Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Crabtree.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was a stay-at-home mom for more than 18 years while my husband served in the military. Like many military families, we moved often, and my career took a back seat while I raised our family. When we landed at Scott Air Force Base in 2012, I had no idea that a local garden club would change the direction of my life.
I became involved with the club and started organizing its monthly programs. Attendance tripled, and something clicked for me. I loved finding interesting people and ideas, bringing them together, and creating an experience that made people want to show up. I knew I had found something I wanted to pursue.
In 2014, I took a part-time job as a box office manager at a university performing arts center. I quickly fell in love with the patron experience, not just selling someone a ticket, but helping them choose the right seat, making them feel welcome, and creating an experience from the moment they walked through the door. I was hooked.
About five years later, I moved into a full-time role and became more involved in everything from VIP experiences and artist hospitality to programming and presenting. When my boss left to lead The Sheldon in St. Louis, I decided to take a chance and apply for the Executive Director position. After an extensive national search, I got the job.
Then COVID hit.
Rather than stop presenting, I started looking for ways to keep people connected to live art. We put up an outdoor stage and created drive-in-style concerts. When audiences were allowed back inside in limited numbers, we adapted again, electrostatically cleaning the theatre between performances and welcoming just 50 people at a time. I became even more convinced that the arts aren’t simply entertainment. People need places where they can gather, connect, and escape from the everyday.
That belief ultimately brought me to the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center, where I serve as General Manager today. I oversee a busy performing arts facility, present and develop programming, build community and business partnerships, support artists, and continually look for new ways to bring people through our doors.
My path wasn’t traditional. I started my professional career later in life after spending nearly two decades raising a family. But I think that is part of what shaped me. I learned that creating a great arts experience isn’t just about what happens on the stage. It’s about people: artists, audiences, staff, volunteers, businesses, and the community, and making them feel like they are part of something.
I still approach the work much the same way I did when I organized those garden club programs: find something wonderful, invite people in, and give them a reason to come back.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road, but I think the challenges are what gave me the confidence and perspective I have today.
One of my biggest challenges was simply starting later. After being a stay-at-home mom for 18 years, I entered the workforce alongside people who had already spent decades building their careers. I had to prove that the skills I developed while raising a family, moving with the military, volunteering, and leading in my community had real value. I also went back to school and earned my MBA while building my career, which was both challenging and incredibly rewarding.
Then there was COVID. I had worked hard to become an Executive Director of a performing arts center, only to suddenly be running a building where you couldn’t have an audience! That forced me to become creative, resourceful, and willing to try things that hadn’t been done before.
Working in the arts also means constantly balancing the creative with the practical. You can have an incredible artistic idea, but you still have budgets, staffing, ticket sales, facilities, and a hundred other realities to consider. I’ve learned that being passionate about the arts isn’t enough; you have to understand the business behind them if you want them to thrive.
There have also been moments when I’ve had to advocate for myself, trust my instincts, and keep going even when my decisions were questioned. Leadership can be uncomfortable, especially when you’re trying something new.
But I wouldn’t change the road. Every challenge has made me more resilient and reinforced something I strongly believe: great art matters, but creating a place where people feel connected to it matters just as much.
As you know, we’re big fans of Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The Kirkwood Performing Arts Center (KPAC) is a world-class, multi-space regional arts center in the heart of Kirkwood, Missouri. With multiple performance and event spaces under one roof, we can host everything from large-scale theatrical productions and nationally recognized performers to intimate concerts, cultural events, art gallery experiences and private gatherings.
Our tagline is “Fusing People and the Arts,” and that really is at the heart of what we do. We bring exceptional artists and audiences together and create experiences that extend far beyond what happens onstage.
One of the things that sets KPAC apart is we want to exceed expectations at every opportunity. A patron isn’t just a ticket buyer, an artist isn’t just a performer, and a renter isn’t simply someone using our building. We want people to feel genuinely cared for from the moment they interact with us. Sometimes it’s remembering someone’s favorite seat, helping create a special VIP experience, making sure an artist feels at home, or simply recognizing a familiar face when they walk through the door. Those details matter.
Our multi-space facility gives us tremendous versatility. The 529-seat Ross Family Theatre offers a first-class traditional theatre experience, while the Strauss Black Box Theatre allows us to create intimate and immersive performances. Our art gallery, lobby and event space give us even more opportunities to bring people together around the arts.
I’m particularly proud of the programming and partnerships we’ve developed, from the Studio Series and Coffee Concerts to gallery concerts, cultural celebrations and special events. We’ve also created programs like No Starving Artists, Business Spotlight Partnerships and Roll Up for the Arts, finding new ways to connect artists, audiences, local businesses and philanthropy.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud that KPAC has developed a personality of its own. We can be sophisticated without being intimidating, world-class without being inaccessible, and regional in reach while still feeling personal.
I want people to know that when they come to KPAC, they’re not simply coming to see a show. We’re creating an experience.
My philosophy is simple: book great art, market it aggressively, practice unreasonable hospitality and nurture your community, and you will win.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
My biggest advice is don’t be afraid to start late, start small, or take a path that doesn’t look like everyone else’s. I was in my 40s when I really began building my career. At the time, I probably saw those 18 years as a gap on my résumé. Today, I see them as part of what made me a better leader.
Say yes to opportunities that stretch you. My career started by organizing programs for a garden club and then taking a part-time box office job. Neither looked like a direct path to becoming an Executive Director or General Manager of a performing arts center, but every experience taught me something I needed later.
Be kind to people, remember their names, follow through on what you promise, and don’t underestimate the value of making someone feel important. Titles change and jobs change, but relationships follow you throughout your career.
Finally, don’t be afraid to try something and fail. Some of my best ideas have come from asking, “Why can’t we do this?” You won’t always get it right, and not everyone will understand your vision immediately. That’s okay. Learn, adjust and keep moving.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theKPAC.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theKPAC
