Ellen Struve

mbross

Theatre Teaching Artist
I began playwriting in earnest after a circuitous route through the arts.  My early training is in classical music.  I participated in the Undergraduate Nonfiction Workshop at University of Iowa and, though I did study playwriting there, I went on to get my master’s degree in arts administration at School of the Art Institute of Chicago, one of the finest visual arts institutions in the country.  In Chicago I had the great privilege of working for Merit School of Music, an organization dedicated to bringing high quality music instruction to all people regardless of their economic status.  Since returning to Omaha in 2003, I found it possible to combine all my interests in theatre.
My plays have been produced in New York, Virginia, Missouri and Nebraska.  I serve on the board of Shelterbelt Theatre and support its goal of presenting locally created work.  I am a founding member of the Omaha Playwrights Group.  My plays have been recognized as both Mainstage and PlayLab selections of Great Plains Theatre Conference and I was a 2011 Nebraska Arts Council Fellowship Recipient.  As part of the Bemis Center for the Art Community Artist Residency for refugee children, I began working with puppets.
I have found that a good story requires a great deal of patience, hard work, and a wide variety of tools.