Nancy was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on January 6, 1961. She graduated Valedictorian from Assumption High School and received a BA from Western Kentucky University. She was married to Karl Schaeffer on January 27, 1984; they were married for 41 years.
Nancy worked at one of the country’s premiere professional theaters for families and children, Dallas Children’s Theater, for 39-and-a-half years. She directed countless productions and ran the education department, where her work inspired thousands of children and artists. Nancy enjoyed hiking, yoga, cooking, playing Bananagrams, and singing and dancing with friends.
Nancy is preceded in death by her parents Alexander and Mary Charlotte Hampton, and survived by her husband, Karl; sons Philip and Anthony; daughter-in-law Julie Birnstein; brother Joe Hampton; niece and nephews Grace Hinton, James Meador, Jeremy Meador, and Steven Hampton; brother- and sister-in-law Rick and Teri Meador; and their seven grandchildren, who loved their Aunt Nancy.
TYA/USA has collected quotes from Nancy’s collaborators and friends in the TYA field to reflect on her life and work.
From Jeff Revels, Artistic Director of Orlando Family Stage:
“Oh, my dear friend, Nancy Schaeffer was just joy and delight! How fortunate for those of us to call her our peer and our friend. I have been lucky enough to be able to pick up the phone and get guidance from this wonderful artist and director for almost twenty years and I sure took full advantage of that. Nancy’s curiosity and commitment to telling stories for young people in the smartest and most creative way possible made her absolutely wonderful in her work. Years ago, the Southeastern Theatre Conference asked me to find top-tier talent to adjudicate for their festivals and when I asked Nancy and she accepted, they were so excited to “land” such an esteemed artist in the Theatre for Young Audiences field and told me this was the caliber of artist they were trying to attract! I remember fondly when Nancy asked us at Orlando Family Stage to be part of a grant to develop sensory friendly programming many years ago- we were honored to be part of that work and got to go to Dallas to see how she implemented shared techniques in her production of Go, Dog. Go! Her vision for that production was beautiful and so clever. A favorite memory of mine was randomly running into her and her incredible artistic partner and my dear friend, Artie Olaisen, on the streets of New York City. We were headed to different shows but met for drinks afterwards and talked theatre for hours. Pure joy! Nancy was so inquisitive and dogged in research and determined in developing the strongest programming she could for Dallas Children’s Theatre- she, Artie, and Robyn Flatt were a formidable team. Most recently, Nancy arranged a zoom call with several of us with an idea of co-commissioning a new Mo Willems show for the holiday season- that show will be making its debut in several theatres for the 2025 holiday season. Nancy had a contagious affection for the Pigeon character and she wanted more- she made this new, sure to be regularly produced, holiday show a reality. It will be extremely bittersweet to see the show when the curtain rises later this year, but glasses will also rise- in salute to Nancy. The young people of Dallas were so fortunate to have such as world class artist curating and creating experiences that no doubt impacted their lives for the better for almost 40 years. We in the field were equally as fortunate to have such a world class artist to call mentor, collaborator, peer, and most importantly, friend.”
From Roxanne Schroeder-Arce, Associate Dean, UTeach Fine Arts, The University of Texas at Austin:
“I remember Nancy as a thoughtful, creative, generous, loving soul. At every moment she shared and she taught. I first met Nancy at Dallas Children’s Theatre and we developed a friendship there and beyond through our shared passion for TYA. I saw her work on stage many times and I loved to hear her talk about her directing choices. She was a humble director and teacher. One of my fondest memories of Nancy is from about ten years ago when we got to spend time together in Birmingham, England at a TYA festival. My daughter was with me and I remember her just falling in love with Nancy. Nancy asked her questions and wondered with her as she simultaneously explained the English cuisine and the art of playwriting. We were laughing as we sat by the water and enjoyed the air. Nancy inspired a sense of joy and presence that evening— and every moment I was with her. Nancy was a wonderful teacher, artist and friend. She touched so many people, and most especially the many youth—her students and child audiences members who were lucky enough to experience her work on stage. I am so glad that my daughter was one of those many children. I will hold the memory of Nancy in Birmingham laughing with us by the water close to my heart.”
From Roseann Sheridan, Artistic Director Emerita, Children’s Theater of Madison:
“I was so fortunate to collaborate with Nancy on an original commission, which began during the pandemic. We were part of a 4-theater cohort that worked together for 3 years, ultimately presenting a rolling premiere of an original adaptation by Paige Hernandez of Maya Angelou’s “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me”. Nancy was one of the big reasons this collaboration was so enjoyable and rewarding for me. Her wit, her humor, her attention to detail, her generosity of spirit, her artistic eye and keen awareness of what makes a play “work” alongside her pragmatism and her clarity of purpose were inspirational to me. We became friends during the course of this project, and shared many conversations about topics large and small, universal and personal. Like so many others, I am in shock over the news of her passing. The TYA field owes a huge amount of gratitude to Nancy, more than anyone realizes, for all the work she shepherded over the years, all the lives she touched, and all the art she created.”
