CHICAGO — BoHo Theatre announces the appointment Sana Selemon as the company’s new Executive Director. Selemon has been part of the company since 2019, and first worked with BoHo as an actor in 110 IN THE SHADE in 2018 and most recently in BIG FISH. BoHo chose to prioritize on the search for a new Executive Director at the beginning of the year and has postponed all live performances in its 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When I first moved to Chicago, I remember one of my goals was to find a theatre that would become my artistic home,” said Selemon. “Some place with like-minded individuals that shared a common goal for empowering artists and valuing the artistic process as equally as the end product. That place is BoHo Theatre.”
“I cannot express how excited I am to have Sana as part of the leadership team at BoHo,” says BoHo Artistic Director Stephen Schellhardt. “She believes in our mission, encompasses our core values and has a clear vision for BoHo’s future. She brings both a passion for the arts and a strong sense of how to build caring, compassionate organizational structure. I am very much looking forward to collaborating with her on all of our upcoming projects.” Selemon’s responsibilities will include leading sustainable structural growth and fundraising to ensure a healthy and stable future for the company. Her background as an artist ensures that art and transformative power of live theatre will remain the core of all BoHo programming.
“I also bring my personal and professional experiences as a Black woman in the industry, this in a time where that perspective is deeply needed in leadership,” said Selemon. “I firmly believe in the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight against injustice across America. I was raised to give back to my community and I can think of no better way than to combine my love of theatre and BoHo with the opportunity to bring equitable change to Chicago storefront theatre.”
Selemon is currently curating BoHo’s upcoming online cabaret THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS: A BOHO EXPLORATION OF FREEDOM. This virtual event will showcase individual relationships that BIPOC artists have with the idea of freedom. “This cabaret offers these artists a platform to share the truest version of themselves doing what they do best,” Selemon stated, “creating art that satisfies their soul.” The cabaret is currently planned to premiere online in late August, with dates and artists to be announced soon.
Sana Selemon is an actor, dialect coach, and teaching artist hailing from the land of Columbus, Ohio. Raised by Ethiopian immigrants, she was taught to be empathetic, imaginative, and endlessly curious, all traits that led her to the magical world of theatre. She attended Ohio University and graduated with a BFA in Acting and minor in Sociolinguistics, which has fueled her passion for accents and the world of language. Now based in Chicago, Sana has worked with BoHo Theatre, Pegasus Theatre, American Blues Theatre, Definition Theatre, Lifeline Theatre, Pride Films and Plays, First Floor Theater, and is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA. When not in the theatre, you can find her practicing aerial silks, discovering new music, and connecting with people over food. Her website is www.sanaselemon.com.
BoHo Theatre tells stories examining and celebrating human relationships — focusing on the Bohemian pillars of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Love — using bold, intimate theatrical stagings. Our vision is to create a shared community of artists and patrons in which all members are moved through art to make thoughtful, well-examined, caring relationships the highest priority in their lives.
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