About Me
I like to be called Katy and use she/her pronouns. I earned my MFA in Acting from Florida Atlantic University, and now live in the Eastern Iowa Corridor with my husband Bill and our son Jack. Before marriage, my last name was Slaven.
About My Work
I collaborate with people at all levels of experience to spark creativity, inspire confidence, cultivate empathy, build community, and engage in the greater conversations of life. My primary field of study is performance, with specializations in voice, speech, and movement for the actor, and additional expertise in musical theatre, Shakespeare, dialect study, new play development, and theatre for social change. I focus my work on serving diverse learners and underrepresented groups.
In addition to teaching theatre at the University of Northern Iowa and Coe College, I work professionally as a director, coach, workshop leader, youth instructor, and actor for stage, screen, and voice over projects. I dedicate my life to the arts because I have seen how they expand our minds, connect our hearts, wake up our bodies, and heal our souls…in short, make us better people.
“Growth as an actor and as a human being are synonomous.” – Stella Adler
Actor Résumé (PDF)
Contact me about availability for 2020.
Recently finished…
Uncle Vanya
Written by Anton Chekhov
Translated by Richard Nelson, Richard Pevear, and Larissa Volokhonsky
Directed by Adam Knight
Riverside Theatre
Iowa City, IA
Press for Uncle Vanya:
Gazette Review
Little Village Review
Press Citizen Article
Daily Iowan Article
Quigley Jeep Adventure Days spot – Mudd Advertising, 2018
Headshots
by Alisabeth Von Presley
Representative Photos
Curriculum Vitae (PDF)
Courses I am currently teaching…
UNI Department of Theatre
Spring 2020
Foundations of Theatre Experience
Introduction to Reading Playscripts
Coe College Department of Theatre Arts
Spring 2020
Introduction to Theatre
Directing Résumé (8×10 PDF)
Contact me about availability for 2020.
Recently finished…
The Wolves
Written by Sarah DeLappe
Directed by Katy Hahn
Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, IA
Kimmel Theatre Stage
CRITIC’S PICK!
“The scary, exhilarating brightness of raw adolescence emanates from every scene of this uncannily assured first play by Sarah DeLappe.”
– The New York Times
Left quad. Right quad. Lunge. A girls indoor soccer team warms up. From the safety of their suburban stretch circle, the team navigates big questions and wages tiny battles with all the vim and vigor of a pack of adolescent warriors. A portrait of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for nine American girls who just want to score some goals.
“The Wolves is a delightful meditation on society, sex, and soccer…DeLappe’s dialogue is hilarious and idiosyncratic, moving swiftly from gross-out humor to pain […] She offers us ninety minutes in a smart, sympathetic, female world. It’s a patch of Astroturf I would gladly set foot on again.”
– The Village Voice
For more information, visit Cornell Theatre’s website
Up next…
Legally Blonde the Musical
Book by Heather Hach
Music and Lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin
Based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture
Directed by Katy Hahn
City Circle Theatre Company, Coralville, IA
Coralville Center for the Performing Arts
May 1-10, 2020
Harvard’s beloved blonde takes the stage by pink storm in this fun, upbeat story of self-discovery based on the adored movie. Legally Blonde The Musical follows the transformation of Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes and scandal in pursuit of her dreams. Action-packed and exploding with memorable songs and dynamic dances, this musical is so much fun, it should be illegal.
Tickets go on sale March 3, 2020 at noon. For more information, visit City Circle’s website.
Dialect Coaching Résumé (8×10 PDF)
I divide my approach to coaching dialects into what I call “five points of fascination,” which includes the mechanics, phonetics, words, music, and vibe. When I coach students/actors, I provide an array of tools and techniques and tailor the work to each individual’s particular strengths, tastes, and needs.
Coaching Services:
Contact me (katy.a.hahn@gmail.com) about availability and pricing. Initial consultations available free of charge. We can customize your package based on your needs and budget.
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Up next…
You Can’t Take It With You
Directed by Jim Bray
University of Northern Iowa
Strayer-Wood Theatre
Cedar Falls, IA
March 11-29, 2020
Kinky Boots
Music and Lyrics by Cyndi Lauper
Book by Harvey Fierstein
Directed by Lisa Kelly
Theatre Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids. IA
May 1-24, 2020
FEBRUARY 2020
Chris Okiishi
This month I am featuring a nearly superhuman figure in the Iowa Corridor. Chris Okiishi is a multi-faceted theatre artist who lifts up the people around him with his incredible kindness and knowledge. I am continually in awe of this man and the empathy, generosity, wisdom, and expertise he brings to the table. He is a real mover and shaker and we are lucky to have him in Iowa.
One of my favorite memories of Chris was hearing him praise a young student who had performed in a short play I directed. The student was feeling embarrassed because he had forgotten his lines, and Chris knew that this boy needed some encouragement. I got to watch how Chris’s remarkable gentleness and warmth turned that child’s whole day around. I am sure that boy will remember that moment of kindness forever. I know I will.
Chris has the ability to see what people need and give it to them right there on the spot. Thank you, Chris, for using your powers for good. You are truly an inspiration, and I look up to you!
Chris is a prolific director who is always in high demand. This month Chris is directing The Agitators at Riverside Theatre and Evita in Concert at City Circle – catch them while you can!
From Theatre Cedar Rapids’ website:
“Christopher Okiishi is a writer, performer, director, and producer of theater based in Iowa City. In recent years, he and/or his work has been seen at The Writer’s Room at SPT Theatre, Odyssey Theater in Los Angeles, Coe College, The Hook: Drop the Mic, The University of Iowa Department of Theater, Old Creamery Theatre in Amana, City Circle Acting Company of Coralville, the New York Film Academy, and Riverside Theatre in Iowa City.
He also is a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist at several Iowa locations. He lectures regularly on topics of children’s mental health, nominated for “Teacher of the Year” eleven times at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. He teaches the Senior Musical Theater Intensive Class at the Nolte Academy in Coralville and coaches the Musical Theater Speech teams at Iowa City High.
He is a life-long lover of musical theater and has written the scores for four theater projects and one film, the latter of which won Best Musical at the 2016 Garden State Film Festival. He lives in Iowa City with his partner, actor/director Patrick DuLaney. Together they founded a production company dedicated to bringing great works of theater to unusual locations in the Iowa Creative Corridor. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and sleeping, usually in that order.”