Meet Our Staff
The people working behind (and in front of) the scenes to keep BCT chugging along!
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Amy White Graves
Founder, Executive Director
Amy founded Brooklyn Children’s Theatre in 2004. Since then, she has worn every hat at the company including Music Director, Director/Choreographer, Production Manager, Publicity and Marketing Director; Playwright and Lyricist; Set, Prop, and Costume Designer; Book Keeper; and Grant Writer. Her previous life was as an actress/singer in the Off-Broadway hit “I LOVE YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE” for over 1200 performances. Amy believes that working with children is the most amazing way to experience the theatrical art form. She holds a B.F.A. in Acting from NYU Tisch-CAP 21 and is a member of Actors Equity Association.
Jessica Wu
Interim Artistic Producer
Jessica is an award-winning NYC-based playwright, director, songwriter, educator, and actor. Performance credits include the Broadway revivals of A Chorus Line and Miss Saigon, and she is the writer of numerous theatrical works including several full-length musicals – YOU, ME, I, WE (O’Neill Conference Semi-Finalist, Live & In Color Finalist, Winner of NAAP’s Discover New Musicals), and Poupelle of Chimney Town (debuting in Tokyo, Fall 2021; NYC, Summer 2022). In addition to her writing, Jessica is an Adjunct Theatre Professor at American University in Washington DC, and a Lyricist-Mentor with the Harvard-Radcliffe G&S Players. After spending several years running a Times-Sq non-profit theatre as Associate Artistic Director, Jessica is now the owner/operator of her own consulting and development company Inspirative Creative.
Nick Robertson
General Manager
Nick is a composer, playwright, teaching artist, and arts administrator in New York City. He holds a BA in Dramatic Arts (Playwriting) from UC Santa Barbara and an MA in Educational Theatre(Colleges and Communities) from NYU Steinhardt School of Education. Nick is also an alum of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Songwriting Workshop Advanced Class. Nick is a two-time recipient of the Lincoln City Fellowship, which funded the production of two musicals for young audiences written with Willa Bassen, Dido the Queen (2016) a bluegrass adaptation of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, and Perfect! (2017), an original musical produced by Kidz Theatre. As a teaching artist, he has worked in schools and after-school programs across the country.
Nafisa Tabassum
Program Manager, Support Staff
Nafisa is a student at Hunter College majoring in Childhood Education and Psychology. She is on her way to becoming an Elementary school teacher and hopes to begin teaching in Brooklyn. She started as an intern when she was 16 and has been hooked on working with such creative kids and fantastic staff. After working with children for most of her life, she feels right at home in the Brooklyn Children’s Theater community. She is thrilled to be working with BCT again and can’t wait to see what is in store.
Gail Guerre
Community Outreach and Manager, Costume Designer
Gail has been a Costume Designer for Brooklyn Children’s Theatre since 2010. She designed and created the costumes for Disney’s Frozen jr, Liberty, Presidential Musical, Comic-Con, Break a Leg, Jungle Book, and many others.
Gabrielle Gilliam
Strategic Consultant
Gabrielle is a fund development and non-profit management professional. Currently serving as Chief Development Officer for Oliver Scholars, Gabrielle has over two consecutive decades of experience in fundraising and institutional advancement. Gabrielle has been an independent consultant with a client list that includes the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Fiver Children’s Foundation, The Peter Westbrook Foundation and Brooklyn Children’s Theatre. Gabrielle’s expertise includes strategic campaign planning, major gift fundraising, and annual giving campaigns, with equal emphasis on fundraising and volunteer management. Gabrielle is particularly committed to both the arts and empowering youth, and especially efforts where the two intersect. She is former Board Chair of viBe Theater Experience and served as Director of Development at Opening Act; she is currently on the Board of The Bechdel Group. Gabrielle received her BA in Drama and African Studies from Vassar College and her MA in Performance Studies from New York University/Tisch School of the Arts.