Kendra Norton Dando

Kendra Norton Dando (she/her/hers) As Artistic and Education Director for GREAT, Kendra is focused on increasing access to the arts by bringing engaging theatre to our stages, developing partnerships and opportunities to tell the stories of our community, and expanding learning experiences for audiences of all ages. Kendra is originally from the Chicago area and joined GREAT as Education Director in January of 2019. She holds a Master of Theatre Studies from Southern Oregon University and brought fifteen years of experience in educational theatre to GREAT, having developed, designed, and taught theatre curricula for middle and high schools in St. Louis, MO and Madison, WI. Additionally, Kendra is an award-winning director and educator who has directed youth and adults in over fifty productions. She has presented nationally on social justice and theatre and served as the co-director of the Educational Theatre Association’s Wisconsin Thespians and on the board of Minnesota Thespians, increasing student opportunity and access to theatre arts. In addition to teaching acting and theatre courses at St. Cloud Community and Technical College, she has worked with area school districts on developing K-12 arts pathways and was recently selected to the 2022 cohort of the Minnesota Young American Leaders Program with the University of Minnesota and Harvard Business School. When not in a classroom or rehearsal, Kendra is most frequently found enjoying the sunlight, tending to houseplants, or building ginormous LEGO creations with her children.