Kate Ross Kline, the new Director of the Ellis Theatre Guild, experienced, by all accounts, a difficult transition to Hill. She entered Hill a week after the school year began. Nonetheless, Ross Kline carved a place for herself on campus that goes far beyond the stage and the spotlight. 

“I was on tour with my daughter in China right before we came. She was in the International Broadway Tour in Sound of Music,” Ross Kline said. “So, we had been living abroad for nine months, and so coming here was kind of a whirlwind. Coming back into the country, getting ready for the school year, and at the same time just being thrown into the school year.” 

In this transition year, Kline has multiple goals, one of which is to make positive changes where she deems necessary, she emphasized the need to find a balance between making changes and preserving the aspects which are already where it needs to be. 

She also wants “to get to know the students, in all aspects of who they are” to better serve them. 

Kline looks forward to “inspiring young performers to take their education in the arts to the next level and creating wonderful shows here that raises the bar for excellence here at Hill regarding the performing arts.”  

She wishes to design a curriculum that preps students to not only excel at Hill, but also in any BFA or Conservatory program that they chose in the future. 

“I want to try to keep the experience like that of professional theatre. Keep the rehearsal process like that. All while understanding that this is an educational institution. I want them to take on roles that meet their educational needs as well as professional experience,” Kline emphasised. 

Kline hopes to leverage her professional experience to provide students with more exposure to the professional world.  

“I want to bring in some of the people that I have met on my journeys in the professional world to possibly serve as guest artists and share them with the students here at Hill,” Kline said. 

“I am so grateful to the Hill community, to my colleagues for helping me navigate this very whirlwind of an entry here at Hill and for being so encouraging, helpful and positive especially to Diane Deary,” Ross Kline said. “And the students have just been so open minded and so gracious during what must have been a difficult transition for them. I’m just really grateful for that opportunity to come and be a part of this.”