Rate My Professor Kate Lumpkin

Kate Lumpkin serves as Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre in the Arts and Culture faculty at James Madison University, within the School of Theatre and Dance in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. Appointed in 2023 as part of the Integrative Arts Cohort Hire, she contributes to fostering collaborative practices around contemporary issues in the arts. Her academic background includes a degree in Anthropology and Folklore from Indiana University Bloomington, studies in theatre at Ithaca College, and training in the Meisner technique at The William Esper Studios in New York City. As a Creative Development Specialist and CSA member, Lumpkin develops talent and new works through casting, directing, teaching, and writing. She founded and leads Kate Lumpkin Casting, handling over 80 theatrical productions and 40 TV/film projects across the United States, including immersive and regional works at venues like The Kennedy Center, American Repertory Theater, and New York Theatre Workshop.

Lumpkin has cast notable productions such as the Off-Broadway immersive revival of The Phantom of the Opera titled Masquerade in 2025, involving over 3,000 self-tapes and a diverse ensemble of 50 performers; the Asian debut of Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 in Shanghai in 2024, selecting 28 performers from 4,500 applicants; the Broadway First National Tour of Bandstand; Endlings at American Repertory Theater; West Side Story and On The Town at The Kennedy Center; and others including OSCAR @ The Crown, We Are Here, and Fefu and Her Friends. Previously, she served as Head of Education at The Broadway Collective, touring masterclasses nationwide, and worked in development for National Geographic and at an elementary school in Tanzania. At JMU, she directs and choreographs productions like The Light in the Piazza in 2025 at The Forbes Center for the Performing Arts, teaches musical theatre courses, coordinates recruitment, and delivers workshops in New York and at universities worldwide. She was named one of the Broadway Women’s Fund’s 50 Women to Watch on Broadway.