Rick Nickerson, Director Emeritus, started New Mexico Young Actors as Nickerson’s Young Actors in 1979. Mr. Nickerson ran the company for 35 years, producing scores of musicals and plays, including many original works. He established NMYA as the resident children’s theater company at the historic KiMo Theatre and developed a comprehensive touring program to reach those seldom served by the arts in rural communities throughout the state. Since 1979 we have seen thousands of students come through our program. We have produced over 80 shows and performed for over an estimated 500,000 audience members in the Albuquerque region. We accept individuals, ages 9–19, into our program and all of our productions feature only children and youth on stage. Mr. Nickerson retired in 2014 and Paul Bower became Executive Director after having served as resident music director for a decade. Mr. Bower grew the company to over 100 students and shepherded the organization through the global pandemic of 2020-2021. After 18 years with NMYA, Mr. Bower resigned in June of 2022
