Meet the company of Breadcrumbs

Katie Collins (Alida)  is delighted to be working with theatre KAPOW again, having previously appeared in Dance Nation, Mr. Burns and Circle Mirror Transformation. With over 40 years of theater experience, Katie has worked with several other companies including Milford Area Players, Community Players of Concord, Nashua Theater Guild, and the Majestic Theatre. Her favorite roles include Vivian Bearing in W;t (2013 NH Theater Award for Best Actress); Marty in Circle Mirror Transformation; Hannah in Spitfire Grill, and Maude in Bakersfield Mist. Katie is in her 18th season as the Director of Development at the Capitol Center for the Arts and lives in Manchester with her patient wife Kelly and several cats, while enjoying frequent guest appearances by her talented daughter Liza. On the side, she is a contributing writer for the website Grown and Flown, where she has published over 40 essays and articles. Katie wants to thank tKAPOW and Catherine for this latest opportunity to grow as an artist, and Rachael for being her partner on this journey through the forest.

Rachael Chapin Longo (Beth/Mother) received her BS in Theater from Skidmore College and her MA in Educational Theatre from NYU.  She is an actor, director, educator and playwright.  Rachael has dedicated herself to educational theatre and has worked as a professional teaching artist and education director; creating curriculum and teaching classes in acting, directing, playwriting and movement.  Her directing credits include The Wizard of Oz, The Laramie Project, The Death of a Caterpillar, West Side Story, The Tempest, South Pacific, Sister Act, Singin’ in the Rain, The Ash Girl and Silent Sky (for which She was a finalist for a NHTA “Best Director” Award in 2019).  Acting credits include The Importance of Being Earnest, The Crucible, Desdemona, Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play, The Penelopiad, The Burial at Thebes, Natural Shocks and Gideon’s Knot.  Rachael has taught theater at the college level for many years and is the owner of Shawsheen Arts Studio in Andover, MA.  She is also a company member and actor with theatre KAPOW.  She most recently appeared in the premiere of A.J. Ditty’s play, The Boÿg and Clare Barron’s, Dance Nation.  She is grateful to have the support of her KAPOW family as she continues to train and learn and feels very lucky to work with the amazing artists on the Breadcrumbs team. And to Katie – “WORDS WORDS WORDS! Thanks pal :)”!  Special thanks to her incredible family for all their support and cheers.

Catherine Stewart (Director) is an applied theatre artist, making performance work created through participatory processes. Specifically, as a writer, director, media designer, and facilitator working in theatre and film she has developed her practice as part of the Lincoln Center Directors’ Lab, as a Creative Community Fellow at National Arts Strategies, and as a certified facilitator of Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process.  She is a recent alum of Company One’s PlayLab Unit where she developed her latest play, You, Me, and the Woodsmoke, which was named a finalist for Bloomington Play Project’s 2022 Woodward/Newman Award. She has a BA Honours in Theatre and Performance from the University of Leeds, where she was awarded the White Rose Scholarship for Enterprise for her work in developing sustainable creative economies,  and an MFA in Dramatic Writing from Goddard College.  She is a member of the Dramatist Guild of America, and Playwrights’ Center. You can view her work on the New Play Exchange and at her online portfolio at makecreatemore.com.

Carey Cahoon (Stage Manager) was seen last season with tKAPOW as Ashlee in Dance Nation. For tKAPOW’s 2017 production of Living in Exile as Briseis she won the NH Theatre Award for Best Actress (Professional). She also won the 2017 NH Theatre Award for Best Actress as Queen Marguerite in Exit the King, and in 2014 for her roles in tKAPOW’s 3-person Macbeth. Other favorite roles include Sarah Goodwin in Time Stands Still, Cassandra in Agamemnon, Julie in Miss Julie, Hedda Tesman in Hedda Gabler, Jessie in ‘night, Mother, the Pilot in Grounded and Penelope in The Penelopiad. Carey has also performed, directed or designed with Glass Dove Productions, Boston Playwright’s Platform, Stage One Productions, the Palace Theatre, and the Anselmian Abbey Players. She holds a BA in Classics from St. Anselm College, and trained at the Atlantic Acting School, Shakespeare & Company, and with SITI Company. careycahoon.com

Matt Cahoon (Artistic Director) is the Artistic Director of theatre KAPOW.  Matt has directed many productions for the company including: The Boyg, Agamemnon, A Dream Play, Raining Aluminum, and The Penelopiad  His work with theatre KAPOW has resulted in three NH Theatre Awards for Best Director. Matt has directed for a number of other companies including the Winnipesaukee Playhouse (Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Miss Julie, Robin Hood), Jean’s Playhouse (Kimberly Akimbo), and LaMaMa ETC. (The Life and Times of Lee Harvey Oswald in NY and Me and Bea at LaMaMa International in Spoleto, IT). Matt’s theatre training includes work with Double Edge Theatre Company, SITI Company, the New England Center for Circus Arts, and Tectonic Theater Project. In 2013, Matt attended the International Symposium for Directors at LaMaMa Umbria in Spoleto, Italy. After 18 years as the Director of Cultural Programming at Pinkerton Academy, Matt is excited to be the new Theatre Director at New Hampton School.

Kyrie Ellison (she/they, Intimacy Director) is a performance maker, designer, and Intimacy Advocate based in New Hampshire. Her work utilizes the choreographic, through stage combat and movement, to build femme communal spaces & speculative narratives to confront oppressive forms. She’s curious about the stories we tell each other to “just get through it” and how they relate to the fairy tales and tropes made popular by writers. Since graduating with her M.F.A in Theatre from Sarah Lawrence College, Kyrie is working as Technical Director for the New Hampton School in New Hampton, NH, and collaborating with theatreKAPOW as an Intimacy Director.

Barbara Holbrook (Costume Designer) has a BA in Theatre, an MFA in Costume Design, and a passion for creative collaborations on stage and off. She’s delighted to be with Theatre Kapow again after costuming last year’s Dance Nation and Mr. Wolf earlier this season. Past projects with special places in her heart include Pippin, The Secret Garden, Annie, Godspell, The Imaginary Invalid, Merrily We Roll Along, Candide, Shadowlands, The Good Person of Szechwan, and The Man of La Mancha. Her path has taken her through various positions in theater, retail, consulting, and being a mom of three. Barbara’s a certified meditation instructor, Reiki Master, yoga teacher (Yoga Alliance RYT-500), and serial pattern disruptor. She lives north of Boston in a multi-generational household where she hones her practices of love, humor, resilience, and unapologetic self-care.

Tayva Young (Lighting Designer) is in her 12th year with tKAPOW. She is excited to begin the 15 th season of: Recent, Remote, Remember. She considers tKAPOW her theatre family and could not have asked for a more talented, supportive and imaginative group of people to work with. She enjoys the collaboration process with so many talented individuals, bringing the magic of live theatre to all audiences.  She has been honored with two NH Theater Awards for best Lighting Design for Time Stands Still and Living in Exile. She thanks each and every one of you for supporting the arts as well as her loving family for all their support and love. Enjoy the Show!

BreadcrumbsProgram

Following the 2 pm matinee performance on Sunday, February 19 at Bank of NH Stage in Concord the company took part in a post-show conversation in which representatives from community organizations including the Alzheimer’s Association and Granite VNS discussed and answered questions about dealing with Alzheimer’s and about the resources that are available to patients, families and caregivers in the region.

Review: The Sleepless Critic

“It was an excellent show. So well written and, of course, extremely well done. It was so poignant and human, but, somehow not tortured. Outstanding acting.”