Nicki Hunter ’09

Time at Lehigh
While Hunter knew of competitive college programs where students would live, eat, and breathe theatre, it wasn’t what she valued. She wanted to be on stage, feel supported by brilliant people, and be able to study other things. “I wanted to be deeply aware of and in touch with the world around me,” she says.

So theatre at Lehigh felt like the perfect fit. Hunter applied early decision and dove in when she arrived on campus. By the third day, she auditioned for A Midsummer Night’s Dream and got a minor part. But soon big roles came in A Doll’s House, No Exit, Three Sisters, and The Winter’s Tale. While she dabbled in directing, she focused on acting. Her favorite class was called Dramatic Action, which helped her refine how she read and analyzed plays.

After Lehigh
Hunter felt that she should apply to graduate school for acting, but what she should do and what she wanted to do were in conflict. “The constant rejection faced by an auditioning actor is something I didn’t want,” she says. So she looked for other opportunities.

Those began with an internship with the special events team at the Manhattan Theatre Club. “My business minor taught me that a foot in the door is a foot in the door,” she says. While there, she worked hard on less-than-glamorous jobs and took advantage of the opportunity by speaking with leaders and staff across all departments.

“I built relationships and showed my interest, so when a role opened up on the artistic staff, I was asked to apply,” she says. For 14 years, she has worked in nearly every role in the artistic production office at MTC. In her current role, she helps develop new plays and serves as a point person between the artists and institution.

Career Highlight
She gets to see plays. Every show in New York City but around the world too. “It is exciting to find and cultivate new voices that will appeal to new audiences,” she says. Manhattan Theatre Club also has an active pipeline of new plays in development.

Advice to your younger self
“Listen to your gut,” she says. “Not to what you are supposed to do. There are so many paths in theatre, so be open and listen and don’t overthink what your life needs to look like.”

What’s next?
Hunter worked with a playwright for the last six years on a professional debut that just opened off Broadway called The Best We Could. She is also in early rehearsals for another new show written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Auburn that opens this spring and stars Laura Linney. 

Read the full story on Alumni News.