De’Anthony Jackson and Mars Niemi in the World Premiere of Michi Barall’s Drawing Lessons at Children’s Theatre Company. Photo: Children’s Theatre Company
Wayzata’s Melissa Leick offers valuable perspectives to support Children’s Theatre Company leadership.
Each year on March 27, theater lovers around the world celebrate World Theatre Day—a chance to honor and recognize the theater arts in all forms and the professionals and patrons who support the arts. From the youngest children to the young at heart, the theater serves as a welcoming, creative space.
The Metro is home to several theater groups, including Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) in Minneapolis. For more than 50 years, CTC has created shows filled with wonder and joy and inspires over 250,000 audience members annually. A successful theater company certainly can’t function without a talented and committed cast, crew, staff and board of directors, supporting its mission.
One of the newest members of the CTC board of directors, Melissa Leick of Wayzata, joined hands with other theater enthusiasts and put her corporate knowledge to work for the advancement of the performing arts. As senior vice president of human resources at Cargill, Leick knows a thing or two about business, organizational success and people. As a part of the CTC board of directors, Leick and her peers are central to supporting the organization behind the curtain. “We are brought in to be of service to the organization, utilizing our experience and expertise to support CTC,” she says. “We can provide valuable perspectives to support the leadership.”
Melissa Leick, Children’s Theatre Company board member. Photo: Kaitlin Randolph
But Leick’s connection to CTC didn’t start in the boardroom. In fact, she was first exposed to the company as a middle schooler when an actor from CTC hosted a workshop for her seventh grade class. From there, Leick attended a CTC class and quickly fell in love with the theater. “Theater gave me a feeling of belonging,” she says. “I felt like I could be myself.”
These early experiences paved the way for Leick’s continued passion and admiration for the performing arts. From enjoying her time on stage to helping behind the scenes, Leick’s decision to join the CTC board brings her story full circle. “I’m able to give back and serve an organization that imprinted on me at a young age and had a long-term impact on my interests,” she says.
“The arts are so important because they help us understand the human experience, foster critical thinking, cultivate creativity, enable deeper cultural understandings and provide a way to connect with others through shared experiences,” she says.
Goals for the Day
The foundation of World Theatre Day is supported by five objectives:
- Promote theater in all its forms across the world.
- Make people aware of the value of theater in all its forms.
- Enable theater communities to promote their work on a broad scale, so that governments and opinion leaders are aware of the value and importance of dance in all its forms and support it.
- Enjoy theatre in all its forms for its own sake.
- Share the joy for theatre with others.
To learn more, visit world-theatre-day.org.
