Human Race Leadership & Staff

Executive Director

KATHERINE “KAPPY” KILBURN

Kappy joined The Human Race Theatre family in 2018, moving from NYC where she served as the Associate General Manager at Snug Harbor Productions on Red Roses, Green Gold at the Minetta Lane Theatre. Kappy was also the Company Manager for GLORIA: A Life at the Daryl Roth Theatre. While in Los Angeles, Kappy served as Associate Director of Artistic Development at Pasadena Playhouse and Special Projects Coordinator at Center Theatre Group. She has produced numerous Off-Broadway and regional productions as well as awards ceremonies and fundraisers: The World of Nick Adams celebrity benefit for Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camps; Stephen Sondheim’s 75th: The Concert at the Hollywood Bowl; CTG’s All About Gordon Farewell Gala for Gordon Davidson. She is a founder and former producer of Directors Lab West in Los Angeles and alumni of Lincoln Center’s Directors Lab. Kappy is a member of the Rotary Club of Dayton. MFA in Producing and Management from Columbia University.

Artistic Director

EMILY N. WELLS

Emily N. Wells took over as the new Artistic Director in June, 2022. Emily is an award-winning theatre director, creative producer and educator with over 25 years experience including a significant emphasis on new plays and musicals. Joining Human Race Theatre Company as the new Artistic Director realizes a dream come true for Emily, as the company’s mission echoes her own: to open the doors of art and creativity to all people through stories that reflect our shared humanity.

After spending many years as a freelancer, Emily took a position as a senior producer for Houston Grand Opera, where she focused on community building through new work development of pieces with significance to the 3rd largest Metro in the US. Her role at HGO encompassed producing a vast scale of works, including the Telly Award-winning Star- cross’d opera web series. Emily will direct the 2023 HGO world premiere of Another City, a new opera that tells the true stories of unhoused Houstonians and those who aid them. She also served as guest director and adjunct faculty at Houston’s prestigious Rice University, and led several fundraising efforts for congenital heart disease.

Prior to living in Houston, Emily’s other directing credits include Gulfshore Playhouse, Circuit Playhouse, Theatreworks/USA among others. She holds an MFA in Directing from the University of Memphis, a BA in Theatre from Washington University in St. Louis, and is an SDC and AEA Member. In her early career, Emily stage managed on and off Broadway, regionally and on national tours – including a week for The Human Race’s production of Green Gables while in development in East Hampton during the summer of 2004.

Artistic Director Emeritus

KEVIN MOORE

Kevin served as Executive Director of The Human Race Theatre Company from its founding in 1986 through 2011. He has directed Human Race productions of The Mystery of Irma Vep, The Gifts of the Magi, A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, The Rocky Horror Show, Beehive, Angels in America: Perestroika, Zombies from the Beyond, Children of Eden, Beautiful Thing (co-production with the Phoenix Theatre), Bat Boy, Tuesdays With Morrie, Convenience (co-production with the Sacramento Theatre Company), Shenandoah, Play It by Heart, Mame,  An Act of God, Fiddler on the Roof (the highest grossing production in the Loft), and the world premieres of Wild Blue and Family Shots. He produced West Side Story at the Victoria Theatre, featuring the Dayton Ballet, breaking all Victoria box office records. In 2000, Kevin also created the Musical Theatre Workshops, which has presented regional and world premiere musicals, hosted two national summits and three new works festivals. He produced the world premiere of the musical Was, produced and directed the midwest premieres of Harold & Maude and Ordinary Days, produced the Midwest premiere of the new Stephen Schwartz musical Snapshots: A Musical Scrapbook and the premiere of Gregg Coffin’s new musical, right next to me. Kevin is also proud of his working relationship with Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman on their musical Green Gables, which had its professional premiere at the Victoria Theatre in 2005, and their new musical, Tenderly, about singer Rosemary Clooney, in 2012. Kevin has served on panels for the Ohio Arts Council, the Montgomery County Arts & Cultural District, and the National Endowment for the Arts. He has served on the Boards of the AIDS Resource Center Ohio, Culture Works, the Downtown YMCA and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre – where he co-chaired their Festival of New Musicals in 2007 and 2008. In 2003, Kevin was inducted into the Dayton Theatre Hall of Fame and in April 2010, he and Human Race Artistic Director Marsha Hanna received the Governor’s Award for Arts Administration.  Kevin retired at the end of HRTC’s 35th Season.