Building community theatre in Southern Chester County for more than 25 years
Gary and Caroline Smith, Steve and Betsy Warner, and Ruth Taylor founded the Kennett Amateur Theatrical Society, Inc. (KATS) in 2001 with the goal of providing a place for enthusiastic amateurs to participate in any aspect of theatre. We exclude nobody (except children under six!). We hold auditions, yes, but everybody who auditions is cast, even if we have to rewrite the script. We are grateful to the current cast and crew and to all past participants in KATS productions for keeping the KATS spirit alive, and touched beyond imagining by the enthusiasm and talent that emerged as a result.
Our non-profit organization has three main tenets in its charter:
To have fun
To be inclusive
To provide an opportunity for amateurs to try their hand at any aspect of theatre
KATS has over 100 members actively participating in our productions. We bring the community together like nothing else – our trademark Panto that started it all has become a beloved holiday tradition.
The society was created to stage an annual pantomime in the British style (each January). We also do improvisational murder mysteries, and we solicit and stage plays and other entertainments. All our productions are written by specifically for KATS.
Board members: Chris Ramsey (Chairman), Karen Belgam (Vice-Chairman), Rosario Carandang (Secretary), Deborah Crampton, Nancy McDonald, Paula Hendley, Peter Doehring, Joe Finn, Kevin Pizzini
Past British Pantos:
2002 Dick Whittington and his Cat
2003 Aladdin and his Magical Lamp
2004 Robin Hood and his Merrie Men
2005 Cinderella and the Glass Slipper
2006 Mother Goose and the Pirates
2007 Paul Bunyan in the Great North Woods
2008 Puss in Boots and the Marquis of Carrabas
2009 Young Stormalong and the Mermaids
2010 Red Riding Hood and the New Jersey Wolves
2011 Dick Whittington and his Cat
2012 Cinderella and the Frog Prince
2013 Pride & Prejudice – the Panto!
2014 A Midsummer Night’s Tail
2015 Comedy of Errors & Pirates
2016 Sherlock & the Beanstalk
2017 Little Beau Peep and the Smugglers
2018 Sleeping Beauty and the Tangley Wood
2019 Alice and the Stolen Tarts
2020 Snow White and the Magic Mirror
2021 The Prince and the Carrot
2022 Mother Goose and the Rent Collector
2023 The Magic Lamp – A•Ladd•In Trouble
2024 The Princess, the Pea, and the Planet Zog
2025 Arthur and the Enchanted Sword
2026 Robin Hood and his Merrie Men
The Kennett Amateur Theatrical Society, Inc. (KATS) is incorporated according to the laws of the State of Delaware as a nonprofit corporation and is registered to do business in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Internal Revenue Service has determined that KATS Inc is exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to KATS Inc are deductible under section 170 of the code. KATS Inc is qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers or gifts under section 2055, 2106 or 2522 of the Code. KATS Inc is also classified as a Public Charity under section 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of the Code. Effective date of exemption: September 17th, 2001.