K O

Director

K O, aka Karen Olivo (they/them), is a professional artist and educator living/working on the unceded ancestral lands of the Ho-Chunk Nation in Madison, WI, and most recently, the land of the Council of the Three Fires, Ojibwe, Odawa, and the Potawatomi, in Evanston, IL. KO embodies the principles and values of anti-oppression by vowing to use their work to further our collective liberation.

KO is most widely known for their acting work that spans the last 25 years on Broadway and TV. They won their 1st Tony Award for their performance of “Anita” in the 2009 Broadway revival of West Side Story directed by Arthur Laurents, for which they also earned Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle, and Astaire Nominations. Most recently, they received their 2nd Tony Award nomination for the role of “Satine” in Moulin Rouge, The Musical. KO is also recognized for their many television appearances, including series regular, recurring & guest-starring roles on “Harry’s Law”- NBC, “The Good Wife”- CBS, “Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior,” “Chase,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Conviction,” and “Law and Order.” In the Spring of 2020, KO transitioned back into teaching to refocus their energy on the future. They now work at Northwestern University as an Associate Professor and the Donald G. Robertson—Director of the Music Theatre Certificate Program. Previously, they had worked at NYU-Tisch, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and the University of Wisconsin—Madison.