Lara Goetsch

Lara‘s first TimeLine experience was being invited to a Company meeting in the fall of 1997. Known by TimeLine’s founding members from her job as Director of Marketing & Public Relations at The Theatre School, she was invited to listen and offer marketing thoughts during the company’s first year of planning and organization. She remembers going to Juliet Hart’s home in Andersonville for the meeting, and the overwhelmingly open and friendly and respectful way that the entire group welcomed her into their conversations. She was hooked! She signed up to serve as producer of the company’s inaugural production, SUMMIT CONFERENCE and became the first non-founding Company Member in 1998. She joined TimeLine’s full-time staff in 2006 as Director of Marketing and Communications. During her tenure on staff, TimeLine has more than tripled its annual earned income and increased subscriptions by more than 300%.

Having been involved in this company almost from the very beginning, it’s a tremendous honor and privilege to have been a part of everything that got us to today. From the beginning, I’ve been motivated by the fact that my contributions are appreciated, and they make a difference. I believe in what we’ve built together, and that inspires me to help the company continue to improve and evolve and reach for ambitious goals.

Lara has served as producer for many of TimeLine’s early productions, including three that received Non-Equity Jeff Awards for Outstanding Production: NOT ABOUT NIGHTINGALES, THE CRUCIBLE and AWAKE AND SING!. Other previous credits with TimeLine include Marketing Director for numerous individual productions and serving as a member of the Board of Directors for eight years. As a photographer, she has created nearly all of TimeLine’s publicity and production photographs since the company’s inception, and she currently serves as the theatre’s primary graphic designer.

I’ve always loved history. I’m a nostalgic person anyway, and fascinated by the past, time travel, biographies, etc.  In college for my journalism degree I had to choose a liberal arts focus, and I chose history. So to be involved in a theatre company that’s all about learning from history is perfect.

Lara previously was Director of Marketing and Public Relations at The Theatre School at DePaul University, where she worked for 13 seasons coordinating publicity, marketing strategy and special events for the Midwest’s leading theatre training conservatory. In Chicago she has also worked at Next Theatre, Roadworks Productions and Gateway Theatre Company. She has been a member of the Publicity Club of Chicago and served as chair of the marketing committee of the League of Chicago Theatres.

Lara has presented on arts marketing topics both locally and nationally, including for Chicago’s Arts Engagement Exchange, the Arts & Business Council of Chicago, and Americans for the Arts’ National Arts Marketing Project, among others.

Lara grew up in Orofino, Idaho and went on to Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University where she earned a B.S. degree in journalism. She was a founding member and former co-chair of the Medill Alumni Club of Chicago.