CHARLES NEWELL served as Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director of Court Theatre for 30 years. In 2024, Charlie received the Joseph Jefferson Special Award, honoring his enduring impact on Chicago theatre. In 2022, he and Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre accepted the Regional Theatre Tony Award on behalf of Court Theatre. Additional credits include the Alan Schneider Director Award, Zelda Fichandler Award, League of Chicago Artistic Leadership Award, Graham School Excellence in Teaching Award, Phi Beta Kappa Distinguished Service Award, and eight Jeff Awards for directing. Having directed 60+ productions at Court, recent highlights include Berlin (Jeff Awards – Production, Play; New Work; Ensemble, Play; Director, Play); An Iliad (Jeff Award – Short Run, Direction); and The Gospel at Colonus, co-directed with Mark J.P. Hood. Charlie has also directed at Goodman, Guthrie, Arena, Lyric Opera, and more. He is co-founder of the Civic Actor Studio and regularly teaches leadership at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Photo by Joe Mazza
Bio as of 11/2025