Sharon Benge, a native of Dallas, has spent her life deep in the arts of Texas.  A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, she holds a Masters of Fine Arts from Texas Christian University.  She serves as director of Theater at Texas Woman’s University and is celebrating her 19^th year as co-host of Art Matters on WRR Radio (101.1 FM.)  Since 1990 she has been the performing arts coordinator for the annual MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival. 

      She has directed over 70 plays at theatres in North Texas and throughout the state.  The founding director of Fort Worth’s Shakespeare in the Park, Sharon has also served in artistic and administrative capacities at Casa Manana Playhouse, Arts Council of Fort Worth and Tarrant County and the Dallas Theater Center.  In 1996 she was honored by the Live Theater League of Tarrant County with the Elston Brooks Award for Excellence and has received similar accolades from the City of Fort Worth, the Arts and Business Connection, the Fort Worth Business Press and the Altrusa Club.

      In January of 2005, she spent three weeks at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin working on the Long March, a performance art piece which was presented in both Ireland and Texas.  Her recent directorial credits for Fort Worth theatres include A Room for One’s Own for Amphibian Productions; A Raisin in the Sun and Bee-Luther Hatchee at Jubilee Theatre, and Tuesdays with Morrie at Circle Theater.