ELAINE HENDRIKS SMITH, PH.D.

artist | administrator | academic

Elaine Hendriks Smith has a proven track record of guiding interdisciplinary teams across theatre, dance, and music through periods of growth, transition, and innovation. Elaine is particularly skilled in strategic planning, program development, collaborative leadership, and cultivating inclusive artistic environments. She brings a human-centered approach to institutional advancement — aligning mission, creative vision, and operational strategy to strengthen both artistic output and organizational sustainability.

Elaine’s scholarship examines how theatre makers stage anxiety in moments of social rupture. Grounded in affect and trauma theory, her work contributes to broader conversations around the role of affect in historiography, theatrical production, and society.