Position: Instructor
Department: Theatre Arts and Dance
Office: St. Benedict Hall, Green Room
Elizabeth Bettendorf Bowman is a multidisciplinary theatre artist and administrator dedicated to arts accessibility, community engagement, and new work development. She holds a BA in Theatre and Psychology from Northwest Missouri State University and MA in Theatre, with a focus in Directing and Theatre History from the University of Missouri鈥揔ansas City Conservatory.
Elizabeth is the co-founder and Executive Artistic Director of Kansas City Public Theatre, winner of the Missouri Arts Council award for Arts Organization of the Year in 2022. Her work with the company has earned recognition from The Pitch KC鈥檚 鈥淏est of KC,鈥� BroadwayWorld, KCStudio Magazine, and residencies at Charlotte Street Foundation. Recent directing credits include: Miss Julie, The Holy Trinity, Tipton, The Real Barbee: Unmasked, The Disappointments (KCPublic); Young Playwrights Showcase (Coterie Theatre); Alice in Wonderland, Eurydice (小草影院).
Elizabeth鈥檚 works spans directing, producing, design, and arts administration. She has collaborated on artistic teams with nationally recognized and Tony Award鈥搘inning artists at institutions including Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre, Coterie Theatre, Heart of America Shakespeare, KCFringe, and the UMKC Conservatory. She also trained with the New York鈥揵ased SITI Company in Suzuki-Viewpoints actor training and has presented work at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE). As an educator, she has served as a resident artist with United Inner-City Services, taught in the Fort Leavenworth Prison System, teaches master classes at the Coterie Theatre, and worked as a manager and teaching artist at Heart of America Shakespeare. Elizabeth also gives grant writing workshops and has served on grant panels with organizations such as ArtsKC and Charlotte Street.
Elizabeth co-edited Their Own Devices: A Collection of Kansas City Playwrights and has been nominated for the prestigious Baum Award for Emerging Kansas City Leaders. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the board for Jerusalem Farm, a Catholic nonprofit devoted to sustainability.
Education:
MA 鈥� Theatre, University of Missouri-Kansas City
Interests:
Arts Administration, Theatre Management, Theatre for Young Audiences, Directing, Public Speaking