Alumni Spotlight – Kate Erin Gibson ‘96

For those who saw Kate Gibson ‘96 on a Susquehannock stage, there was no doubt that she would be connected to theatre in some way for life.

She had roles in SHS productions of Bye Bye Birdie, Music Man, Oklahoma, Will Rogers Follies, Arsenic and Old Lace, Antigone, and Fame, beginning with her freshman year and was a regular performer at York Little Theatre in the summer. Whenever she was on-stage, it was something very special.

Kate’s high school resume was that of a classic well-rounded student. She played clarinet in the marching and symphonic bands and sang with the chorus, excelling in these endeavors to the level of district festival honors. She lettered in soccer and ran cross country. She was also a consistent honor student.

But being on stage was what lit up her life. “Between shows at Susquehannock and summers at YLT, performing was my focus,” she says. “It was where I put most of my energy and passion.” It is no surprise, then, that Kate recalls her choir instructor Dave Nicholson as having a profound influence on her career. “Choir was where I developed my self-confidence,” she says. She also has strong memories of Carolyn Adams. “I had her for A.P. English, and she was scary and strict. She ran her class like a boot camp. But at the end of the day, she made you feel like a superstar.”

After graduation, she attended Shenandoah Conservatory of Music, majoring in music and theatre and graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in 2000. She continued her studies at New York University, graduating in 2004 with a Master’s degree in Theatre Performance.

Kate then continued her training with the prestigious Barrow Group Theatre Company, expanding her impressive inventory of theatre skills to include: vocal, scat singing, acting, theory, piano, dialect, combat, film, scenic design, directing, lighting, and dance styles ranging from ballet to tap to jazz.

Throughout her student career and after graduation, Kate performed in a number of off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, and regional theatre productions. She also landed a National Tour in Four Score and Seven Years Ago. (Click here for Kate’s performing resume.)

In addition to vocal and acting work, Kate expanded her interests to include directing and production and found a new passion. It was in 2006 that she founded The Red Door Theatre Company, a “floating” company (with no fixed location), and assumed the role of artistic director and associate producer. Red Door has staged shows in New York City and Washington DC from that date with Kate serving in many roles – off-stage and on. The company puts on two or three shows per year. She describes this part of her life as “free-lance” and “entrepreneurial.”

She now sees her career moving toward production and management. In 2011, she accepted a post with the University of Maryland’s theatre program, a position she served for three years.

Most recently (2014), she accepted a position in New York University’s prestigious Tisch School for the Arts as Producing Supervisor.

She continues to perform when her schedule allows. Her most recent project was the one-woman show The Last Flapper, a play about Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. One of her current goals is to sing the National Anthem at every major league park, to date performing for the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Although Kate lives in New York City, she is a frequent visitor to her hometown of New Freedom where her family remains.

Thanks to Kate Gibson ’96 for making us Warrior Proud.