For twenty-seven years, the Marriott Theatre has been my artistic home. During my time here, I have been afforded the amazing opportunity to listen, learn, grow, evolve, and develop not only as an artist but as a human. I always aim to create beautiful, funny, deep, powerful, and entertaining musical storytelling. I believe that as an organization we have and continue to do that at a very high level. I am very proud of that. I’m forever grateful to my fellow actors, directors, choreographers, music directors, designers, and staff members who I have had the pleasure to collaborate with, who taught by example and have helped me become the person I am today. As Artistic Director, I have had the honor and privilege to work side by side with Terry James guiding the artistic vision of the theatre. With his announced retirement, it is the right time for me to also step aside to make room for new artistic voices and a new leadership team to shepherd the theatre into the future.
I want to thank the amazing subscribers and the millions of patrons who have come to our theatre during my time here. It is often said, but the theatre would literally not exist without you. When the pandemic forced us to close our doors for a year and a half, I knew in my heart that you would be right there to help us rebuild...and you were! Thank you for coming back and thank you in advance for continuing to support the theatre for years to come! I look forward to sitting next to you and enjoying shows at the Marriott as a theatre fan.
Musical Theatre requires collaboration. It takes a team of dedicated artists working together to tell these stories. I deeply respect this artform and just how challenging it is to do well. I am proud of the hundreds of productions I’ve been associated with at the Marriott, whether I was an actor, choreographer, director, writer, or Artistic Director. I am forever grateful.
I leave the Marriott Theatre with a grateful heart and I am excited to start writing my next chapter. There is much yet to do. During the pandemic, Ryan Nelson and I created a non-profit organization called Broadway Across Borders which is based on the work we started in 2018 with the US State Department. Over the past four years, and virtually during the pandemic, we have continued to create arts educational programs and new musical stories in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Germany, and Serbia. We plan to continue to expand the work we are already doing to reach emerging artists around the world and offering the opportunity to learn, connect and create with other artists who bring with them their own unique language, culture, and artistic point of view. These multi-cultural collaborations have created incredibly powerful musical storytelling and we are proud that we are doing what we can to expand access and help evolve the artform.
Thank you again for twenty-seven amazing years! I will carry with me all the support you have so graciously given me, and I hope that the work that I have been a part of creating has brought you joy, happiness, and glorious escapism for two and a half hours at a time.
With a full heart,
Aaron Thielen