedly receive many hours of training in How-To-Make-Cringey-AD-Jokes-Between-The-Trees. Please do not be dismayed by this – it’s a vital part of the job
