NHTH SPOTLIGHT III: Theatre KAPOW

[MichaelCNH]

NHTH SPOTLIGHT:


Theatre KAPOW





Theatre KAPOW’s second season will feature the works of Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrights.

The 2009-2010 season opened September 11 & 12 with the titillating pairing of The Lover by Harold Pinter and The Problem by A.R. Gurney Jr. Both shows tell stories of the complicated and humorous things husbands and wives do to keep their marriages alive.

In October, tKAPOW presents an adaptation of works by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, written and newly revised by one of the company’s founding members, Brian Kennedy. Alone: Selected Works of Edgar Allan Poe includes such gothic classics as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Fall of the House of Usher, and The Cask of Amontillado, as well as the poems The Raven and Annabel Lee. “The dark intensity of his work, the strength of his literary voice, lends itself to dramatization - the vividness of his imagery is undeniable,” said Kennedy.

February 26 & 27, tKAPOW will present 3+ One Acts, an evening of comedies by David Lindsay-Abaire, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2007. Three of the short plays in this collection (Crazy Eights, Baby Food, and That Other Person) were all originally written as part of The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway, an annual benefit in which one acts are written, cast, directed and performed in less than a day. Together, they make for a raucous, foot-stomping evening which redefines fresh. An added bonus for the evening is Lindsay-Abaire’s hilarious monologue, The History Lesson. It's Maggie's last day as a park ranger at Mount Rushmore, and the audience is in for a tour they’ll never forget.

The season finale, running May 14 & 15, is David Mamet’s Oleanna, the gripping account of a power struggle between a male university professor and one of his female students. Mamet, known for his clever, terse and witty dialogue, won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1984.

Remarking on the season, tKAPOW President Matthew Cahoon said, “It is very exciting to follow-up our inaugural season with such a selection of strong shows. In many ways, these works are great examples of what it is that Theatre KAPOW is all about. I am confident that the quality of these works will inspire and challenge both our artists and our audiences."

Theatre KAPOW performs regularly at the Stockbridge Theatre at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, New Hampshire. Tickets range from $12 to $15. For more information or for tickets, please visit www.tkapow.com.


About Theatre KAPOW

Theatre KAPOW explores the truths of human experience through the passion and electricity of live theatre performed to the highest standards of excellence. tKAPOW produces the best dramatic works from across ages and cultures to inspire and challenge both artist and audience.



Theatre KAPOW opened its inaugural season in September 2008 with a near-sell out run of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie.


Rachel Follien, Brian Kennedy and Carey Cahoon in Miss Julie. Photo courtesy of Theatre KAPOW.



The group premiered an original performance piece, But O How Fall’n: Selected Works of John Milton in November 2008 at Saint Anselm College. In February, tKAPOW presented David Ives’ comedy All in the Timing to capacity houses.


Matthew Cahoon and Brian Kennedy in The Philadelphia. Photo courtesy of Theatre KAPOW.




Their first season closed with Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer prize-winning How I Learned to Drive.


Jane Hogan, Rachel Follien and Brian Kennedy in How I Learned to Drive. Photo courtesy of Theatre KAPOW.



Theatre KAPOW is a 501(c) 3 non profit organization.




An Interview With Matt Cahoon, President of Theatre KAPOW


How did Theatre KAPOW come about?

We started theatre KAPOW during the summer of 2008. Brian Kennedy, Rachel Follien, Carey, and Matthew Cahoon had all been at college together and had done a lot of work with the Anselmian Abbey Players. After school, we had all ended up working for the Palace in a variety of different roles. We really wanted to do work together again, and were all fans of August Strindberg’s work. With that in mind, we decided to do Miss Julie as our first production.

Who are the principal members of Theatre KAPOW, and what are their responsibilities within the organization?

Brian Kennedy, Rachel Follien, Carey and Mathew Cahoon are the four founding members of theatre KAPOW. Additional members of the board of directors include Dr. Landis Magnuson of St. Anselm College; Norm St. Germain of APS Lighting, Sound, and AV; and Jon Stevens of DEKA. Rachel Follien and Matthew Cahoon are also members of the board, and Carey Cahoon handles all of our bookkeeping and marketing.

What is it you hope to accomplish as a theatre company? Or have you accomplished it? If so, what's next? If not, what's your plan?

Our hope is that theatre KAPOW will continue to challenge audience expectations in new and surprising ways. We often talk about an intangible element of a production that makes it “KAPOW”. Those elements are what excite us and keep us going. tKAPOW has had success beyond our wildest dreams in our first season, and we hope that we will continue to develop an audience while maintaining our artistic standards.

What's Theatre KAPOW doing right now?

We are in the midst of rehearsals for Alone: Selected writings and works of Edgar Allan Poe. The show is a dramatization of Poe’s works that Brian Kennedy wrote in 2002. We are presenting it this year as part of the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Poe. The English Department at St. Anselm College is sponsoring a free performance of the show on October 27th at 7pm at the Dana Center. The English Department at Pinkerton Academy has booked two high school performances of the show at 9am on October 29th and 30th.

What is one thing about Theatre KAPOW you would like people to know, but aren't sure they do know?

That we intentionally perform in very intimate settings. Although our shows are usually performed at the 900-seat Stockbridge theatre, we seat the audience on stage with the actors. It is the connection between audience and artist that we consider paramount.

What's your take on the state of theatre in NH, generally speaking?

It is a wonderfully active community. Carey and I are involved with a number of different groups on the educational, community, and professional level.

What do you like the most about theatre in NH?

I think the best thing about theatre in NH is the number of amazing historic venues we are blessed with in this state. Whether it be the opera houses in Derry, Lebanon, and Rochester or the larger houses like the Palace, the Cap, and the Portsmouth Music Hall, NH is full of beautiful venues for the arts.

What do you like the least?

It’s great to have an active community, but it does lead to scheduling issues from time to time. There are only so many actors, venues, and audience members to go around. The positive side of this is that NH audiences have the advantage a great variety of theatre options to choose from almost every weekend.

What would you like to see happen or change for theatre in NH?

Personally, I would like to see the theatre programs associated with the universities in NH continue to grow in enrollment and reputation.

Who or what has influenced you to do what you do? How or why?

All of the founders of theatre KAPOW are products of a high quality liberal arts education that included a great deal of study in dramatic literature. Carey was a classics major who spent years reading the works of Aristophanes and Euripides, Rachel and I were English majors who spent many sleepless nights with Shakespeare and Shepard, and Brian was a Great Books major who read just about everything.

What do you think Theatre KAPOW does that no other theatre in NH does?

theatre KAPOW aims to deliver an intensity and intimacy with dramatic literature of the highest quality. Like most companies, theatre KAPOW is comprised of individuals who are extremely passionate about the work we produce. We are very lucky to have individuals who are exceptionally gifted at transforming that passion into a product that engages, challenges, and delights our audiences.






Please visit the Theatre KAPOW website.

Find Theatre KAPOW on Facebook.




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Michael J. Curtiss: Caught In The Act

Last edited by MichaelCNH on Mon Nov 16, 2009 9:44 am; edited 2 times in total

[tKAPOW]

We appreciate the spotlight!

Our performance of Alone: Selected Works of Edgar Allan Poe next Tuesday, October 27 at 7.30 pm at the Dana Center at Saint Anselm College is FREE.

Come check out what tKAPOW is all about!
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theatre KAPOW
www.tkapow.com

[beth]

If I had more babysitters, I'd be at more of their shows. Great choices, great acting. I'm glad they're around.
Beth Fenske