Photo Credit: Matthew Lomanno

On Feb. 16–18 and Mar 1–3 at Bank of NH Stage in Concord and The Winnipesaukee Playhouse in Meredith, respectively, theatre KAPOW will present On The Exhale. A full-length drama by Martin Zimmerman, On The Exhale offers a complex examination of America’s gun violence crisis.

“The performance will take the audience down the proverbial rabbit hole of grief experienced by one woman whose life is changed by a senseless act of violence,” said KAPOW Managing Director and co-founder Carey Cahoon.

This grief will be personally explored by Cahoon, who will portray the woman in the performance. “What makes this play so impactful is its complex treatment of the subject of gun violence,” she said.

This complexity is revealed through the character’s emerging (and unexpected) fascination with the gun itself and “the feeling of power that comes from holding life and death in her hands.” “The woman comes to realize that we are all part of the problem,” said Cahoon.

Senior Fellow in the New Hampshire Dance Collaborative’s NH Dance Accelerator, KAPOW is a Manchester-based nonprofit founded in 2008 with a mission to explore the truths of human experience through the passion and electricity of live theatre.

“On The Exhale reflects our mission and season’s theme of ‘where we are,’” said Cahoon. “In this theme, we ask questions about the land we are on, the time in which we are living, and who we are. We invite our audiences to ask these questions as they experience our plays.”

On The Exhale takes place on Feb. 16 – 18 and Mar 1 – 3 at Bank of NH Stage in Concord and The Winnipesaukee Playhouse in Meredith, respectively. 

NSquared Dance Company dancers (including those picture here left to right: Nathan Duszny, London Mills, Dana Mazurowski, Kelly O’Brien, Nick Neagle, Sallie Werst, Zack Betty, Ava Girard , Steph Noble, Chelsea Kowalik, Chi, and Rachel Bobek) were raised in and/or currently reside in NH towns including Bow, Merrimack, Chester, Goffstown, Contoocook, New Boston, Hopkington, Deerfield Hookset, Bedford and Manchester.

On Dec. 1-3, theatre Kapow will present The Thanksgiving Play, a satire written by Larissa FastHorse that “serves up the hypocrisies of woke America on a big, family-style, platter.” “The play is a satire based around four well-meaning teaching artists and a Thanksgiving pageant,” explained KAPOW Artistic Director and co-founder Matt Cahoon, who directs the play. “It takes direct aim at the American origin story in a way that will get the audience thinking about themselves in different ways.”

This desire to increase self-reflexivity within audiences, according to KAPOW Managing Director and co-founder Carey Cahoon, is seminal to their mission. This mission is codified in a pledge that states, “We pledge to be held publicly accountable in cultivating an anti-racist, equitable space for learning and creating.”

“We explore truths of human experience, which can be messy and sometimes quite ugly,” said Carey. “The Thanksgiving Play presents several of these truths in ways that will make people laugh and really reflect at the same time.” These sorts of emotional responses are what has attracted New Hampshire Dance Collaborative (NHDC) to select theatre KAPOW as senior fellow for their Dance Accelerator program in 2024/25.

Their selection, according to NHDC Founder Joan Brodsky, results from their use of performance to elicit deeper understandings. “They are opening minds and hearts, and NHDC supports this broader vision,” she stated. “We are thrilled to be part of The Thanksgiving Play.”

The Thanksgiving Play takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1 and Saturday, Dec. 2 and 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 3 at Bank of New Hampshire Stage at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, NH. To purchase tickets, please click on the link below.

Founded in 2017 to make dance a more well understood, accessible and utilized art form, nonprofit New Hampshire Dance Collaborative (NHDC) recently announced theatre KAPOW as Senior Fellow in its NH Dance Accelerator program.

Based in Manchester, NH, theatre KAPOW explores “the truths of human experience through the passion and electricity of live theater.”

“As a company in our 16th season, this collaboration with NHDC provides us with the opportunity to assess what we have been doing and how,” remarked Matt Cahoon, Artistic Director and co-founder of theatre KAPOW. “Through this partnership, we hope to strengthen our ability to collaborate with like-minded creators and our administrative capacity.”

theatre KAPOW’s Matt Cahoon

NHDC Founder Joan Brodsky said she created the Senior Fellow category specifically for theatre KAPOW, whose artistic achievements she described as “evolved and professional.” “Their emphasis on expressive movement and the subject matter they choose to perform and explore is relevant and powerful,” she said.

According to Carey Cahoon, theatre KAPOW’s Managing Director and co-founder, their shows this season address “specific, pressing social issues.” “We like to provide our audiences with opportunities to deepen their engagement with our work by holding post-show discussions facilitated by partners from social service, educational, and other community organizations,” she explained.

It is this explicit focus on dialogue that attracted Brodsky when considering the logistics on whether to expand the focus of NH Dance Accelerator. Launched in early 2022, NH Dance Accelerator was formed to rapidly accelerate the growth and sustainability of New Hampshire-based dance companies and solo artists.

theatre KAPOW’s Carey Cahoon

“I’m attracted to KAPOW’s artistic choice and the fact that they don’t cater to the commercial,” she said. “They don’t seek to merely entertain and they don’t place financial considerations over the purity of their craft. KAPOW knows who they are, and that clarity of mission is reflected in everything that they do.”

As for the benefits provided to theatre KAPOW through NH Dance Accelerator, Brodsky said they range from assistance with marketing and strategic planning to financial support. “We want to help strengthen their infrastructure in support of what is already a strong mission and important, relevant initiatives,” she said

One of these initiatives relates to accessibility and inclusivity, which Carey said theatre KAPOW is embedding in their performances, programs, and trainings. “One goal related to upcoming productions includes increasing accessibility for deaf and hearing impaired audience members through ASL interpretation at one performance of each show,” she said.

According to Brodsky, this emphasis on social impact will increasingly become a focus for NHDC as a nonprofit organization. “Expressive movement—whether in dance or theater—can open minds and provide deeper insight into the human condition,” she said. “It’s undeniable that KAPOW is courageously taking on an important type of theater…KAPOW is an enormous benefit to our community.

New Hampshire Dance Collaborative (NHDC) is now accepting applications for its 2024 – 2025 NH Dance Accelerator program. Launched in 2022, NH Dance Accelerator is designed “to rapidly accelerate the growth and sustainability of New Hampshire-based dance companies and solo artists.”

“Acceleration is necessary to dance, because dance companies and solo artists often struggle with their business model despite already possessing viable products,” explained NHDC Founder Joan Brodsky.

Regarding the application process for NH Dance Accelerator, Brodsky said they are looking for emerging dance companies or solo artists who possess a diverse repertory of work and have achieved some level of brand recognition. “Our ultimate goal is to nurture and empower artists who aim to make a lasting impact on the New Hampshire dance ecosystem,” she added.

Noting one Fellow is accepted in each annual funding cycle, Brodsky said support NHDC offers through NH Dance Accelerator is “substantial.”

“We offer financial assistance, business and marketing guidance, and creative/strategic planning,” she noted. “We work with Fellows to not just help them to monetize their work, but also build relationships with key stakeholders to ensure sustainable growth over time…Sustainability is a key deliverable.”

Currently, NHDC works with Zackery Betty as the inaugural Fellow in NH Dance Accelerator. Co-founder of NSquared Dance Company in Manchester, Betty has performed throughout the state since his acceptance into NHDC’s NH Dance Accelerator.

Founded in 2016, NHDC’s mission is “to present and develop dance as an accessible and utilized art form to deepen our understanding of each other and our shared world.” To determine eligibility and find out more about the support received by NH Dance Accelerator Fellows, click here.