UChicago director and dramaturg is making classic theater feel fresh

Gabrielle Randle-Bent hopes to make things that ‘nourish’ as Court Theatre’s associate artistic director

Using works by Audre Lorde and Ntozake Shange, Randle-Bent leads a class discussion about what it means when voices from the margins start to be considered “classics.” | Photo by Jason Smith

This story by Tori Lee was originally published by UChicago News on April 20, 2023. Click here to read the full story.

Gabrielle Randle-Bent didn’t start off as a theater kid. The Texas native took AP science classes and grew up playing volleyball and basketball. But bad asthma kept her off the court and brought her to the stage.

“There's something magical about watching something come together and knowing how to arrange the pieces,” said Randle-Bent. “Whether it was design or staging or engaging with actors—that felt like a superpower.”

As the Court Theatre’s associate artistic director, no two days look alike. Some days Randle-Bent is deep in rehearsal or lurking in doorways brainstorming programming ideas. Others she’s leading students through Ntozake Shange’s “for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf” or running scenarios with the city’s civic leaders.