NPC COMPANY
Kate MueTH
FOUNDER & ARTIST DIRECTOR
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Kate Mueth founded the award-winning The Neo-Political Cowgirls (NPC)18 years ago to help fill the dearth of opportunities for and stories from the perspectives of women and the underrepresented on our theater landscape. She conceives, writes, choreographs and directs new, site-specific theater and dance theater that is “Mind-bending, gorgeous, provocative and wild” in execution. Kate is an Equity actor, a proud Board Member and Officer Emeritus for The League of Professional Theatre Women, and co-founder of The East Hampton Arts Council.
Kate has worked as actor/director/choreographer with such luminaries as Blythe Danner, Cathy Curtin, Aida Turturro, Tony Walton, Peter Boyle, Laura Gomez, Florencia Lozano and more. She has performed and/or directed at Lincoln Center, Bay Street Theater, Guild Hall, in Berlin, Helsinki and in regional venues. NPC is the 2024 Performing Arts company in residence at LongHouse Reserve where in 2023 Kate created three performances to activate the gorgeous sculpture and garden grounds. NPC’s 2023 production, THE DREAMER (A Midsummer Night’s Dream Through The Eyes of a Young Girl,) was awarded grant funding from The National Endowment for the Arts and Arts Midwest and enjoyed four lives, among them an Off-Broadway run at HERE Arts, LTV Studios, and at LongHouse Reserve. Her upcoming summer of ’24 devised production playing at LongHouse involves Shakespeare’s women stuck in limbo and has earned NPC their second round of funding from The NEA and Arts Midwest. Favorite acting roles include Lady M, Varya, and Mrs. Wadhurst in Tonight at 8:30 with Blythe Danner.
History of new, devised works for NPC includes BAUBO, Wody Girtch Mama, Trojan Women Redux, ZIMA!, VOYEUR, EVE, B(e)RD and countless one-offs. HYSTERIA, a “surround fear experience” played to East End audiences as well as attendees at The Old South Church in Boston fall of 2019. The summers of 2016/17 her production of ANDROMEDA, a “Myth for the masses," Gave voice to the universal refugee," in its performance on the hills of Montauk under the stars. EVE, a 13-room, immersive experience, enjoyed two seasons in the Hamptons then an Off-Broadway run in the fall of 2015 at The Gym at Judson. VOYEUR, a branded NPC site-specific experiential performance made in various unusual spaces, made its European debut in Berlin in July of 2015.
Kate has a lengthy biography in theater arts teaching and curriculum building over the past 30 years. Her work in conceiving, developing, directing and teaching theater arts programs continues to annually serve and empower our community’s youth, at-risk, marginalized populations, and through creative programs for women. She has furthered her passion for Arts Education by training with the prestigious Arts Leadership program at Lincoln Center and trained with Jacob’s Pillow in their celebrated Curriculum In Motion Institute and now serves on their advisory board. She centers her work around shifting American culture to become more invested in the performing arts as ignition for human connection, problem-solving, and thriving.
She is mother to August Gladstone, a 2022 Emerson College graduate now residing in Los Angeles working for 3Arts Entertainment as he builds towards becoming a show runner and writing for film and television. She is proud to share her life with the talented Josh Gladstone, her favorite collaborator. Kate splits her time with work between East Hampton, NYC, nationally and internationally and loves working in college and university settings.
CHARLOTTE EHRHARDT
Charlotte Ehrhardt was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She received a BA in journalism from UMass Amherst and is currently a creative and producer in the advertising, film and tv industry in NYC.
She has recently joined The Neo-Political Cowgirls, helping produce the summer production of She-Wolves at LongHouse as well as the 10-night run at The 14th Street Y Theater in NYC. Usually working behind the scenes, she is passionate about facilitating and uplifting creative endeavors and experiences, especially when they center art and social justice.
DANA Chittavong
EDUCATION DIRECTOR
Dana Chittavong holds a BFA in Theatre Education from Emerson College and is currently pursuing an MA in Creative Arts Therapy Counseling at Hofstra University. With a background in fine arts, child psychology, and arts education, she is passionate about the intersection of theatre and therapeutic expression. Her work explores the power of storytelling, creativity, and performance as tools for connection and personal growth.
