CHICAGO: Victory Gardens Theater has announced that artistic director Chay Yew will depart at the end of the 2019-20 season. Yew has been artistic director of Victory Gardens since July 2011, and will complete his ninth season with the company in June.

“We are so grateful to Chay for his leadership for the past eight-plus years,” Victory Gardens board president Steve Miller said in statement. “Chay has shepherded Victory Gardens to a new level of engagement and artistic excellence.”

“My journey with Victory Gardens has been a tremendous gift and joy,” Yew said in a statement. “Together with my passionate board and staff, we’ve accomplished much in the last eight and half years and it is at this extraordinary moment that I have chosen to depart. I will serve through the end of our current season, and will foster artistic projects in future Victory Gardens seasons while exploring new opportunities and challenges.”

Yew championed equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives at Victory Gardens, including establishing the Rising Leaders of Color Fellowship. He also created Victory Gardens’ Public Programs, which include talkbacks and town halls, and the Chicago Play Cycle. An internationally renowned director and playwright, Yew’s work has been produced at the Public Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Dallas Theatre Center, among others. His work has also been produced in Australia, Italy, Malaysia, the U.K., and Singapore.