Event Registration - St. Louis Forum
Women in the Performing Arts (Prospective Members Welcome)
3/17/20255:30 PM - 7:30 PM CST
Location: The Repertory Theatre of St Louis, 130 Edgar Rd, Webster Groves, MO 63119
Event Description
This event is open to Forum members and prospective members.
Ticket Information
Members: $50.00
Guests: $60.00
Registration Begins: 5:30 pm
Panel Discussion Begins: 6:15 pm
Event Concludes: 7:15 pm
The arts and culture sector contributes more than $860 million in economic impact annually in St. Louis City and County, provides some 12,000 jobs each year, and helps create a community where people want to live, work, and play. Join us for a happy hour and panel discussion at the Loretto-Hilton Center to hear more about how women leaders in the performing arts are approaching not just the work they produce onstage, but the role their organizations can play in strengthening the St. Louis region. Featuring Kate Bergstrom, Jacqueline Thompson, and Nicole Ambos Freber, and moderated by Laurie Hiler.
Panelists
Kate Bergstrom
Augustin Family Artistic Director
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Kate is a seasoned director, culture shaper, and creator, bringing to this position her extensive experience in theatre, opera, and film. Dedicated to enhancing community connectivity, she infuses her dynamic energy and fosters engagement through exceptional storytelling that is both entertaining and impactful. Kate’s most recent productions at The Rep wowed audiences with the critically acclaimed It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play this past December and The 39 Steps in 2022. In addition to her time at The Rep, Kate has over ten years of experience directing everything from reimagined classics to new works across the country at Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Trinity Repertory Company, Marin Theatre Company, Ars Nova, Rattlestick Theater, Playwrights Center, Cleveland PlayHouse, Curious Theatre Company, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Opera San Diego, Music Academy of the West, Redcat, LACMA, and more. Her recent world premieres include You Can’t Hide From Yourself (Playwright’s Horizons Soundstage) Oh To Be Pure Again (Actor Express) and Letters That You Will Not Get (American Opera Projects).
Jacqueline Thompson
Artistic Director
Metro Theater Company
Jacqueline Thompson is an actor, director, and Associate Professor in the Communication and Media Studies Department at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She serves as the Artistic Director for Metro Theatre Company where she curates artistic and educational programming. In March 2018, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recognized Jacqueline not only as one of St. Louis's most versatile performers, but also as one of six women shaping the arts and entertainment in St. Louis. She received a St. Louis Theater Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama as well as an artist fellowship from the Regional Arts Commission. In 2019, she received a Saint Louis Visionary Award. She is a proud member of Actor's Equity Association.
Nicole Ambos Freber
Managing Director
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
Nicole Ambos Freber joined Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in 1999 and has served as Managing Director since 2023, leading an outstanding team responsible for the company’s fundraising, marketing, and community engagement efforts. During her tenure, Opera Theatre’s board and staff have collaborated to raise more than $150 million in philanthropic support and to double the size of the company’s endowment. Nicole also led the launch of the New Works Collective, an initiative designed to disrupt Opera Theatre’s usual commissioning process by welcoming new decision-makers and new creators to opera.
Nicole served as co-chair of the national steering committee of OPERA America’s Women’s Opera Network, an organization committed to advancing gender parity for the field of opera. She previously taught fundraising as an adjunct faculty member for Webster University’s Master of Fine Arts in Arts Management & Leadership. Nicole holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Engineering Technology with a minor in Electrical Engineering from the University of Miami and has held previous development positions at the University of Missouri - St. Louis (UMSL) and Center of Creative Arts (COCA).
Registration will close on one week prior to the event. Refunds are available to your prepay balance or original payment method prior the close of registration. Once registration has closed, we have submitted our expected attendance count to the venue and/or caterers. Please note that we may opt to extend registration for circumstantial reasons. The date above will continue to be the last date that a refund will be available. For more information, please contact admin@stlforum.org.
Ticket Information
Members: $50.00
Guests: $60.00
Registration Begins: 5:30 pm
Panel Discussion Begins: 6:15 pm
Event Concludes: 7:15 pm
The arts and culture sector contributes more than $860 million in economic impact annually in St. Louis City and County, provides some 12,000 jobs each year, and helps create a community where people want to live, work, and play. Join us for a happy hour and panel discussion at the Loretto-Hilton Center to hear more about how women leaders in the performing arts are approaching not just the work they produce onstage, but the role their organizations can play in strengthening the St. Louis region. Featuring Kate Bergstrom, Jacqueline Thompson, and Nicole Ambos Freber, and moderated by Laurie Hiler.
Panelists
Kate Bergstrom
Augustin Family Artistic Director
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Kate is a seasoned director, culture shaper, and creator, bringing to this position her extensive experience in theatre, opera, and film. Dedicated to enhancing community connectivity, she infuses her dynamic energy and fosters engagement through exceptional storytelling that is both entertaining and impactful. Kate’s most recent productions at The Rep wowed audiences with the critically acclaimed It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play this past December and The 39 Steps in 2022. In addition to her time at The Rep, Kate has over ten years of experience directing everything from reimagined classics to new works across the country at Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Trinity Repertory Company, Marin Theatre Company, Ars Nova, Rattlestick Theater, Playwrights Center, Cleveland PlayHouse, Curious Theatre Company, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Opera San Diego, Music Academy of the West, Redcat, LACMA, and more. Her recent world premieres include You Can’t Hide From Yourself (Playwright’s Horizons Soundstage) Oh To Be Pure Again (Actor Express) and Letters That You Will Not Get (American Opera Projects).
Jacqueline Thompson
Artistic Director
Metro Theater Company
Jacqueline Thompson is an actor, director, and Associate Professor in the Communication and Media Studies Department at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She serves as the Artistic Director for Metro Theatre Company where she curates artistic and educational programming. In March 2018, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recognized Jacqueline not only as one of St. Louis's most versatile performers, but also as one of six women shaping the arts and entertainment in St. Louis. She received a St. Louis Theater Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama as well as an artist fellowship from the Regional Arts Commission. In 2019, she received a Saint Louis Visionary Award. She is a proud member of Actor's Equity Association.
Nicole Ambos Freber
Managing Director
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
Nicole Ambos Freber joined Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in 1999 and has served as Managing Director since 2023, leading an outstanding team responsible for the company’s fundraising, marketing, and community engagement efforts. During her tenure, Opera Theatre’s board and staff have collaborated to raise more than $150 million in philanthropic support and to double the size of the company’s endowment. Nicole also led the launch of the New Works Collective, an initiative designed to disrupt Opera Theatre’s usual commissioning process by welcoming new decision-makers and new creators to opera.
Nicole served as co-chair of the national steering committee of OPERA America’s Women’s Opera Network, an organization committed to advancing gender parity for the field of opera. She previously taught fundraising as an adjunct faculty member for Webster University’s Master of Fine Arts in Arts Management & Leadership. Nicole holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Engineering Technology with a minor in Electrical Engineering from the University of Miami and has held previous development positions at the University of Missouri - St. Louis (UMSL) and Center of Creative Arts (COCA).
Registration will close on one week prior to the event. Refunds are available to your prepay balance or original payment method prior the close of registration. Once registration has closed, we have submitted our expected attendance count to the venue and/or caterers. Please note that we may opt to extend registration for circumstantial reasons. The date above will continue to be the last date that a refund will be available. For more information, please contact admin@stlforum.org.