Executive Artistic Director, Denise Winter

Denise Winter, KCPT Artistic Director

Denise Winter is in her thirteenth season with Key City Public Theatre where she brings nearly 30 years of professional experience to her role as the theater company’s first Artistic Director.  Under her leadership, KCPT has garnered numerous awards and honors for artistic merit including its first National Endowment for the Arts, Humanities WA, WESTAF and ArtsWA grants and 2007, ’08, ’10, ’13, and ’16 Kitsap Sun A & E Award’s “Best Theater” honors.

Prior to arriving in Port Townsend, Denise served on the artistic staff of six Tony Award-winning theaters including Hartford Stage Company, Long Wharf Theatre, Trinity Repertory Company and The Alley Theatre.  She helped create the Broadway productions of The Civil War, Jackie: An American Life, Our Country’s Good, and Stand-Up Tragedy.  She toured 48 states, Canada and China, with New York City Opera, The Children’s Theatre Company, American Repertory Theatre, Clear Channel/Nickelodeon, and The Radio City Christmas Spectacular  starring the Rockettes.

For KCPT, Denise co-wrote the award-winning musical, Spirit of the Yule with long-time collaborator, composer/lyricist, Linda Dowdell. She directed the world premiere of Mara Lathrop’s The Garden of Monsters, the WA premiere of Bark! the Musical, Northwest premieres of Constance Congdon’s SO FAR: The Children of the Elvi and Gip Hoppe’s A New War, two West Coast premiere musicals: Hoppe’s Investment Strategies for the Post-Money World  and Linda Dowdell & JoAnne Schmoll’s Here’s to the Ladies! The Women of Tin Pan Alley  and Wendy MacLeod’s new play Birnham Woods.  Other directing credits include Heartbreak House (Best Show 2013, Kitsap Sun A&E), The Big Bang, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, Shakespeare in the Park productions of The Comedy of Errors and As You Like It. Denise had directed workshops of numerous new works including Wendy MacLeod’s Juan Deere, Darrah Cloud’s The Posthumous Democrat, Richard Dresser’s 100 Years, Jack Heifner’s Hate Mail,  Jeni Mahoney’s Fata Morgana and The Martyrdom of Washington Booth, Sandy Diamond’s Blanche and Claude in Seclusion, Andrea Stolowitz’s Tales of Doomed Love or Is It Ever Worth It and Linda Dowdell’s musical workshop, Early Retirement. She is the creator, along with Linda Dowdell, of the holiday musical Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

Board of Directors

KCPT board meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at 6:00pm at our administration offices. All are welcome to attend.

Chair
David Goldsmith

Vice-Chair
John Paul Davies

Treasurer
Melanie Bozak

Board Members At Large
JoAnn Bussa
Jim Ferris
Heidi Haney
Anita Schmucker
Julia Mertena Towne