Pictured:
1. A View from the Bridge at Riverside Theatre (photo by Rob Merritt, 2017)
2. The Wolves at Cornell College (photo by Olivia Houchins McCollum, 2019)
3. Aurora at Theatre Cedar Rapids Underground New Play Festival (photo by Rob Merritt, 2019)
Hi there. My name is Katy Hahn (she/her/hers) and I am a professional theatre artist based in the small town of Atkins, Iowa. I live with my husband Bill, our son Jack, and our dog Sam, and I travel all over to teach and make art for a living.
This website focuses on me and my work as an actor, educator, and collaborator. I use my platform to highlight the awesomeness of my friends and colleagues as well, so scroll all the way down to see what artist-friend I am featuring this month!
OPENINGS FOR NEW STUDENTS!
I have openings for new private students who are interested in remote and/or in-person lessons for Spring and Summer 2021. Topics range from acting, singing, and accent coaching to audition prep and more. Please check out my current rates (above) and email me to set up an initial consultation.
OVERVIEW
I have trained and worked across Iowa and the U.S. as a theatre instructor, accent/dialect coach, director, and actor for stage, screen, and voice over projects.
EDUCATION
I earned my BA in Theatre: Performance from the University of Northern Iowa in 2010 and my MFA in Acting from Florida Atlantic University in 2015.
CURRENT TEACHING APPOINTMENTS
I currently teach theatre courses at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Coe College in Cedar Rapids, and Nolte Academy/Iowa Conservatory in Coralville.
SPECIALTIES
I specialize in voice, speech, and movement for the actor, with additional expertise in accent and dialect study, Shakespeare, musical theatre, new play development, and theatre for social change.
OBJECTIVE
I work with people at all levels of experience to spark creativity, inspire confidence, cultivate empathy, build community, and engage in the complex conversations of life. I seek to serve and empower people of all ages and backgrounds.
“I thought that all of the plays we read this semester had an important element to them and therefore, introduce students to new pieces of theatre that are not always represented, such as topics of race, sexuality, disabilities, etc. I believe all of the plays Katy chose to include this semester benefit student learning and prepare us for other classes and shows in our future."
“Professor Hahn, thank you very much. I was so nervous and worried about this class, but you taught me politely so I could enjoy. I was impressed that you taught me at times other than office hours. Thank you very much. I am glad that I could study with talented classmates and a great professor together.”
"Katy and Jenn both care a lot about this class and making it engaging and productive for the students. They have taken the time to individually get to know each student so as to help them grow in their emphasis. They also addressed all three areas of emphasis in the department. They had good connections with the students and challenged us while still helping us if we needed it."
"We talk about content a lot in class. We always know what is expected of us, and we go over the rules and guidelines for everything, which was really helpful especially when you haven't ever taken a class like this before. I think that Professor Hahn has an advantage because she has been in so many plays and musicals, and she really knows her content. I believe a class like this has students who are either 100% interested in it or not really at all. She did a very good job at making the class more than just lecture every day and got the 'not really at all' students more interested in it."
"Good morning! I just wanted to say thank you. I love that you have Black Lives Matter in the end of all of your emails, I love that you normalize talking about privilege with race, sexuality, gender and everything else, I love that you try to incorporate EVERYONE into your lessons/ talk about things and people/ disabilities that aren’t talked about as much as they should be, etc. I KNEW I’d Love having you as a professor. You’re great!"
"Katy is exceptionally good at classroom management and at articulation of ideas and concepts. Whenever students got off task or began to speak out of turn, she was firm and respectful yet was consistent in making each and every student feel welcome and comfortable in class. Regarding her teaching of content, she put things in ways I had never thought of, and was able to use every single situation as a teaching and learning opportunity. No matter what happened, Katy was always on her toes and ready to use the class events in order to benefit everyone."
Directed by Caroline Price
Filmed by Rob Merritt
Starring Katy Hahn as The Pilot
October 16th-November 1st, 2020
A fighter pilot becomes pregnant and is forced to give up her wings. When she is reassigned to piloting a drone for a seemingly endless war, her sense of self — and reality — comes into question. A play about duty, identity, and motherhood.
For more information about Grounded and other titles in Riverside Theatre’s Virtual Stories Series, visit https://www.riversidetheatre.org/virtual
Read our review in the Gazette here!
Read our review in the Daily Iowan here!
One project that helped me get through 2020 involved forming a Facebook group to connect with other artists who are not cis men.
I was attracted to the acronym “WATT” because I liked the idea of referring to the group as something that literally meant “a unit of power.” Originally, the “W” stood for “Women+” but I have recently updated it to stand for “Workers” after learning how problematic and noninclusive the term “Women+” can be.
WATT is a group for women, trans men, and nonbinary people who are involved in the arts (in any way) and seeking to connect with others! We invite you to join us. Click the logo above!
This April I am celebrating one of my first theatre friends in the Corridor – Jason Alberty!
I met Jason in the fall of 2010 when I auditioned for his adaptation of Six Characters in Search of an Author. He cast me as The Stepdaughter, which was my first role after finishing undergrad. (Fun fact: Six Characters in Search of an Author turns 100 this year! It was written by Luigi Pirandello and first performed in 1921.)
Fortunately for me, our collaboration on Six Characters was just the beginning of us working together. I got to act with Jason in The Tempest at Brucemore in 2011 and I played Hannah Jelkes in the the production of The Night of the Iguana he directed in 2012, right before I moved to Florida for grad school. We also worked together on two shows in SPT Theatre’s “Tales from the Writer’s Room” series and SPT’s premier production of Tic Tic Tic – A Timely Musical.
More recently, Jason directed me in Ugly Lies the Bone, produced by his theatre company – The Foundry Performance Laboratory – at the Shores Event Center. To this day, that is my husband’s favorite show he has ever seen me do. It was a whirlwind experience that was only possible because Jason made it so!
Jason brought me into the Foundry fold again to work with a fantastic cast on Irish accents for The Seafarer, and then during the ides of March in 2020, right before quarantine kicked in, I had the pleasure of being in a fascinating show at the Foundry called White Rabbit, Red Rabbit. I didn’t realize it then, but it would be my final live, in-the-flesh performance for some time.
I honestly owe much of my post-college progress to Jason. He took a chance on me over ten years ago, and has continued to offer amazing opportunities for connection and creative growth ever since. I am so grateful to have him as a mentor, a colleague, and a friend.
Jason Alberty is one of the most intelligent people I have ever worked with, and he pours his heart and soul into every project. He is a massively talented and versatile writer, director, actor, and teacher, but even more than that, he is a hell of a lot of fun. My favorite thing about Jason is his sense of humor. I miss the days of going out with him and other friends to a bar or restaurant after a rehearsal or a show and laughing at his stories. Someday I hope this will be our reality again. For now I guess I will settle for following him on Facebook and laughing at his witty, self-deprecating posts!
I remember once Jason referred to the theatre as a “sacred space,” akin to a church. When I had studied sacred space in my capstone course in college, I came to the conclusion that “sacred spaces” were such because of how we imbue them, the meaning we bring to them. Shared theatrical spaces, whether physical spaces like the outdoor stage at Brucemore or virtual spaces like a Zoom meeting, become sacred when you have someone like Jason Alberty there. He amazes me with his ability to think outside the box, and he is the kind of person who finds way to make art and create meaningful experiences with other people no matter where he is or what the circumstances may be. We need more folks like Jason in this world.
Jason has touched the lives of many artists in the Corridor and beyond. For years he was a teacher at Cedar Rapids Washington High School, and later he led the theatre program at Mt. Mercy University. He has worked extensively with Theatre Cedar Rapids, the Classics at Brucemore, SPT Theatre, The Foundry, and more.
When I caught up with Jason recently, I learned that he is currently working on a podcast with Lindsay Prince, as well as a digital media series. I can’t wait to check these out when they are released!
March 2021: Katy McGlaughlin
February 2021: Akwi Nji
December 2020: Heather Lawler
November 2020: Noel VanDenBosch
October 2020: Katie Colletta
September 2020: Mia Fryvecind-Gimenez
August 2020: Jo Jordan
July 2020: S. Benjamin Farrar
June 2020: Crystal Stewart
May 2020: Megan Gogerty
April 2020: Adam Knight
March 2020: Genevieve Trainor
February 2020: Chris Okiishi
January 2020: Cavan Hallman
December 2019: Angie Toomsen
November 2019: Janeve West
October 2019: Jim Bray
September 2019: Caroline Price
August 2019: Jenn Sheshko Wood
July 2019: Sarah Schreiner
June 2019: Kristy Hartsgrove Mooers
May 2019: Rob Merritt
April 2019: Jennifer Fawcett
March 2019: Patrick DuLaney
February 2019: Saffron Henke
January 2019: Amy Osatinski
December 2018: Cara Viner
November 2018: Deanna Downes
October 2018: Alisabeth Von Presley