BPA Welcomes Pete Benson As New Director Of Education

Bainbridge Performing Arts (BPA) is pleased to welcome Pete Benson as Director of Education. Moving to Los Angeles this May, outgoing Director of Education Liz Ellis will pass the baton to Pete, who is thrilled to step in to lead BPA's thriving Theatre Education Program for children, teens, and adults. Pete is eager to help BPA Theatre School students flourish, and he'll join us beginning March 26.

From the age of nine, Pete pounded the boards in San Jose, California working primarily with San Jose Children's Musical Theater (Now CMT San Jose) and City Lights Theater Company. After gaining a two-year degree from the Professional Actor's Conservatory in Orange County he performed up and down the West Coast with various theaters, including The Western Stage and PCPA. Looking to further refine his skills, Pete attended California Institute of the Arts and graduated with a BFA in Theater Arts. For the last two decades, Pete has been working with Matt Groening Productions, first in the design department of the animated-show Futurama and then for a decade-long stint in merchandise and publishing with all of MGP properties, including The Simpsons and Life in Hell. Pete has most recently been seen in several BPA productions including Much Ado About Nothing, August: Osage County, and The Merry Wives of Windsor.

Bainbridge Performing Arts (BPA) is a non-profit community performing arts center whose team of theatre professionals works with volunteer cast members from Bainbridge, Kitsap, Seattle, and beyond to produce professional-quality, vigorously-supported, and enthusiastically-attended shows in our 245-seat facility. We produce six Mainstage shows a year, including a summer Shakespeare production at nearby Bloedel Reserve. BPA also houses The Edge Improv, Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra, and BPA Theatre School, which has a longstanding tradition of supporting learners of all ages to build the skills and confidence to perform on stage and in everyday life.

BPA is supported, in part, by Bainbridge Community Foundation, the City of Bainbridge Island, and One Call for All.

Find out more about BPA at www.bainbridgeperformingarts.org, or check us out on Facebook (www.facebook.com/BPAonline and www.facebook.com/BainbridgeSymphonyOrchestra), follow BPA and BSO on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/bpasallyjomartine) and Twitter (@BPAPresents). Check online for the latest on theatre and symphony auditions, complete theatre school and adult class offerings, performance listings, tickets, promos, and more. Go to "About BPA" and click on "Get Our Newsletter" to receive electronic performance announcements and behind-the-scenes news.

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