Kimberly grew up in New Jersey, the oldest of three. She began her passion for theater as an audience member as early as three years old and went on to star as a ballerina in her summer camp's production of THE WIZARD OF OZ that next summer. Bitten by the bug, Kimberly has followed her dreams ever since.
After portraying a variety of characters from our beloved musical theater catalog (Maria in THE SOUND OF MUSIC, Ado Annie in OKLAHOMA to name a few...) Kimberly turned her focus onto directing, inspired by several of her professors at Connecticut College. She also studied abroad in London for a semester, and, through many other adventures, has tried her hand at stage combat, puppetry, and modern dance.
Kimberly moved to Chicago in 1995 for an internship at Steppenwolf Theatre Company where she has worked on and off for the past 12 years in various jobs. She is now a professional director and has worked at several companies throughout Chicago, including Collaboraction (which she founded in 1997.) In addition to her work there, both producing and directing, Kimberly has worked at Timeline, Adventure Stage Chicago, Emerald City, Chicago Dramatists, and many others. She is a proud artistic associate of Strawdog and Next Theatre companies, too. Working with companies throughout Chicago gives her the opportunity to collaborate with all kinds of great artists, both in developing new work and infusing new life into older pieces.
Complementing her directing, Kimberly is a passionate teacher and has spent the past twelve years teaching in-school residencies for Steppenwolf and Court Theatres throughout the Chicagoland area. Cultivating the next generation of theatre-goers and theatre-makers is a lifelong mission for her! She is also an adjunct professor at Columbia College and DePaul Universities.
She lives in Chicago with her husband, actor Lance Baker, and their son, Noah. |
