Mannex to lead Kenworthy Performing Arts Center

The Kenworthy Performing Arts Center in Moscow has selected Colin Mannex to lead the Kenworthy as executive director in a time of exciting growth and development. Mannex will lead this growth with an eye for finding new audiences and exploring innovative programming options like live broadcasts, hybrid events and a greater mix of visiting artists from around the country. Mannex sees the potential for the Kenworthy to be a major draw throughout the Inland Northwest, saying, to start, he would like to forge stronger connections with folks in Pullman and at the major universities. Mannex comes to the Kenworthy with an extensive background in theater and film. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and drama from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in dramaturgy and dramatic criticism from the Yale University School of Drama in New Haven, Connecticut. Living on the East Coast, he taught undergraduate humanities classes at Yale and Mount Holyoke College, while he wrote for the New York-based Terra Firma Theatre Company, and advised for others. Mannex’s professional life in education includes a long history of leadership. After leaving New York in 2015, Mannex and his wife spent almost six years in Oakland, CA, where he chaired the English department at Bentley Upper School. They relocated to Moscow in 2020, and Mannex began work at WSU as the Associate Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research. His duties involved educational outreach to students considering research and creative activities across all disciplines.