Kate Thomsen
Western Michigan University
1903 W. Michigan Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5360 USA
![Kate Thomsen](https://files.wmich.edu/s3fs-public/styles/directory_portrait/public/portraits/KateThomsen_Directory.jpg?h=32282629&itok=2DdKYgKy)
Kate Thomsen is a committed teacher, coach, actor, and director, and fills each of these roles with a passion for athletic presence, celebrating risks, and resisting stasis. Her work in the professional theatre includes acting at theatres across the country including the Purple Rose Theatre Company, where she is a proud associate artist, Hope Summer Repertory Theatre, Farmers Alley Theatre, and Fugitive Kind Theatre. She has successfully collaborated with notable directors including Robert Cohen, Bill Rauch, Curt Tofteland, and Jeff Daniels. As a film actress, Kate has contributed to multiple independent film productions and commercials in a wide variety of genres. Kate reveals her commitment to serving underserved populations through theatre by proudly having served as a co-facilitator for Shakespeare Behind Bars, an organization (one of the first of its kind) established to use Shakespeare’s text and performance as an avenue to self-discovery and empathy for a population of incarcerated men. She has also used theatre work in service of gang-risk youth and nursing home populations and remains devoted to continuing these efforts.