About us
The Cauldron is a performing arts foundation based in Amsterdam, dedicated to creating inclusive, engaging English-language theater.
We bring together a vibrant community of amateurs and semi-professionals to stage a diverse range of productions, from classic plays and musicals to original works.
Through workshops in acting, dance, singing, and technical theater, we support our members in developing their skills while fostering meaningful connections within the community.
At the heart of The Cauldron’s mission are the values of diversity, inclusion, and equality. These principles guide our casting, our open-door approach to talent, and our ongoing commitment to high artistic standards.
The Cauldron is governed by a board of directors that adheres to the Dutch Cultural Governance Code, the Fair Practice Code, and the Code of Diversity and Inclusion.
Stacy, Kat, Andreas, Izzy, Janice and Sheila (Board photos by Cheryl Hart)
Founder
FOUNDER | ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Specialised in Early Music, Kat’s training in Historical Acting and Classical Singing help her create interdisciplinary performances that bridge the past and present. She has founded two ensembles The Wandering Bard and Nymphes et Monstres, has sung with The Sixteen, performed on some of the largest stages in the UK and Netherlands, and sung on British and Dutch radio. As an educator, Kat has run several outreach projects in the UK with one fundraising for a UK Music charity. She now works with the DGAI Music School and is vocal coach for The Wazzup Singers, who recently performed on We Want More. As a teacher, Kat allows her students to explore multiple styles of singing, and encourages experimenting with styles from Musical Theatre, to Jazz, to Classical. See more about Kat on her website, katcarson.com
Kat Carson (UK)
The Board
CHAIRPERSON
Sheila Bosco is a percussionist who comes from a background of theater production and management. Going to school in New York City, she fell in love with theater when she started working at the Guggenheim Museum as a technician and soon moved to be Theater Manager of the museum’s Peter B. Lewis Theater. After gaining experience as a lighting and sound freelancer, she continued her career as Technical Director and Chief Engineer at the LIU Brooklyn Campus, House Recordist/Archivist for the Greenwich House of Music, Audio Engineer for the American Composers Alliance, Theater Manager for the Brava Theater, and Arts Facilities Director at University of San Francisco.
She is thrilled to be a part of the Cauldron to help cultivate a space for creativity and community in Amsterdam's vibrant theater scene.
Sheila Bosco (US)
TREASURER
Originally from the US, Janice has been living in Amsterdam with her family since 2021. In a previous life, she taught theatre to high school kids and occasionally worked backstage.
She works as a product manager, but is excited to have found her way back to theatre through the Cauldron.
Janice Niemeir (US)
SECRETARY
Izzy is originally from the UK where she grew up being involved in various musical and creative activities: from singing in an award-winning youth choir, to playing saxophone in a jazz band, and performing in dance competitions. In 2015, Izzy moved to Amsterdam and began her career as an events and program manager, organising and hosting hundreds of events for the startup community. As secretary of the board at The Cauldron, Izzy is excited to combine her professional skills and experience with her enthusiasm for (musical) theatre and performing arts, contributing to the positive impact of this community-driven organization.
Izzy Sayers (UK)
BOARD MEMBER
Originally from Ukraine, Stacy developed a deep love for theater and music from a young age. Growing up in Kyiv, she spent her evenings immersed in playing and creating music, starting from her time at a music school and later with a band. Alongside her musical pursuits, she found joy in participating in various theater productions. Despite her passion for the arts, Stacy took a different career path, diving into research in particle physics and later transitioning to a tech career. This shift led her to temporarily pause her creative endeavors, revealing how much she missed them. In 2020, Stacy moved to Amsterdam and rekindled her passion for performance by getting involved in improv, musicals, plays, and film. She joined The Cauldron to help create more opportunities for English-speaking artists in the Netherlands.
Anastasiia Filimonova (UA)
BOARD MEMBER
Andreas is drummer and percussionist with a passion for music and community. Over the past decade, he has worked as an event organizer, board member, and community outreach volunteer with the University of Amsterdam, Swing Philosophy, and his own charitable organization, Peace with Smiles, which raises funds for victims of war. Music is at the heart of Andreas's life. He plays drums in musical theater and with his improv band LVCↃM ("Loom"). Additionally, he teaches drumming, inspiring the next generation to explore the endless possibilities and unique styles within the art of rhythm. In October of 2024 he broke the Guinness World Record for the Longest Drumming Marathon, drumming 170 hours with all donations going to the International Red Cross. Andreas is thrilled to bring his passion for music, events, and community to the Cauldron Board!
Andreas Panteli (CY)
VOLUNTEERS
MARKETING LEAD
Marie-Océane (MO for short) was born and raised in France and has lived for a total of 7 years in Germany and China before moving to Utrecht in 2020, where she is an event coordinator. In her youth, she used to be involved in a children's choir as well as in an orchestra (playing the French horn) during 10 years. Living abroad, she got to discover the musical world and just fell in love with it. While looking for a like-minded community in the Netherlands, she first found HEA where she took part in the Six musical bootcamp and shortly after this new adventure, she found The Cauldron. She is very excited to be helping The Cauldron and hopes she will make many new friends along the way!
Marie-Océane Vignaud (FR)
FUNDING GURU
Chi has a degree in business administration and has specialised in the fund raising for social programmes in The Netherlands. Programmes which help disadvantaged groups in society to have better access to education and employment opportunities. Chi has only recently become a fan of and performer on the stage. With performances in improv theatre, standup comedy, musical theatre and storytelling.
This new found love for the performance arts has led him to become a funding guru for cultural organisations with their fund raising. Recent funding successes have been the Impro Festival Amsterdam and The Cauldron.
Chi Chan (NL)
PRODUCTION ADVISOR
Ellen is a Canadian production and stage manager living and working in Amsterdam. She obtained a Master’s Degree in Applied Imagination in the Creative Industries from Central St Martin’s (London, England) in 2018, and has since happily applied her imagination to exciting projects internationally. She loves being part of the devising process, and handling the unexpected.
She’s excited to be volunteering as Production Advisor for a the Cauldron, and hopes she can help things run smoothly backstage. Find her next working as Stage Manager on QETC’s La Cage aux Folles, coming this winter to CC Amstel, Amsterdam Netherlands.
Ellen Brooker (CA)
SOCIAL MEDIA OFFICER
Originally from the United States, Macy Hohenleitner is a Utrecht-based freelancer with a background in media and cultural studies. Having performed in regional productions in Boston, MA throughout her youth, Macy is thrilled to have found The Cauldron. During her teenage years, Macy developed a knack for social media, building a small but dedicated following on YouTube. Her academic journey led her to delve deeper, culminating in a thesis on community engagement on TikTok. Now, as The Cauldron’s Social Media Coordinator, Macy combines her theoretical knowledge with hands-on experience, weaving her passion for storytelling into online interaction, fostering connections within The Cauldron community.
Macy Hohenleitner (US)
ASSISTANT EVENT COORDINATOR
Betsy Brossman grew up in Wheeling, West Virginia where her love for 70s folk music and the performing arts was born. Before moving to the Netherlands in 2021, Betsy lived in New York City for four years where she worked as an usher for Jujamcyn Broadway theatre company and sang in an all-female a cappella group.
Having since discovered a different kind of ‘stage’, Betsy is currently a lecturer at the University of Amsterdam in the Media Studies department where she teaches about and researches the sounds of the (American) rural milieu, questioning how music, lyrics, and music videos can play a role in perpetuating stereotypes of non-urban spaces. When she is not teaching or singing with The Cauldron Choir, she finds joy in accompanying herself at home on badly-played guitar or ukulele.
Betsy Brossman (US)
SOCIAL MEDIA OFFICER
Jonelle Marasigan is a medical student from Amsterdam with a passion for (musical) theatre. She slowly rolled into this crazy world, always grateful for the Cauldron providing a warm and fuzzy environment to grow. To help out, she creates content for social media. Her main goal is to encapsulate and share the feeling of the tight-knit family the Cauldron has become for her.
Jonelle Marasigan (NL)
CHOIR COORDINATOR
Lian is a software engineer and public speaker by trade, Lian is no stranger to the stage. After years of working in Silicon Valley startups, she has found her calling: Introducing the beauty and impermanence of performance art to the tech industry. As Chief Karaoke Officer, she is the creator of “Kuberoke” a one-of-a-kind social event, bringing the joy of Karaoke to technology conferences.
She can also be seen performing at various Standup Comedy Open Mics in and around Amsterdam.
Lian Li (DE)
WORKSHOP COORDINATOR
Miao is a catalyst person who is always cheerful and happy. She is originally from China and lives in Amsterdam. She loves singing and dancing since she was little. She started performing with dancing group on stage when she was 6. Though she chose a completely different career as an IT professional, she is always passion about musical and theatre. She likes trying different things and learns what she doesn't know. She is authentic to her inner child - being simple and filled with curiosity.
Miao He 何苗 (CN)
CHOIR COORDINATOR
Jack Engelbrecht would like to be specialized in everything. What? ADHD? …No. He graduated from BEAR (even fancier fine art) with conceptual art exploring the catharsis that occurs when an audience member maps their emotionality onto the outside experiences and identity of fictional characters. Since then he has re-focused on writing his own stories so as to be able to enrapt the audience himself. To help deal with the semi-permanent writers block he’s active in the improv scene in Amsterdam; founding the improv troupe ‘the gang of parrots’ and teaching improv to young autistics at Interacting.
After moving on from coordinating the Parrots improv team, (and in addition to taping most Cauldron shows), he’s now the new coordinator for the Cauldron choir.
Jack Engelbrecht (NL)
FRONT OF HOUSE VOLUNTEER
Originally from Romania, Andreea currently works as a software developer in Amsterdam. Her passion for theatre and opera began back in high school, when she first discovered the magic of performance art — a passion that has only grown stronger over the years. Since then, it’s become one of her favorite ways to spend time — whether watching a show or being part of the atmosphere behind the scenes. Before moving to the Netherlands, Andreea volunteered at both national and independent theatres in Romania. Even though her professional path led her into tech, she has always kept close to the arts, finding inspiration in the creativity, emotion, and sense of community that theatre brings.
Andreea Bumbac (RO)
VOLUNTEER
Alcina Summers is a voice actor and front-end developer with a deep love for musical theatre. She started performing at a young age and has had the pleasure of working with Broadway professionals such as Kerry Butler and Natalie Weiss. With experience on stage and as a vocal coach, she loves enhancing her skills and surrounding herself with creativity.
Now joining The Cauldron as a Communications Officer, Alcina is excited to offer her creative vision in a new role. With a team that’s eager to enhance Amsterdam’s musical theatre experience, she is happy to lend a hand in future projects.
Alcina Summers (NL)
The Cauldron Tech Crew
The Cauldron Tech Crew, led by tech director and board member Sheila Bosco, is a group focused on the amazing and exciting field of technical theater!
Through hands-on experience at Cauldron shows, we explore everything from planning a production, working with different roles in theater, and operating in various theaters across Amsterdam, to equipment use and the study of sound and lighting operation and design. And, of course, we embrace the joy of making mistakes and learning from them!
With fun and community as our focus, we’re excited to build a crew of technical theater nerds dedicated to the classic art of theater craft!
Our tech crew :
(L-R) Rosalind (Yiping) Tian, Gergana Petkova, Saniya Mehra (with trainer Sheila) .
ANBI
The Cauldron Performing Arts is an ANBI as of June 17th 2023
VAT number: NL863310205B01
RSIN number: 863310205