Meet the company of On the Exhale

Carey Cahoon (she/her, Woman) was last seen on stage with tKAPOW as Sugar in Tiny Beautiful Things. For tKAPOW’s 2017 production of Living in Exile as Briseis she won the NH Theatre Award for Best Actress. 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, Hedda Tesman in Hedda Gabler, the Pilot in Grounded, Penelope in The Penelopiad, and Ashlee in Dance Nation. 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

Samantha Tella (Director) is thrilled to return to theatre Kapow after directing A Midsummer Nights Dream for them in 2023. In New Hampshire, Sam has directed for the Winnipesaukee Playhouse Oliver!, No Wake, Moon Over Buffalo, Boeing Boeing, and The Graduate (Best Professional Production at NH Theater Awards) and Jean’s Playhouses’ On Golden Pond. Associate Director for National Tours of Mamma Mia 25th Anniversary Tour and Rock of Ages! She has directed for the acclaimed NYC theater companies MCC and The Flea, and assistant directed at Roundabout, Juilliard, New Georges, and Adirondack Theatre Festival. Her Film/TV credits include the Academy Award winning documentary Strangers No More (Production Manager), and HBO’s miniseries MasterClass (Location Manager/PA). Endless Thanks to the unstoppable talents of Carey, Sam, and Matt. And sending the greatest amount of love to my incredible parents, my favorite Marc, and my little Lorelei.

Samantha Griffin (she/her, Stage Manager) is so honored to be back working with theatre KAPOW as the stage manager for On The Exhale. Sam graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a BFA in May 2023, and this is her third tKAPOW production (Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream & Assistant Intimacy Choreographer for The Thanksgiving Play). Later this season, she will be reprising her role in Midsummer as well as serving as the Intimacy Choreographer for Paradise Now!. An actor, playwright, and all around theatre human, Samantha can also be found serving coffee in Concord and reading all sorts of books.

Matt Cahoon (Scenic Designer) 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.

Tayva Young (Lighting Designer) is in her 13th year with tKAPOW. She is thrilled to o be working on the 16th season: Where we Are. 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. A few of her favorite tKAPOW productions are: Melancholy Play by Sarah Ruhl, Living in Exile by Jon Lipsky, Grounded by George Brant and Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson. She lives in Maine on a small homestead with her family, where she also runs a small Massage Business out of her home. She thanks each and every one of you for supporting the arts,  and hopes you Enjoy the Show!

OnTheExhaleProgram

Following the Sunday, February 18 matinee performance, audience members joined a post-show conversation about the impact of gun violence on communities in New Hampshire.  Dr. Keith Loud from Dartmouth Health framed the conversation in terms of the public health impact of gun violence while Senator Deb Altshiller provided insight into recent legislative action.  The conversation was moderated by professional facilitator and keynote speaker, Dr.Gerri King.

“I saw the dress rehearsal last night. Carey Cahoon’s performance is visceral, and she embodies the unspeakable isolation of grief. She also expresses the universal humanness of all our inexplicable, irrational responses to grief and our desire to have just one more moment, to change just one thing, to know just one more thing, say just one more word, have one more touch.”

“I’ve never seen a show end and the audience just…not move…just sit there in a stunned silence at what we all just experienced together, unsure of what to do next. On the Exhale by Martín Zimmerman (Concord) is an astonishingly powerful and unflinching piece of theater that you can’t look away from. Carey Cahoon is a masterpiece.”

“It was an incredible performance – heavy, beautiful, thought provoking & had many goose bump moments. I’m in awe of the actor’s ability in the solo performance, she was outstanding.”  

“It was amazing. We keep debating the end.”