Kate Arecchi (She/Her) has directed, choreographed, and performed around the country including Syracuse Stage, Mill Mountain Theatre, Dollywood, Climb Theatre, Galveston Island Musicals, and on National Tours of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Shenandoah, and Henry V.

Interested in new work, Kate has directed workshops and readings for the Kennedy Center Page to Stage Festival, the NOMTI New American Musical Theatre Initiative, the ATHE New Play Development Workshop, and the JMU Madison New Works Lab, among others. Projects include a workshop production with Kerrigan and Lowdermilk at North Shore Music Theatre and Boston Conservatory, and the American premiere of Carmel Dean's, A Girl Called Vincent (which subsequently was developed into Renascence produced off-Broadway by Transport Group) at JMU. 

Since joining the faculty at JMU in the fall of 2006, Kate has directed or musical directed over 20 productions including, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Children of Eden, Kiss Me Kate, Urinetown, The Wild Party, First Lady Suite, and Parade.

Kate served for eight seasons as the Artistic Director of the Papermill Theatre Company at Jean's Playhouse in NH. She also served for two seasons as the Artistic Director/Associate Producer at Galveston Island Musicals in TX, and three seasons as the Artistic Director of the JMU Summer Theatre. She currently serves on the Auditions Committee, and is the Virginia State Screening Auditions Coordinator for the Southeastern Theatre Conference. 

Kate is a member of the Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), SAG-AFTRA, and is an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC). She holds a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre Performance from Syracuse University and an M.F.A. in Directing from Pennsylvania State University. Prior to coming to JMU, she was on the faculty at Plymouth State University in NH.