Roell Schmidt joined STAGE Lab as Managing/Producing Director in 2019. For the previous ten years, she served as the director of Links Hall, Chicago’s experimental dance and performance incubator. Under her leadership, Links Hall created its collaborative arts venue partnership with Mike Reed and Constellation, received the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, served on the Cultural Advisory Council of the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, developed cultural exchanges with partners in Japan and Haiti, and celebrated Links’ 40^th anniversary with the first season in its history to be led by majority artists of color.

She has worked in arts administration and production in Chicago since 1994 for the Athenaeum Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre Company, The Chicago Chamber Musicians and on independent features and short films. She is a playwright and multi-media producer and holds an MFA in Writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BA in French and English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis. Currently she serves on the Curatorial Board of Ragdale, the artist community based in Lake Forest, Illinois.