New City Stage 2022 Players

Ashley Magnus and Lidiya Yankovskaya, Photo by Joe Mazza | Brave lux

COT’s very own fearless leaders, Ashley Magnus and Lidiya Yankovskaya were featured in the New City Stage Players 50 2022: The Music Makers.

New City created the Players 50 article to honor those that have continued to persevere during this pandemic. Those that streamed their art during the lockdown and those that financially aided these Chicago institutions to do so. Other extraordinary Chicagoans joined Ashley and Lidiya on the Music Makers list, like Kyle Dougan from Music Theater Works and Jeannie Lukow and Michael Weber from Porchlight Music Theater.

In the feature, they touched on one of COT's values: a commitment to equity and access behind the scenes, on the stage, and in the audience. "Six (operas) are by creators of color, six are by female composers. Our goal is to tell relevant stories that are by and about people of today that reflect the people of our city." - Lidiya Yankovskaya.

Ashley continued by saying, "Our thought was we needed to continue to connect with our audiences." COT's mission to produce high-quality works new to Chicago audiences did not stop during the lockdown. With so much uncertainty, COT became an inspiration to many.