Whitney Morse steps down from role as artistic director in The Villages

Whitney Morse has stepped down from her role as artistic director in The Villages.

Morse, daughter of Mark Morse and granddaughter of Gary Morse, is leaving her role as artistic director of Significant Productions, the creative force behind The Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center and The Studio Theatre at Tierra Del Sol, according to a story published in The Villages Daily Sun.

She was side by side with her father recently, celebrating 10 years of The Sharon, which was constructed with great care from the framework of the old Church on the Square at Spanish Springs. A decade ago, Morse returned to The Villages to run the The Sharon, named in honor of her grandmother.

Morse said her departure from the artistic director role is due in large part to her desire to pursue acting, which she has described as her great passion. While she has focused primarily on the theater, Morse’s cousin Megan Boone has seen success in her career in television, most prominently in the NBC show, “The Blacklist.”

Morse isn’t entirely leaving the spotlight in The Villages. She will star in upcoming productions in August and September at The Studio Theater, the newspaper article said. She will also serve as a consultant to Significant Productions. She is being succeeded in the artistic director role by Angel Creeks.