Behind the curtain: Making a career of the arts and education

Almost 20 years after her first degree from Binghamton University, Kirsten Knox is still finding new ways to celebrate her love for the arts — and this time around, she wants to share it.

“The arts move society, even if you don’t see it at the time. It can be profound. It can open people’s eyes to things they might not have thought of just by watching the news or reading the paper,” she said. “They might see it in a play and go, ‘Oh my god, now I get that.’”

Today, Knox is the operations director for the Anderson Center for the Performing Arts. She describes herself as a “go-getter, inspired to drive change,” and she works to push people out of their comfort zones. She’s been doing that for others — and herself — since she first came to Binghamton as a student in 1997.

But her career isn’t the only place she’s working to better others. Despite her growing role with the Anderson Center, Knox has also returned to Binghamton University as a matriculated student, thanks to the space available programs for staff.

“I advocate for lifelong learning, and I think that you can always learn new things. Offering space available is a huge help to push people to learn new ways of thinking and new skills, and to get professional development.”

Enrolled in the higher education and student affairs master’s program, she was drawn to the ability to gain new qualifications while growing in her position. Her goal is to graduate in May 2026. Aside from her career, she was also attracted for a personal reason.

“Part of what drew me to the program is that I just can’t seem to give up stage management. Something that I do outside of my normal job is extra service stage managing for the music department opera productions every year,” Knox said. “I realized how much I liked working with students. Something came on Dateline about the degree path, I looked into it, and everything in the description was exactly what I wanted.”

These changes in Knox’s life are formed from a long precedent in the theatre world.

Originally from Iowa, she cited her family ties in the area as one of the strongest reasons to attend Binghamton, though she was impressed by its already growing renown at the time. When she first arrived on campus — interested in photography and moviemaking — she pursued the visual arts and joined the Cinema Department.

But she quickly realized it wasn’t for her. She explored another passion with English, but it wasn’t until a cross-listed class that she was gently led into the performing arts, a move that would define her future vocation. Eventually, she became a theater major.

“I felt like I was a part of something creative while not being the focus of it. I eventually ended up in tech design,” Knox said. “I enjoyed that even more than I thought I would, and I took every class that I could — I even stayed an extra semester, so that I could learn more.”

When she graduated with a bachelor’s, she started working for the Cider Mill Playhouse almost right away, where she would go on to work for 15 years. Over that time, she filled nearly every position available — props crew, costume crew, set crew, house management and concessions. From box office to cleaning bathrooms, she worked her way up the ladder to stage management.

“That was scary to start, because I had only done it on a couple of shows while I was in college. You have all the people supporting you there, but when you’re doing it professionally, you’re on your own,” she said. “But I learned so much, and that developed who I am as a person and brought out a lot of qualities, like self-advocacy, that I use today.”

Knox is especially thankful, in retrospect, to some of the professors who made these positions and her personal growth possible — particularly Craig Saeger and Barbara Wolfe, two-thirds of the team that saved the Cider Mill after its severing from the University in 1991.

It was thanks to Knox’s respect for Saeger and Wolfe she remained a student in the program through tough times; their advocacy for her potential and personal skillset also shaped how she now works at the Anderson Center.

“Craig Saeger single-handedly kept me here. He was a very supportive professor and very involved with his students. He took an interest in them and their lives, and he made a point to be communicative. And that was a big deal, especially when you’re a ‘townie,’ because I wasn’t living on campus, and so didn’t have the same involvement,” she said. “I keep in touch with them now, outside of work. These are people who will always hold a special place to me, because of what they were like to work with as a student.”

Her position at the Center is often understated, though it has a long reach: in addition to being the “communication and scheduling hub” of the department, she also works with the talent. Logistical aspects of hosting a traveling show — handling artists and accommodations, from hospitality to transportation, fall under her purview.

“Even though the most stressful part of my job is working on our events, it’s also my favorite,” she said. “I like having a hand in the artist experience at our venue, making sure that they have a positive experience here and that they take that with them to the next venue. I want us to have a good reputation. I want artists to want to come back here. I think that is one of the most important things we can do as a performing arts venue.”

In many ways, she jokes, she describes herself as the stage manager of the department — making sure things happen when they’re supposed to. Despite the throughline of this kind of work, Knox says she never stops learning— and never stops pushing herself to be better.

But if it doesn’t work out right away, just like in stage management, one thing is for certain — the story isn’t over.

“So much of my life is tied up here, so it’s hard to pick out how Binghamton has impacted my life,” Knox said. “At the end of the day, it comes down to the people I’ve met here — professors, friends, co-workers. So many of them from here have impacted my life in some way, or continue to do that.”