William Makepeace Thackeray was born in Calcutta on 18 July 1811. Both his parents were of Anglo-Indian descent, and his father, Richmond Thackeray, was appointed to a lucrative position as Collector of a district near Calcutta soon after William’s birth. Richmond Thackeray died of a fever in 1815, and his son was sent home to England at five years old to be educated, stopping at St. Helena on the way and having a servant point out to him the prisoner Napoleon, who “eats three sheep every day, and all the little children he can lay hands on!” (Ray 1.66). The separation from his mother, who stayed in India to marry her childhood sweetheart, was recalled by Thackeray nearly half a century later–“A ghaut, or river-stair, at Calcutta; and a day when, down those steps, to a boat which was in waiting, came two children, whose mothers remained on shore” ( Ray 1.65)–and his reunion with her a few years later informs young Henry Esmond’s first vision of Lady Castlewood. Though Thackeray’s recollections of his early years in India were scanty, the culture of Anglo-Indians figures prominently in a number of his works, including The Tremendous Adventures of Major Goliah Gahagan, Vanity Fair, and The Newcomes.

Originally from the farms and fields of upstate New York, Kate is an award-winning NYC-based actor/playwright. She still knows how to milk a cow – albeit not well (both she and the cow get verrry nervous).

She is deeply passionate about creating new feminist, female-centered classics: stories that center around complicated women. Her work as a playwright celebrates theatricality, often features absurdity, and closely examines social and gender issues – as well as the timeless struggle to reconcile conscience / identity with social pressures. As an actor, she tends to play truth-tellers, oddballs, and misfits: complicated people who color outside the lines.

Kate was named 2017’s Playwright of the Year by the Wall Street Journal.  Recent plays include Sense and Sensibility (in which she originated the role of Marianne) – Winner, Off-Broadway Alliance Award; Nominee, Drama League Award; 265+ performances off-Broadway; “Top Ten Theater of 2014” – Ben Brantley; “the greatest stage adaptation of this novel in history” – Huffington Post. Other plays include Vanity Fair (in which she originated the role of Becky Sharp; Nominee, Off Broadway Alliance Award; WSJ Critic’s Pick), Pride and Prejudice (In which she originated the role of Lizzy Bennet; Nominee, Off Broadway Alliance Award; “Best Theater of 2017”, Huffington Post; WSJ Critic’s Pick), In the Mines (Sundance Lab semi-finalist), Little Women, The Scarlet Letter, Mansfield Park, Em (Red Bull New Play finalist), The Prostitute Play (O’Neill semi-finalist).  Her plays have been produced off-Broadway, at A.R.T., Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Guthrie Theatre, Seattle Rep, PlayMaker’s Rep, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Dallas Theater Center, Folger Theatre (8 Helen Hayes Award nominations; Winner, best production – S&S) & others. Future productions on the UPCOMING page. Kate’s Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, & Vanity Fair are published by DPS; her Little Women and Mansfield Park both premiere in 2018. She is currently working on an adaptation of The Odyssey (commissioned by A.R.T.) and a new adaptation of The Scarlet Letter, as well as several new original plays – including Love Poem, In The Mines (Sundance Semi-Finalist) The Piper, and Prostitute Play (O’Neill Semi-Finalist). She was one of 2018-2019’s top 5 most-produced playwrights nationally; she was also 2017-2018’s top 10 most-produced playwrights, and wrote one of the top 10 most-produced plays nationally in both 2017-2018 and 2018-2019.

Dominique Morisseau (born March 13, 1978) is an American playwright and actress from Detroit, Michigan. She has authored over nine plays, three of which are part of a cycle titled The Detroit Projects. Her second play in the series, Paradise Blue, is currently in development at Signature Theater Company. She is a recipient of the MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant” for 2018.

For 35 years, Betsy Bard has been entrenched in the world of curiosity.  Recently retired, Betsy served as Social Worker and Manager of the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School on-site Day Care Center.  To expand her passion for social justice and theater, Betsy worked with Anna Deavere Smith in 2000 as the audience coordinator at her Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue at Harvard University.  This experience inspired her to start her own documentary theater project with youth using Deavere Smith’s methodology to investigate issues of concern. Launched at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in 2003, The Theater Project premiered its first production based on recorded interviews investigating  “the achievement gap”. Through The Theater Project, Betsy Bard directed and produced five plays with support from the City of Cambridge, Harvard University, and Cambridge Community Foundation. In 2010, Betsy joined the Youth Underground (YU) team, bringing her experience and passion for authentic investigative theater that provokes civic dialogue and action beyond the stage. YU  is a socio-economically, culturally, and ethnically diverse youth Ensemble serving ages 13-25, with stipend-eligible opportunities to create theater together and in tandem with community-based organizations, and showcase their work across Greater Boston. YU is the only Greater Boston youth theater program that focuses on creating devised work that shines a light on social justice issues of concern from/for young people, and moderates companion community dialogues about each issue raised in the thematic plays. As Lead Teaching Artist and Playwright, Betsy has created eight YU investigative theater plays, including Money Matters, You Can Tell at Lunch, Crossing Borders, Six Years Online, Find Out What it Means to Me, Don’t Knock Opportunity, and Circle Up! Currently, Betsy is working on the multi-year Act Up and Vote!, a new play that shares stories from voters and activists in underrepresented communities; addresses questions about elected official representation; and examines voting access across communities.  Betsy extended her leadership as an Educator, Artist, and Activist by joining the Central Square Theater Board of Directors in 2011.