HER Stories: A leader among leaders

This story first appeared HER Stories - Fall 2024, a biannual special section that features Eastern Iowa women who have experienced powerful paths of achievement for themselves, their families and their communities.

The effect art can have on the life of an individual or the experiences of an entire community has always been a driving force for Katie Hallman.

Hallman, 38, aspired to lead a community arts organization. She recently discovered an old college essay buried away in her attic detailing this desire.

“It was so wild reading that from 20 years ago,” she said. “I don’t remember actually articulating that.”

Now the executive director of Theatre Cedar Rapids, Hallman does not take the opportunity to bring the impact of the arts to Cedar Rapids lightly.

Hallman was raised in a family with a deep appreciation for the arts. Her mother, Dr. Pamela White, was a longtime museum curator at the University of Iowa. But it is the performance arts that have called to Hallman since she was a child.

For those who do walk into the theater, Hallman said it creates a unique opportunity to connect.

“Exposure as an audience member to stories that are told through the collective create pathways for empathy and community unlike anything,” Hallman said. “That’s the gift of what we do as a theater. You’re going to come to the theater and take a breath with someone you don’t know. That shared humanity benefits us all.”

Hallman is a singer and performer at the core. She was part of Theatre Cedar Rapids’ camp program when she was in elementary school.

“I was singing and doing the whole shebang from a really young age,” Hallman said. “Theatre Cedar Rapids was a big part of that.”

Theatre Cedar Rapids would remain a big part of her life for years to come, even after the Lisbon native left the area for Luther College in Decorah. It was only fitting when in 2016 the theater was looking for a new executive director, Hallman answered the call. Rather, members of the community gave Hallman the call.

“I started getting calls from people in the community when this opportunity became available,” she said. “My husband [Cavan Hallman] and I, we are partners in every sense of the word. He is also an artist and a theater-maker. We knew this was the right time and the right opportunity to grow our family.”

The path to her role today was not a simple one. It included stops in New York, Minneapolis and New Orleans. Along the way, she discovered she had a talent off the stage to match what she can do under the lights.

“Katie’s business acumen is so broad,” said Beth Malicki, TV news anchor and managing editor at KCRG. “She’s kicking ‘A’ in the nonprofit sector with Theatre Cedar Rapids and is a leader among leaders. The way she envisions things would be valuable in the for-profit sector, in the government sector, in the faith-based sector.”

Hallman took on the executive director position with experience acquired throughout her career. Prior to returning to Cedar Rapids, she was the managing director of Le Petit Theatre in New Orleans. During her journey, she found she could marry her love for performance with her skills as an administrator to make a difference in the theater community and beyond.

“I don’t think it can be taken for granted that as an executive leader in the arts, I’m also an artist,” Hallman said. “That’s not a given. It’s not actually wholly common.”

Part of what has made her successful, according to those around her, is that she is willing to lean on her team. Mic Evans, education director at Theatre Cedar Rapids, said Hallman supports the entire team and encourages them to take ownership of their ideas and their efforts.

“She’s the best boss. Katie brings leadership and visionary skills,” Evans said. “She keeps us forward moving. If we have an idea of how to grow a program, Katie is the one to advocate for it, but she says, ‘this is yours.’”

That leadership and vision has helped the theater continue to expand its reach and create opportunities for performers. Evans sees Hallman as a mentor to young theater talent as well.

“The biggest and most impressive example that she shows is that you can do the things that you’re passionate about,” Evans said. “Find the thing you love and are good at and make sure you are pouring yourself into it.”

Hallman boasts about the work of the department heads and the board of directors as she discusses what makes her proud of Theatre Cedar Rapids. The first word that comes to mind is “culture.”

“I’m really proud of the people who work here and how they get their work done. And the culture we’ve built together and the culture that they uphold,” she said. “I borrowed a quote from a leader in the arts that ‘only a healthy balance sheet enables bravery in our programming.’ Boy, have we come a long way.”

More is to come, according to Hallman. Threatre Cedar Rapids has launched a capital campaign to raise money for renovations to its facilities. It has raised about $6.2 million of its $9.5 million goal. The funding will go toward upgrading the elevator, revamping the performers’ space, refreshing the lobby and auditorium, and much more.

The updates come while maintaining the beauty of the nearly 100-year-old architecture. Construction is slated to start in August 2025.

“We have this legacy institution with so much history. So much connection,” Hallman said. “We’re taking something that was built with a lot of intention in 1928, and we’re maximizing it for today. It is really stunning. We are just caretakers in this moment in the theater’s history.”

Visit tcrnext100.org for more information or to donate.