Melissa Caolo

Lecturer

Melissa Caolo (AR 752 – Strategies for Performing Arts Businesses) has enjoyed a career managing in several capacities in the performing arts. Her roots as a stage manager and production manager, and arts administrator led to opportunities as an educator. Currently she is the Program Coordinator for the Performing Arts Enterprise graduate certificate program in the Arts Administration Department at Boston University’s Metropolitan College, where she contributed to the curriculum design and launch of the program.  Within the program she is also a Part Time Lecturer for the course Creative Strategies for Performing Arts Businesses. Other education credits include, Adjunct Lecturer at Baruch College, and Fairleigh Dickenson University, Technical Director at Sarah Lawrence College, and Industry Coordinator and Adjunct Lecturer at The New York Institute of Technology.

In addition to her work as an educator, Melissa continues a career managing in several capacities in the performing arts and entertainment which includes consulting in area of creative and production related operations for arts-based businesses and organizations. Most recently she was Managing Director at Camp Broadway LLC where she developed new programs, training processes for artists, and has expanded the company’s national footprint. Here she also facilitated the development of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, leading the Production and General Management services provided to the program by Camp Broadway.

Her work in stage and production management includes positions at major American dance companies, touring extensively in the United States and throughout the world. Companies include, New York City Ballet, Trisha Brown Dance Company, and the Martha Graham Dance Company among others.

She served as Production Manager for Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment (NWE) overseeing booking and presentation of Broadway shows in China.  Here she also led the development of the inaugural session of the Cultural Trade and Industry Exchange Program, a training session for Chinese arts managers and cultural government officials in the best practices of commercial theater in The United States.

Whether building training programs for artists, or formal instruction in colleges and universities, education in the production and operational aspects of the arts has become a passion. This work has been recognized with several awards and honors including the President’s Citation for Special Contribution to the Dance Department at Sarah Lawrence College.  Under her leadership Camp Broadway was awarded a special Drama Desk Award, and she was on the Emmy Award winning team of the 2020 Roger Rees Awards.

She is a proud alumnus of Emerson College, Boston, MA graduating with a BFA in Production Management.  She continued her education with internships at Boston Ballet, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, North Shore Music Theater and a Production Management Fellowship at Lincoln Center Institute.