About Me

  • Emma Cahoon was born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire by two brilliant theatre artists, teachers and leaders. Emma grew up training alongside them in contemporary theatre-making and acting methods such as Viewpoints, Moment Work, psychophysical improvisation, Michael Chekov work and more. She was raised in her personal and artistic home with theatre KAPOW where she performed some of her first formative roles, and she has recently returned to tKapow as a regular company member and Marketing Coordinator.

    In school, Emma focused her efforts on a well-rounded artistic education, taking dance lessons for thirteen years at the New Hampshire Academie of Dance and taking every opportunity to perform in school shows that she could get. In 2019, she furthered her theatrical studies in the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Summer Acting Course. This lifetime dedication and passion for the theatre led her to the Boston University School of Theatre, where she received her BFA in Theatre Arts with a minor in Arts Leadership. There, she had exciting opportunities to work with some of the most prominent theatre artists of our time. Emma was in the cast of Obie-Award winning playwright Ain Gordon’s new play workshop (untitled) in January of 2022, and the following November, Emma originated the role of Polly Jefferson in Little Row Boat, or Conjecture by acclaimed playwright, Kirsten Greenidge, directed by Tom Jones. Halfway through her time at BU, Emma tailored her education towards a concentration in directing, which quickly became her ultimate passion. Additionally, in the summer of 2022, Emma participated in the Self-Generated Theatre Lab at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, and she studied abroad in London in the Spring of 2023, where she held an internship position at the renowned Finborough Theatre.

    Since graduating, Emma has worked with various companies across New England and the country, including Huntington Theatre Company, the Seven Devils New Play Foundry, and What Would the Neighbors Say?. Emma feels the most herself in the rehearsal room and is grateful to have launched her career as a director with many exciting projects- favorites include What the Constitution Means to Me, Romeo & Juliet, and Every Brilliant Thing.

    Alongside her artistic pursuits, Emma is an experienced arts administrator focused primarily on marketing and educational programming. In 2021-2022, Emma worked for Pentacle (DanceWorksInc.), one of the leading artists’ management organizations in New York City, and has done internships with significant theaters such as Central Square Theater (Cambridge, MA). She is currently the Marketing Associate for the Greater Boston Stage Company and the Publications & Marketing Assistant for Beat by Beat Press.

    Emma loves supporting artists and arts organizations, so she invites you to reach out if you need a new website or some social media consultation. For a full resume/CV, please send an email using the Contact Me button below.

  • I do theatre because of my absolute, ferocious, insatiable obsession with asking questions. Therefore, it only makes sense to me to express my artistic interests as a list of questions. My art and my process in creating it often asking:

    • What is good? What is evil? Is one more powerful than the other? Can they both truly exist at once? 

    • What is memory, and how does it make us who we are? 

    • What is identity? How do the identities we are born into and continue to perform affect who we are and how we interact with the world?

      • What does it mean to be a woman?

        • A mother? A daughter? A wife? A sister? An aunt? A friend? An enemy?

    • What does it mean to be an American? …Is there any such thing?

    • What happens when we put various bodies with various perspectives together in a room? What does theatre as an art of gathering people together mean to our culture and community? Globally? Nationally? Hyper-locally?

    • What gives life meaning? Why do we continue to flip the page? 

    Now, here’s what I believe to be true:

    Theatre is like the Big Bang. It is full of mystery, full of alchemy, full of heat, tension and pressure, and full of possibility. 

    Theatre is meant to be a communal experience- a space where we confront our deepest fears, desires, and questions together. It is a powerful tool for connection, both to each other and to the most profound aspects of ourselves. I am particularly drawn to developing new works and reimagining classical texts through a contemporary lens. I believe that the stories we tell must evolve with time, reflecting our current social, political, and cultural landscapes. By engaging with both new and classic works, I strive to bridge the gap between the past and the future by conjuring absolute, total presence from everyone in the room.

    In the rehearsal room, I prioritize collaboration and experimentation, creating an environment where artists feel empowered to take risks and explore the full spectrum of human experience. When artists are given the freedom to explore, the work that emerges is more honest, resonant, and transformative. I understand one of the key functions of my job to be knowing which questions are the right ones to ask (and which ones need to be released in order for the alchemy of live theatre to occur). I’m a work hard/play hard kind of collaborator, striving for equal parts joy and rigor. I am highly organized and have a keen eye for detail, making me confident in my ability to lead rooms and execute a collaborative vision.

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