About Me
Katelynn Holt is a performer, playwright, administrator, and stage manager based in New York City. Growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, Katelynn began her journey as a ballet dancer before discovering musical theatre as a pre-teen. While she has continued to dance across multiple disciplines and styles for over 15 years, her interest in theatre led her to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from New York University, training for three years at Playwrights Horizons Theatre School. Her time at PHTS sparked a deep love for writing and directing, and for creating highly collaborative, process-driven work. Positions as an intern with experimental theatre company Mabou Mines, as well as in the Production Resource Office at NYU Tisch Drama, have given her both an appreciation for and a skill set tailored to the production of new work. She is currently writing and directing a new piece entitled Skin Laundry, to be presented at Playwrights Horizons Theatre School in April 2025.
Artistic Statement
In my practice as a theatre-maker, I aim to create work that is accessible to audiences beyond those who regularly consume the art form. By no means does this suggest simplifying the material that I present. On the contrary, theatre is the perfect vehicle to discuss complex issues in a way that inspires both empathy and critical thinking, and I often find myself confronting a wide range of topics in my work, from climate change and AI to what it means to leave girlhood behind. But putting on work that people relate to is not enough. Community building should be inherent to the event of the theatre itself. Why not present our plays outside of a traditional theatrical space, within community spaces themselves? Why not serve food and encourage audiences to stick around and discuss not just with the makers of the piece, but with each other? Why not, god forbid, make audiences a part of the piece themselves? As I grow as an artist, I am increasingly interested in how we can create theatrical spaces that feel not just inclusive in terms of the performers and content we choose to put on stage, but that bring our audiences into the performance itself, building connections between themselves and the artists, and between each other. Theatre has given me a beautiful, creative, supportive community that I lean on as both an artist and a human. We have an opportunity to make this true not just for ourselves, but for those who see our work, in a way that benefits both our survival and theirs.
