Kim McKean

Bio

Kim McKean is thrilled to be joining the Illinois Theatre community. She comes to Illinois by way of El Paso, TX, where she served as Associate Professor of Theatre and the Director of Theatre Programs at the University of Texas at El Paso. Kim’s research involves new-play development, and she has published about her process developing new work in Theatre Topics, ETUDES and the book Undergraduate Research in Theatre (Routledge). She has received funding to develop new work from the National Endowment of the Arts, Humanities Texas, and a Career Enhancement Award at UTEP. As a professional director and actor, Kim has worked nationally and internationally, directing at regional theatres across the country, appearing on HBO, ABC, CMT and Spike TV, and starring in several independent films, commercials, and numerous stage productions. Kim was a finalist for the National Director’s Fellowship program through the O’Neill and has received several national and regional directing recognitions including: “Best of 2019 in Chicago Theatre” (Picture This Post) and awards for Outstanding Direction of a Play, Outstanding Artistic Direction, and Meritorious Achievement in Directing from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Her short film “The Arrangements” was nominated for Best of the Borderland at the Borderscene Film Festival, and her latest film “MONAH” premiered at the Austin Film Festival in 2022. Kim holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MFA from the University of California-Irvine, and is a member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity Association.