William Inge Theatre
William Inge Center for the Arts
The William Inge Center for the Arts was founded in 1982 on the campus of Independence Community College in Independence, Kansas. It is named in the celebration and memory of Pulitzer Prize and Academy Award-winning playwright, William Inge, who is a native of Independence and a graduate of Independence Community College. Its initial event was a modest one-day commemoration of William Inge’s life. Now, the Inge Center’s showpiece event is the three-day William Inge Theatre Festival which was named the Official State Theatre Festival of Kansas, as designated by the state legislature in 2010.
Since its inception, the William Inge Theatre Festival, has brought to Independence, Kansas, some of the world’s most prestigious playwrights. Arthur Miller, Wendy Wasserstein, August Wilson, Neil Simon, Paula Vogel, and Stephen Sondheim are some of those who have traveled to Independence to accept the Festival’s Distinguished Achievement in American Theatre Award. The Inge Festival honors also bestows the Otis Guernsey New Voices in Playwriting award, which recognizes a peer-nominated emerging playwright, the Margaret Goheen Award, for outstanding contributions to theatre in Independence and surrounding area (named after the founder of the Festival), and the Jerome Lawrence Award for contributions to the Inge Festival and the national theatre by a non-playwright.
The William Inge Center for the Arts was founded as the William Inge Festival, later changing its name to the William Inge Theater Festival. Since 2002, the Inge Center significantly expanded its programming, prompting another name change to the William Inge Center for the Arts in 2004. This was to avoid confusion with the annual William Inge Theatre Festival event.