MATILDA THE MUSICAL, Lipscomb University (Director)
“Director Beki Baker proved that she is thoroughly capable of choosing shows that best highlight the strengths of her current student artists…From the sheer content of this musical, based on Roald Dahl’s classic book, to the superior direction and choreography, this show will wow you. I actually think more colleges might consider producing this show if they saw what this incredible cast, crew, and creative team have done with it.” -Jessica L. French, Theatre4All (read full review here)
THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR, Nashville Shakespeare Festival (Director)
“Director Beki Baker has elected to maintain the work’s traditional Elizabethan setting, but there’s certainly nothing staid or stuffy about this production. In fact, she leans heavily into the freewheeling humor, allowing the action — and laughs — to flow with almost giddy glee. Baker also makes excellent use of the performance space, creating unexpected opportunities for the actors to interact with audience members without it ever feeling forced.” -Amy Stumpfl, The Nashville Scene (read full review HERE)
LITTLE WOMEN, Lipscomb University (Director)
“In the extremely capable hands of Director Beki Baker, Lipscomb University’s production of Little Women the Musical was a true joy to witness. It’s not often that you attend a collegiate performance with such seamless transitions from scene to scene, actors who genuinely make the characters they are portraying uniquely their own, and behold a young artist at the start of what you expect to be a huge career… Director Beki Baker and her creative team of faculty truly know how to highlight the strengths of their students and it’s clear that they made the right repertoire choice in selecting this show for their season.” -Jessica L. French, Theatre4All (read full review HERE)
DRIVING MISS DAISY, Studio Tenn (Director)
“We are happy to say that Beki Baker, artistic director Patrick Cassidy and every designer and artist and usher and bartender and box officeholder in Studio Tenn’s employ have once again done good. Real good, y’all. This Driving Miss Daisy will make you feel like you’ve been back home to see Mama and them and you’re ready for a return trip as soon as you possibly can make it… Baker’s direction keeps the play’s actions moving along at a good clip, ensuring that each vignette artfully shows the evolution of the relationships at its heart, while never allowing the good-natured spirit and Uhry’s sense of humor to be overshadowed.” -Jeffrey Ellis, BroadwayWorld (read full review HERE)
ADA AND THE ENGINE, Lipscomb University (Director/Producer)
“Baker infuses Ada and The Engine with her trademark wit, sensitivity and understanding, helping her top-flight ensemble of student actors to bring Gunderson’s inventive script to life in the process… beautifully staged by Baker and her tremendous creative team.” -Jeffrey Ellis, BroadwayWorld (read full review HERE)
9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL, Nashville Repertory Theatre (Director)
“Baker and her creative team brought all their combined talents to bear with a revival that seemed, at once, to honor its Broadway heritage while creating a fresh and contemporary take on the story… Baker’s superb direction brings all the various moving parts of this huge production together to deliver a gratifyingly heartfelt paean to the millions of working women (and men) who inspired the screenplay and musical book… Baker’s vision for the piece, in concert with her team of collaborators, delivers a production of 9 to 5: The Musical that is delightfully fresh and new, eschewing the tendency of some directors to offer a rehash of what’s already been seen on Broadway, on tour or in regional theater.” -Jeffrey Ellis, BroadwayWorld (read full review HERE)
PRIDE & PREJUDICE, Lipscomb University (Producer/Director)
“Confidently directed by Beki Baker, in a stylish and rather sophisticated production led by two of Lipscomb Theatre’s finest – Victoria Griffin as Lizzy Bennet and Bryce Dunn as Mr. Darcy – Pride and Prejudice is clearly one of the most entertaining and quite joyful productions we’ve seen since the pandemic has loosened its grip on theater and allowed a return to near-normalcy stagewise… This news comes as absolutely no surprise for local theater audiences who have come to expect excellence from Baker and her cohort of theater artists at Lipscomb who have worked together to elevate the theater program on campus, drawing ever more talented students dedicated to their craft – and, as devotees of the program have learned during Baker’s tenure, the works of Jane Austen are definitely in the wheelhouse of her estimable skill set.” -Jeffrey Ellis, BroadwayWorld (read review HERE)
MAMMA MIA, Lipscomb University (Producer/Director)
“Beki Baker and company, which includes a stellar cast of multi-talented students who are obviously having the time of their lives performing, give audiences exactly what the times call for with a spirited reiteration of Mamma Mia!… And while over the years, we’ve experienced some terrific shows from [Lipscomb University Theatre], Mamma Mia! somehow seems the pinnacle of their success to date, with every element (not the least of which is Kari Smith’s extraordinary choreography that is nothing short of inspired) contributing to the production’s level of achievement.” -Jeffrey Ellis, BroadwayWorld (read review HERE)
STEEL MAGNOLIAS, Studio Tenn (Director)
“The show is beautifully directed by Beki Baker. She has these incredible six actresses hold the show together with sincere believability through the happy and hard times. These women bring their characters to life with great strength and a real honesty as they show their love and support to each other, with their delightful comedy and their heartfelt tears as they grow closer and stronger together. The audience feels like they’re watching close friends.” -Helen Meely, Williamson Herald (read review HERE)
A CHRISTMAS CAROL, Nashville Repertory Theatre (Director)
“Director Beki Baker is the perfect leader of this merry band – she and the actors she directs bring out the humor (including some funny fourth-wall breaks) and humanity in the Barlow adaptation of Dickens’ evergreen tale.” -Evans Donnell, Stagecritic.com (read review HERE)
BRIGHT STAR, Lipscomb University (Producer/Director)
“Baker’s direction is thoughtful and beautifully paced – clearly, she understands the power of the story being told – and she trusts her young actors to put their training to use in the creation of an amazing work of art.” -Jeffrey Ellis, BroadwayWorld (read review HERE)
SHE LOVES ME, Lipscomb University (Producer/Director)
“Now, thanks to an entertaining production from Lipscomb University Theatre, under the direction of department chair Beki Baker – featuring the showy choreography created by Kari Smith – Nashville audiences are given the rarefied opportunity to experience She Loves Me for themselves… Act Two was as stunning as once could possibly hope for and the show’s trademark tunes were performed with much heart and resplendent confidence.” -Jeffrey Ellis, BroadwayWorld (Read review HERE)
RICHARD II, Nashville Shakespeare Festival/Lipscomb U. (Producer/Actor)
“What separates this production from others of similar ilk is the knowledge that the younger members of the ensemble, each of them a student of Lipscomb University’s burgeoning theater department, are given the tremendous opportunity of working side-by-side with actors like Denice Hicks, Wesley Paine, Evelyn O’Neal Brush, Beki Baker (who heads the department) and Terry Occhiogrosso, whose experience and collective resume boasts an impressive treasury of stage roles… Baker imbues the Earl of Northumberland with a certain rakish blend of forcefulness and recognition of the reality of her actions.” -Jeffrey Ellis, BroadwayWorld (Read review HERE)
“Not that the esteemed main players — a mini-legion of accomplished Nashville thespians — don’t know how to muster bluster. With featured performers such as Beki Baker, Wesley Paine, Terry Occhiogrosso and NSF artistic director Denice Hicks… there’s no lacking the masculine intensity required for a tale about kingly musical chairs in the brutal Middles Ages.” -Martin Brady, Nashville Scene (Read review HERE)
THE CRUCIBLE, Blackbird Theater Company/Lipscomb U. (Producer/Director)
“Beki Baker’s extraordinary direction, which provides a stunningly fresh perspective of Arthur Miller’s stage masterpiece – along with remarkable performances from a cast of both professional and student actors – ensures that audiences will long be considering the impact of The Crucible, now onstage at Shamblin Theater through February 28, after the final curtain is rung down on this joint production of Blackbird Theater and Lipscomb University Department of Theatre.” -Jeffrey Ellis, BroadwayWorld (Read review HERE)
“Lipscomb Theatre chair Beki Baker demonstrates her considerable talent as a director, bringing Miller’s often daunting script to life with outstanding performances and a natural sense of rhythm.” -Amy Stumpfl, Tennessean (Read review HERE)
DANCING AT LUGHNASA, Lipscomb University (Producer/Director)
“Now onstage through this weekend as part of Lipscomb University’s theatre department’s 2014-15 season, the Beki Baker-directed rendition of Friel’s exquisitely written play is brought to life by an impressive cast of eight student actors who are given ample opportunity to show us exactly what they have learned in the classroom.”
“Baker’s direction perfectly matches the tone of Friel’s lovely script and she gives her young charges enough freedom to delineate their characters with aplomb and the unfettered charm of actors still on a journey of self-discovery.” -Jeffrey Ellis, BroadwayWorld (Read review HERE)
MAN AND SUPERMAN, Blackbird Theater Company (Producer/Director)
“Beki Baker’s stalwart direction mobilizes a charming and well-prepped cast, featuring guest Equity actor Samuel Whited, a sturdy mix of better- and lesser-known pro-level locals, plus ancillary players drawn from the Lipscomb University theater program. They make for a dynamic ensemble in telling this quick-witted tale of mores in conflict in 1905 British society.” -Martin Brady, Nashville Scene (Read review HERE)
“Director Beki Baker finesses the streamlined story (Don Juan’s devilish debate remains happily intact), which centers on the romantic musings and methods of inveterate bachelor Jack Tanner and Ann Whitefield… the entire cast — which includes a number of Lipscomb students — is clearly keyed in to both Shaw’s work and Baker’s keen vision.” -Amy Stumpfl, Tennessean (Read review HERE)
Read BroadwayWorld Review HERE
THE PAJAMA GAME, Lipscomb University (Director)
“Lipscomb University’s The Pajama Game—directed by Beki Baker, choreographed by Justin Boccitto and with music direction by Janet Holeman—is a theatrical treat; an exuberant, nostalgic and tuneful take on a classic American musical from the middle of the last century.” -Jeffrey Ellis, BroadwayWorld (Read review HERE)
PRIDE’S CROSSING, Lipscomb University (Director)
“Baker’s approach to the material is focused and resolute, though never didactic or dry; instead, her direction feels organic and lovingly expressed… Baker shows her deft hand at casting, creating an ensemble of performers that appears seamless and uniformly focused and committed to the task at hand. The artistic partnership of Allen and Baker represents the very best of Nashville theater.” -Jeffrey Ellis, BroadwayWorld (Read review HERE)
“Director Beki Baker has assembled a talented mix of professionals and students…Baker’s pacing keeps the work moving in an appropriate stream-of-consciousness manner.” -Evans Donnell, ArtNowNashville
JULIUS CAESAR, Nashville Shakespeare Festival (Director)
NPR Interview: HERE
“With taut, focused direction by Beki Baker… Julius Caesar is presented with an impressive aesthetic, starting with Baker’s complete understanding of the work and its relevance to the 21stcentury, and continuing through the excellent design work and attention to detail that resonates throughout.” -Jeffrey Ellis, BroadwayWorld (Read review HERE)
“With sure handed direction and one of the finest ensembles you’re likely to see, this Julius Caesar is simply not to be missed.” -Amy Stumpfl, Tennessean
“Baker’s well-paced production succeeds in putting modern flesh on old theatrical bones primarily through the strength of a good ensemble… Baker’s clear and compelling vision of Julius Caesar is complete.” -Evans Donnell, ArtNowNashville
SHAKESPEARE’S CASE, Nashville Shakespeare Festival (Director)
“Performed with charm and grace – and not a little bit of tongue-in-cheek humor – the production is directed with confidence by Beki Baker… Baker’s direction is fluid and helps propel the play’s action along at an engrossing pace.” -Jeffrey Ellis, BroadwayWorld (Read review HERE)
DOUBT, A PARABLE, Lipscomb University (Actor: Sister James)
“Completing the cast as young and inexperienced Sister James, Beki Baker presents a finely crafted characterization, representing the very differences that form the chasm between Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn.” -Jeffrey Ellis, BroadwayWorld (Read review HERE)
“Also delivering a competent reading is Beki Baker as young Sister James, who comes on pretty naive in the early going, endures Sister Aloysius’ Polonius-like admonitions, gets caught up with confusion in the attack on Father Flynn, and then — perhaps more than anyone here — earns a hard-won reality check.” -Martin Brady, Nashville Scene (Read review HERE)
BEKI BAKER 