Biography
Nicole Kempskie is a lyricist, writer, theatre and media educator, director/choreographer, and Arts Education consultant in New York City. She co-founded and served as Artistic Director of Brooklyn Children's Theatre for seven years, developing the training programs and curriculum, as well as directing, choreographing, writing, and commissioning musicals for young performers. She has written over ten musicals for the company, including the book and lyrics for Bugtown!, The Elephant Prince, Sunset Park, and The Princely Frog with composer Robby Stamper, now being produced in schools throughout New York.
As a theatre educator, she is on the faculty of the City College of New York's graduate Educational Theatre program, and has led master workshops and classes for Broadway Teacher's Lab, Broadway Classroom, ProMusica, Arts Connection, TADA, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), New York University, the NYC Department of Education, Music Theatre International, and the Lucy Moses Summer Theatre Workshop at the Kaufman Center. She is a curriculum developer and study guide writer for BAM, and the Manager of School and Family programs at The Paley Center for Media.
Her directing and choreography has been seen at The American Theatre of Actors (Helen on 86th St.), North Shore Music Theatre (Rapunzel, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown), East Side Middle School (Once on this Island Jr., Seussical Jr., Willy Wonka Jr.), The Brearley School (She Loves Me), Poly Prep (Our Town), The New Players (The Wiz), Merkin Concert Hall/Kaufman Center (Sunshine, Helen, The Snow Queen, Monsoon Summer), the Bank Street Theatre (New York revival of The Moonlight Room), and for Disney (The Aristocats), Music Theatre International (Dear Edwina Jr.) and New York University (Hair). She was the Associate Choreographer for TheatreworksUSA's touring musical production of Max and Ruby.
She began her theatrical career as an actor, performing at numerous local and regional theatres (The Atlantic, The Huntington Theatre, Trinity Rep, Lyric Stage, American Stage Festival, The Public Theatre, Wheelock Family Theatre, Worcester Foothills Theatre). She holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Providence College and a M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies (Theatre and Sociology) from New York University.
