Keith Thompson served on the Board of Trustees of Local 369 from 2009-2022. Keith was creator/director/producer of The Cocktail Cabaret which enjoyed a 13-month run the famed Cleopatra’s Barge in Caesars Palace. Keith is the founder and host of The Composers Showcase, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides a platform and forum for composers and songwriters to share their original musical creations at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. He was the recipient of the Nevada Arts Council Artist Fellowship Grant in 2022 for his work as a composer.
As a seasoned conductor/musical director, Keith’s most recent list of professional credits include musical director and conductor for the Las Vegas companies of Jersey Boys, The Producers, Hairspray, and for the North American premier of the hit musical, We Will Rock You. He was conductor and musical director for the first national tours of Mamma Mia! and Cabaret. He also supervised the music for the Australian production of Cabaret in Sydney and won the 2000 Dora Award as musical director of Cabaret in Toronto. Other national tours Keith has conducted include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, with Donny Osmond; Peter Pan, with Cathy Rigby; Jesus Christ Superstar, with Carl Anderson and Ted Neeley; and the 25th Anniverary tour of the musical, HAIR! as well as concert tours for Sarah Brightman and Jenifer Lewis. In addition, his New York credits include Les Miserables, When Pigs Fly, and Little Shop of Horrors. Keith is currently the musical supervisor of the National Tour of Hairspray.
Keith Thompson is co-composer of IDAHO! The Comedy-Musical with long-time collaborator, Buddy Sheffield (In Living Color). The musical premiered at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2008 where it received the honor of “Best in Fest.” IDAHO! was presented in a full production at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas in 2016.
Another Keith Thompson original, God Lives in Glass, Keith’s premiered at NYU’s Provincetown Playhouse in Greenwich Village and has been presented regionally and in concert nationwide. Keith’s original comedy/novelty song revue, Kooky Tunes, has received international critical and popular praise. This revue completed a successful extended engagement at New York’s Laurie Beechman Theater, followed by an Australian tour, and the release of the cast recording, currently available on Amazon.com. Keith also composed White Lies, Douglas Carter Beane’s Off-Broadway revue spoofing the tabloid media, as well as dozens of other award-winning songs.
Keith was vocal director and arranger for RoundHouse, a Television series aired on the Nickelodeon Network. Keith was also Adjunct Professor in the Musical Theater program at NYU where he conducted, arranged, and supervised music for dozens of shows.
