Bainbridge Performing Arts recently announced Pete Benson as its new director of education.

Moving to Los Angeles this May, outgoing director Liz Ellis will pass the baton to Benson, who said he’s thrilled to step in to lead BPA’s thriving theatre education program for children, teens and adults.

Benson’s tenure will begin Monday, March 26.

From the age of 9, Pete pounded the boards in San Jose, California working primarily with San Jose Children’s Musical Theater (Now CMT San Jose) and City Lights Theater Company.

After gaining a two-year degree from the Professional Actor’s Conservatory in Orange County, he performed up and down the West Coast with various theaters, including The Western Stage and PCPA. Looking to further refine his skills, Benson attended California Institute of the Arts and graduated with a BFA in theater arts.

For the last two decades, Benson has been working with Matt Groening Productions, first in the design department of the animated-show “Futurama” and then for a decade-long stint in merchandise and publishing with all of MGP properties, including “The Simpsons” and “Life in Hell.”

Benson has most recently been seen in several BPA productions, including “Much Ado About Nothing,” “August: Osage County” and “The Merry Wives of Windsor.”