Leon Ingulsrud was born and grew up in Japan as the son of Lutheran Missionaries. After attending the University of Minnesota he joined the Suzuki Company Of Toga in 1987 and was a member of that company for seven years. During this time Mr. Ingulsrud also served as a resident director at the ATM Arts Center in Mito, Japan.

In the early nineties, Leon helped found SITI Company and was a member of SITI for its entire 30 years, becoming one of three artistic directors along with Anne Bogart and Ellen Lauren when the company created a shared leadership structure in 2011.

While with SITI Company, Mr. Ingulsrud completed a Master Of Fine Arts degree in Directing from Columbia University, and served two years as Artistic Director of Swine Palace in Baton Rouge LA.

Mr. Ingulsrud has taught and led workshops widely throughout the United States and the world. He has been a guest artist and adjunct faculty member in many universities and colleges, including being the 2019 Black Mountain Legacy Fellow at the University of North Carolina Asheville. He taught extensively with the SITI Company and was a core member of the SITI Conservatory faculty.

Currently Mr. Ingulsrud is a member of One Year Lease theater company https://oneyearlease.org/ , where he acts, writes, teaches and helps run the annual OYL Apprentice Program in Japan, Greece and India https://oneyearlease.org/apprentice-program/ .

In addition to directing, acting and teaching, Mr. Ingulsrud has translated for English publication or production, eleven Japanese contemporary plays. He also works with such organizations as The Japan Society and The Park Ave Armory to provide translation services for Japanese language performances in the US. 

As a performer he can be seen in featured roles in AMC’s acclaimed western series Hell On Wheels, as well as the hit game Red Dead Redemption 2.