Starting 3/28/24, 7:30:00 pm: Fairview

TCR Announces New Artistic Director

Christina Kroemer

Theatre Cedar Rapids is pleased to announce that Angie Toomsen has accepted the position of Artistic Director beginning January 15, 2018. Toomsen was chosen from a national field of 100 candidates. Skywalk Group, a Cedar Rapids-based recruitment agency, spearheaded the search efforts.

“Following a robust search process, we are deeply pleased to welcome Angie’s artistic leadership to TCR,” said TCR Board President, Patrice Carroll. “Angie stood out among impressive candidates from around the country, and we are confident in her ability to strategically and artistically steer TCR into the future alongside the staff, board, and community.”

A professional creative director and Cedar Rapids native, Toomsen has served the most prominent theatres in the Creative Corridor as a theatrical director for the past decade. Toomsen returned to Eastern Iowa from New York City, where she trained at Circle in the Square and other prominent studios and began an active career in the arts. Since her return, Toomsen has been a visible and active member of the performing arts community, including the founding of Fourth Room Theatre and extensive direction and collaboration with Riverside Theatre, Old Creamery, Strayer-Wood Theatre (UNI), SPT, Theatre Cedar Rapids, and more.

Executive Director Katie Hallman shares, “We are thrilled to welcome Angie to the TCR staff, and we are fortunate to have found in her an individual with great passion and expertise in the performing arts paired with a deep love and understanding of our local community.”

The appointment is met with cross-regional excitement from area arts professionals. “Angie has been one of the cornerstones of the corridor theater scene for over a decade, and there is no one who knows the community better or thinks more dynamically in regards to producing theatre in Eastern Iowa,” says Sean Lewis, Artistic Director for Riverside Theatre. “I can’t imagine a better choice for TCR.”

TCR board member and UNI Department of Theatre head Eric Lange states, “TCR has always had strong relationships with educational institutions, and continuing to work with Angie in her new role has exciting potential for deepening these connections.”

Regarding her appointment, Toomsen shared the following. “The mission of Theatre Cedar Rapids runs near to my heart. This organization sparked my love for theatre when I was a child and has become even more important to me as an adult as I have witnessed first-hand its enormous impact on volunteers and audiences. I am deeply honored and thrilled to join the board, trustees, and phenomenal staff in a shared commitment to the future of TCR as a beacon for potential, inclusiveness, and cultural vitality in our community.”