STAFF

WILLIAM INGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS STAFF

The William Inge Center for the Arts staff with 2012 Honoree, David Henry Hwang.

Peter Ellenstein (Artistic Director)

Peter came to the William Inge Center for the Arts in 2001. For over thirty-five years, Peter has worked extensively in professional theatre, film and television as a director, producer, stage manager and actor. For seven years he was Producing Director of the Los Angeles Repertory Company. Peter has worked in theatre across the country from Los Angeles to New York, San Diego to Minnesota, Florida to Alaska, and Broadway to Off- Broadway. His productions have received numerous awards and nominations. He has taught acting, directing, voice, Shakespeare and musical theatre in professional and academic settings for over 25 years. He sat on the Governing Council of the Association of Theatre for Higher Education. He served two terms on the Board of Governors of Theatre LA, an organization of over 150 theatres in Southern California. He served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the Kansas Arts Commission, the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, and as a Site Visitor for the NEA and the California Arts Council. He comes from a theatrical family. His father was actor/director Robert Ellenstein and his brother, David, is Artistic Director of North Coast Repertory Theatre in Southern California. Peter attended American Conservatory Theatre and received his Masters of Fine Arts Degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato.  Peter was pleased to serve President Barack Obama's campaigns on his National Arts Policy Committees. He is a member of AEA, SAG and SSDC. 

Lily Morgan (Director of Library Services and Curator of the William Inge Collection at Independence Community College)

Originally from Lawrence, Kansas, Morgan earned her bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writing from the University of Kansas in 2002 before training as a librarian at Emporia State University. She is a passionate advocate for information literacy and lifelong learning skills and has been thrilled at the opportunity to continuously improve the library environment for ICC students. Morgan is the current President of the Friends of the Independence Public Library and is looking forward to many future opportunities to connect with and serve the greater Independence community.  In her free-time, she enjoys creating monsters for general comic relief. 

Bruce Peterson (Associate Director of Marketing)

Bruce primarily worked in arts and entertainment journalism prior to his arrival at the William Inge Center for the Arts in October of 2002. He has been an editor with “Back Stage” publications in New York.  In his native California, Peterson worked in the development office of International House of Berkeley and as arts editor of a suburban daily newspaper.  Bruce has completed a course in directing from the Yale Summer School and participated in Aesthetic Education courses from the Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education.  Among his activities locally, he is president of the Independence Children’s Summer Theatre.   He holds a Master of Science degree in arts administration from Drexel University (Philadelphia) and a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcasting from San Francisco State University. 

Emily Smith (Associate Director of Operations/Company Manager)

Originally from Detroit, MI, Emily joined the Inge Center staff in August 2012. Emily received her BA in Theatre Arts and Politics from Earlham College in Richmond, IN and her MA in Performance and Creative Research from Roehampton University in London, UK. Between the two, she lived in Juneau Alaska for four years, where she worked as a Stage Manager, Director, and Arts Administrator. Emily has also worked as a stage manager for Illinois Shakespeare Festival (2008) and Light Opera Oklahoma (2010), and was the General Manager of Shawnee Summer Theatre (2012).