Nicole Kempskie is a multidisciplinary writer and theater artist. As a librettist and lyricist, she has explored her passion for writing about complex and interesting women of all ages with her musicals The Order of Things (Eugene O’Neill NMTC Semi-finalist), Mother of the Year (The York), It’s About Time (The Duplex; Off-Broadway Alliance Mentorship Project), and Helen on 86th St.; all with composer Robby Stamper. Helen on 86th St., adapted from Wendi Kaufman’s New Yorker short story, premiered in New York in 2011 and is published and licensed by Playscripts, Inc. It has been performed across the country and internationally. Her play, Come on Children, Let’s Sing (NYU), based on her experiences teaching in New York City, has been presented in part at the American Sociological Association Conference, the American Cultural Studies Conference, and the NYU Forum on Ethnodrama and Theater for Social Change. She is the author of 50 theater and film educational resource guides for BAM and Lincoln Center Theater that include works by Beckett, Pinter, Odets, Ibsen, and Shakespeare. As a professional actor, director, and choreographer she has trained with the SITI Company, The Moscow Art Theater, and the Gallatin School at New York University (M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies), and has worked for organizations and theaters such as Trinity Rep, The Huntington Theater, Theatreworks USA, North Shore Music Theater, the 24 Hour Plays, and many others. As a passionate advocate for arts education in New York City, Nicole has led workshops, master classes, and residencies for the Broadway Teaching Group, Broadway Classroom, City Center Encores, BAM, Arts Connection, Music Theatre International, The Paley Center for Media, and the Kaufman Center, and has taught theater, dance, film, and media literacy to thousands of students in New York City.
