Artistic Directors
In 2023, Festival 56 and its Board of Directors announced that Jimmy Calitri and Tim Seib are the company’s co-artistic directors. Both Calitri and Seib have extensive theatre backgrounds, including many productions at Festival 56.
Their appointment comes after an extensive search that generated many applications from prospective theater professionals across the country. Board of Directors President Ron McCutchan stated, “At the end of the day, we felt that this partnership was a combination of the right people at the right time. They have a vision for Festival 56 that dovetails with that of the Board and a true love for the Princeton community and Festival 56. We are thrilled to welcome them back to Princeton in these new roles to build new partnerships with both artists and the community members.”
You can view their bios Jimmy and Tim’s bios below:
Jimmy Calitri
Jimmy Calitri holds an AD in studio art and design, a BA in theater performance, a BA in art history and design, and an MFA. in theatrical performance in society. Jimmy served as the Director of Theatre Arts at the Narragansett Public School System in Rhode Island for eleven years where he directed The Wiz, which was awarded the Moss Hart award for Best Youth Production in New England in 2015. Jimmy is currently Managing Director of Theater/Associate Professor of Theater Acting, Directing, and Musical Theatre at Providence College. Jimmy’s favorite past directing titles include Lend Me a Tenor, which was nominated for two Motif Magazine awards for Best Director and Best Production for 2012, Into the Woods, Bat Boy: A Rock Musical, Violet the Musical, 9 to 5, A Lie of the Mind, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, Miss Julie, The Taming of the Shrew, Shrek, Beauty and the Beast, The Wizard of Oz, The Tempest, Carrie: A Rock Musical, and the national premiere of Something Rotten: A Very New Musical. Jimmy served as an associate director for Singing in the Rain, Oklahoma, Little Women, and The Rocky Horror Show. Jimmy also directed Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Perishable Theater in Providence, which was named Best of Theater in 2010 by The Phoenix Newspaper and Best Professional Production of 2010 by Motif Magazine. Just before the pandemic hit, Jimmy directed Assassins the Musical at the Contemporary Theatre, which was nominated for Best Musical of the year in Rhode Island by Motif Magazine. Jimmy
created, wrote, and directed two original shows: A-MIRROR-CA: A Critical Burlesque on America’s Media-Driven Culture, which was recently revived at RIC and received multiple awards at the Kennedy Center National Acting competition in Washington DC. It also earned a performance slot this spring at the Hyannis Region One Festival for the Kennedy Center national acting competition. He also created the touring musical adaptation of Alice in Wonderland and What She Found There for Ten31 Productions scheduled to travel to Dubai and throughout New England. Jimmy directed The Miracle Worker at Rhode Island College, which was revived in Plymouth MA in condensed form at an international fundraiser honoring Helen Keller. In past Festival 56 seasons, Jimmy directed Songs for a New World, Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream-Coat, Still Dreaming of a White Christmas, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Seussical the Musical, The Addams Family, and Something Rotten!
Tim Seib
Tim Seib had been acting and directing for Festival 56 for 13 seasons before taking on the role of Co-Artistic Director for his 14th season! Previous F56 shows include Peter and the Starcatcher, Stop Kiss, Violet, Gypsy, Into the Woods, The Full Monty, Proof, The Wizard of Oz, A Doll’s House, Vanities, The Shape of Things, and 2023’s Significant Other. He will be directing productions of Once, Baskerville, The Prom, The Play That Goes Wrong, and A Christmas Carol at various theaters around the country in 2023. He is a Co-Producer of the North Carolina Playwright’s Lab and also enjoys designing scenic and props, as well as teaching. He is a proud graduation of the Webster Conservatory of Theatre Arts in St. Louis, MO.
BOX OFFICE HOURS
Box Office Hours
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For tickets, please leave a message at the Box Office phone 815-879-5656.
The Box Office opens one hour before performances
LOCATION
Festival 56
316 S. Main Street
Princeton, Illinois 61356