Associate Professor
A.A. Theatre Arts, Nassau Community College
B.S. Theatre Arts, Directing, State University of New York, Oneonta
M.F.A. Directing, Illinois State University
Pronouns: She/They
Nikki Hartman is an SDC Theatre Director with interests in Theatre of Social Conscience, Magical Realism, Solo Performance, and Farce. Nikki was the Founding Artistic Director of The People’s Repertory Theatre Company, a company dedicated to Theatre of Social Action. Repeatedly recognized for their directing, Nikki’s production of Noises Off! received 10 Awards for Excellence from the Kennedy Center’s American College Theatre Festival and their production of Samuel Beckett’s Rough for the Theatre 1 was produced at The National Symposium on Samuel Beckett. As director/ dramaturg-in-residence, Nikki was responsible for devising, writing, and directing the New York production of Voices with The New York Institute of Dance and The Kaleidoscope Dance Company. Noted for their ensemble work, recent credits include: the world-premiere of Susan McCully’s delicious farce Voracious, David Auburn’s Proof, Melanie Marnich’s These Shining Lives, Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice, the multiple award-winning production of Diana Son’s Stop Kiss, and Jessica Dickey’s The Amish Project in Munich, Germany.
Academically, Nikki’s research on “The changing elements of language, image, and performative techniques in alternative theatre performance,” and their paper, “Social Conscience and the American Theatre” were presented as part of the Milton Center’s National Panel, Responsibility and the Arts. An advocate of inter-disciplinary work in the arts, Nikki has served as Moderator for numerous National Symposiums, including: Dead Man Walking: Theatre, Social Change, Prison Ministry, and the Death Penalty; Staggering Toward America: We the People(s)… Defining a National Identity; and Live from the Front Lines: Is Anybody Listening? Internationally, Nikki presented “Considerations in Mission-Centered International Arts Programming” as part of the International Panel, In Conversation… at the Magnetic North Theatre Festival in Ottawa, Ontario.
A committed educator and working professional, Nikki is a certified Meisner Acting Teacher. Nikki teaches and directs in the United States and Munich, Germany.