Susanna Apgar (Founder, Artistic Director) is a Western Massachusetts based actor, writer, and director. Past performances include: Hampshire Shakespeare Company: Othello; Shakespeare & Company: Henry V, The Celebration; Boston Theatre Works: Othello; Smith College Department of Theatre: Some Mother’s Son, Reasons to Live, The Siegels of Montauk, Seeing Read; Gallatin Arts Festival: A Rap on Race; Dixon Place: Seeing Read; Northampton Playwrights’ Lab Play-by-Play Series: The Final Say; Silverthorne Theater Company: The Skin of Our Teeth; Majestic Theater: A Streetcar Named Desire, Love, Loss, and What I Wore; Academy of Music Theatre: Uncle Vanya; Northampton 24-Hour Theatre Project: VFRTC, Dessert First, Swaying; Ghost Light Theater: Sex With Strangers. Directing credits include: Northampton 24-Hour Theatre Project: Jordan, The Will; Smith College Department of Theatre: Dust, Lindy Luck; Easthampton BookFest: Myth, Move; Dixon Place: Seeing Read, El Camino Del Rey; Shakespeare & Company Education Department: Much Ado About Nothing. Susanna has also served on the Steering Committee, and as Pre-Production Coordinator, for the Northampton 24-Hour Theatre Project since 2015, in addition to performing, writing, and directing for the event.  Susanna trained as an actor, director, and teacher with Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA, and as a playwright at Smith College.  She holds a B.A. in Afro-American Studies from Smith, and an M.A. in Performance Studies from Tisch, N.Y.U.  After taking a decade off from theatre to play and coach Roller Derby, to earn two degrees, and to enjoy a few adventures, Susanna could not be happier to come home to Western Massachusetts, and to the stage.

Kyle Boatwright (Board President) is an Amherst-based actor, musician, and writer. A long-time resident of the Pioneer Valley, she is deeply committed to equality, change, education, and activism through exceptional artistry. Regional acting credits: Mr. Burns (Mrs. Krabappel), Rent (Mimi), Seminar (Izzy), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Schwarzy), Lena’s March (Lena Horne), God is Dead (Colin Powell), A Year with Frog and Toad (Frog), Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (Simone). Kyle is also an acclaimed music director, award-winning composer, vocal coach, and music designer. She holds a B.A. in theatre, music, and creative writing, and has trained with Moscow Art Theatre (USA) as part of the Stanislavsky Summer Fellowship. In addition to her work with Strident Theatre, Kyle is the Co-Founder and Director of Rise Up Productions MA, a progressive Pioneer Valley collective that produces musical and theatrical benefits to support marginalized (yet core) communities in the area. She also sits on the Steering Committee of the Northampton 24-Hour Theater Project. When not on stage, Kyle can be found on elaborate cross-country drives, living the farm life in Oregon, or just kickin’ it with the Noho music scene.

Steering Committee

Susanna Apgar, Founder & Artistic Director

Kyle Boatwright

Jarice Hanson

Jaz Tupelo

Julie Waggoner

Bill Dwight

Board of Directors

Kyle Boatwright, President

Bill Dwight, Vice President

Susanna Apgar, Chair

Jaz Tupelo, Secretary

Leah Kunkel, Board Member

Jonathan Epstein, Board Member