Kim Bent
Artistic Director

A native of Braintree, Vermont, Kim is the founder and Artistic Director of Lost Nation Theater.

He was a member of The Champlain Shakespeare Festival for several years as an actor and as director of the interns, and The Iowa Theater Lab, one of the premiere experimental theater groups in the nation in the mid-70’s, performing throughout the United States and Europe. He has worked with Anne Bogart, Whoopie Goldberg, and John O’Keefe.  Kim has been part of the theater faculty at Middlebury College, Goddard College, New York University and Long Island University.

Kim is an actor, director, teacher, and scenic/lighting designer and technician. Favorite LNT roles include “André” in My Dinner With André, “DiDi” in Waiting for Godot, “Arthur” in On Tidy Endings, “John” in The Subject Was Roses, “Sir Andrew Aguecheek” in Twelfth Night, “Bottom” in Midsummer Night’s Dream, directing The Tempest, Molly Sweeney, Romeo & Juliet, One Shoe Off, Waiting for Godot, The Mysteries and What’s So Funny?, and developing new work such as (his own) Stone, as well as News of the City/Talk of the Town, Panther Classics, Snow, and many others.
Kim studied theater at the University of Vermont (BA), Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and Long Island University (MA). He is a juried artist on the Vermont Arts Council’s Artist Register. Email Me

Kathleen Keenan
Producing Artistic Director

Kathleen came to Vermont twenty years ago from New York where she directed and composed music for several different theater and dance-theater companies. She has performed Off and Off Off Broadway and at Lincoln Center. In Vermont, she is the Producing Artistic Director of, and resident composer for, Lost Nation Theater.

Kathleen relished playing Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd in 2001, and that year she also directed, adapted, and wrote the music for Winnie the Pooh. Favorite roles from other Lost Nation seasons include: directing and writing original music (which was played by jazz great Lester Bowie) for The Caucasian Chalk Circle, adapting, directing, and writing music for Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse; directing Approaching Zanzibar, The Fantasticks, and The Rocking Horse Winner; writing incidental music for The Glass Menagerie, 12th Night, and Frankenstein, performing the title roles in Shirley Valentine, Educating Rita, Molly Sweeney, and The Belle of Amherst, as “Rose” in Dancing at Lughnasa, “Catherine” in proof, and in Closer Than Ever, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Side by Side by Sondheim.

A Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude graduate of Long Island University (BA in Theater & Music), Kathleen received the School of Arts Awards for performance and academic excellence. Email Me

Year-Round Staff

Founding Artistic Director: Kim Bent
Producing Artistic Director: Kathleen Keenan
Company Manager & Education Coordinator: Tara Lee Downs
Production Stage Manager: Emily Crosby
Outreach Development: Dona Bate, dbate consulting

Volunteer Staff

Audience & Donor Services: Amanda Menard, Sarah Menard
Office & Marketing Assistants: Pat Babcock, Patricia Keenan
Assistant Technical Director: Hank Babcock
Volunteer Coordinator: Mitch Osiecki
Programming & Publicity: Tim Tavcar
Advisor: Anthony Otis

Consultants

IT & Technical Theater: Robyn Osiecki, Osiecki Technical Services
Accounting Services: Larry Murphy

2010 Board of Directors

Dona Bate
Kim Bent, president
George Hallsmith
Kathleen Keenan
Warren Kitzmiller
Cher Laston
Eric Michaels
Ted Richards, secretary

Task Force Members and Advisors

Lola Aiken
Lauren Aradi
John Fricke
Nancy Graff
Linda Henzel
Con Hogan
Ann & Bob Johnson
Mich Kabay
Kevin Kelly
Betty Lord, Lord & Johnston Consulting
Rick Mastelli
Robyn Osiecki
Anthony Otis
Brooke Pearson
Linda Radtke
Maggie & Ron Thompson
Kim Ward
Alan Weiss
Sue Zeller

Lost Nation Theater currently has a vacant seat on its Board of Directors, and lots of opportunities on “Task Forces” whose members do marketing and fundraising, lobby beautification, back stage work, facility maintenance (cleaning!) and more! If you are interested in getting more involved with the Theater, we would love to hear from you. Please call us at 802-229-0492 or email: vols@lostnationtheater.org