ABOUT
Ghost Light Works was founded with a simple goal:
to help build a healthier, more sustainable performing arts industry for the people who power it.
We support arts organizations and the workers within them by strengthening the systems that shape their daily work. Our approach focuses on workforce education, operational strategy, and thoughtful human resources practices tailored specifically to the performing arts sector.
Arts workers operate in a uniquely demanding environment—one defined by project-based employment, irregular schedules, and collaborative creative processes. Yet many organizations lack clear policies and structures to support their teams beyond the requirements of union agreements.
Ghost Light Works helps organizations bridge that gap. By developing practical policies, improving internal operations, and empowering workers with knowledge, we aim to create workplaces where artists and arts professionals can thrive.
OUR TEAM
Kate Holland, Founder
Building stronger workplaces in the performing arts
The performing arts industry depends on passionate, highly skilled people—but too often lacks the organizational structures needed to fully support them. I work with arts organizations to strengthen internal systems, develop thoughtful policies, and implement human resource practices that improve both institutional sustainability and the day-to-day experiences of arts workers.
I’m a self-identified multihyphenate theatre professional whose career spans performance, production, and arts administration. I currently serve as General Manager of The Barrow Group and have held administrative leadership roles at Pace University, Sands College of Performing Arts (where I am also on faculty), The Juilliard School, New York University Tisch School of the Arts, The Shed, Aruba Productions, and Ambassador Theatre Group at the Hudson Theatre.
Before moving fully into administrative leadership, I worked extensively as a theatrical Production Manager, including positions at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland, Baltimore Center Stage, and Off-Broadway companies such as Transport Group and Vineyard Theatre. I’m also a longtime member of Actors' Equity Association and have worked professionally as both an actor and a stage manager since 2006. Experiencing the field from multiple perspectives continues to shape how I approach leadership, policy development, and organizational strategy.
Master of Arts, New York University - Musical Theatre Vocal Performance
Master of Science, Shenandoah University - Performing Arts Leadership and Management Doctor of Philosophy, University of Kentucky - Arts Administration (Spring 2026)
Dissertation: Human Resource Policy and Practice in the American Regional Theatre:
The Intersection of the Actors’ Equity Association and the League of Resident Theatres.