Douglas Anderson School of the Arts Names New Musical Theatre Director

Douglas Anderson School of the Arts announced last week that Joe Kemper has been named the theatre department's new Musical Theatre Director. He assumes his new role in mid-August.

Kemper has enjoyed an illustrious career as an award-winning director. He was awarded the National Distinguished Director of a Play Award for his work in the regional premiere of Andrew Upton's and Benedict Andrews' translation of Jean Genet's The Maids at Flagler College. He also received the Regional Excellence in Directing Award by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. The production also received seven national honors, including Outstanding Production of a Play, Outstanding Actor and Actress in a Play, and Outstanding Ensemble of a Play.
Hailing from Huntington, WV, Kemper received his Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Central Florida. His previous directing credits include Neil LaBute's Fat Pig and Iphigenia in Orem, Christopher Durang's Beyond Therapy, Big Fish the Musical, Black Comedy, Garson Kanin's Born Yesterday, Bye Bye Birdie, Neil Simon's Proposals, Joseph... Dreamcoat, Rodger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella and the recent Spring Awakening at Jacksonville University and The Call for the Five and Dime Theatre Company.

As an educator, Kemper is the former Theatre Director at Ponte Vedra High School, where he was named 2015-2016's Rookie Teacher of the Year and directed the school-record-breaking productions of The Foreigner, Hairspray, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Wedding Singer. He is a proud member of Actor's Equity Association.