Aimée is a theater artist and educator who began her career as an actor. Off Broadway she appeared at the Brooklyn Academy of Music Next Wave Festival in the Obie-award winning production of Big Love directed by Les Waters and written by Chuck Mee.; Canard, Canard, Goose? (Here Arts Center), directed by Steve Cosson with original music by Michael Friedman; and Xtravaganza ( St. Ann’s Warehouse), directed by Marianne Weems. She is also an original member of the New York based theatre group The Civilians. Her regional credits include: Big Love (The Goodman Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville- Humana Festival of New American Plays), Wintertime (Long Wharf Theater); The Importance of Being Earnest (La Jolla Playhouse). In the Bay Area, she was in the West Coast premiere of Eurydice at Berkeley Rep directed by Les Waters and written by Sarah Ruhl. Also, The Typographer’s Dream (Encore Theatre, Shotgun Players), directed by Anne Kauffman and written by Adam Bock, Big Love (Berkeley Rep), Fingered (Yerba Buena Center for the Arts). In Europe she has performed at Kaaitheater, Brussels; the Rotterdam Schouwburg; Le Maillon, Strasbourg; Mousonturm, Frankfurt; Le Volcan, Le Havre. As a teaching artist she has worked in classrooms in San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, Palo Alto, San Jose and Napa. She was also a resident teaching artist for TheatreWorks’ Children’s Healing Project at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto. In Napa she has taught drama to students at Blue Oak School, Pueblo Vista Alternative School, Yountville Elementary, Northwood Elementary, Redwood Middle School, Calistoga Elementary, NVLA, Saint Helena Elementary School, St. Helena Primary School, Napa Montessori Children’s House, and American Canyon Middle School. As a director she has staged productions at The Napa Valley Opera House, The Little Theater @ NVC, Lincoln Theater, and the Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center. As a director with Cafeteria Kids Theater she has co-directed productions of Peter Pan, Willy Wonka, Shrek the Musical, Mary Poppins the Musical (2019 Arty award winner for Best Youth Musical), and Matilda the Musical. Aimée received her Bachelor of Arts in Literature from SUNY Purchase (Cum Laude), and her Master of Fine Arts in Acting from UC San Diego, where she was voted one of the top 100 teachers. Additional acting training: NYU/Tisch School of the Arts; Oxford School of Drama. She is an adjunct faculty member in the Theater Arts Department at Napa Valley College. Aimée founded Cafeteria Kids Theater in 2007, and formally founded the non-profit Lunchtime Productions Inc. with Olivia Cowell in 2014. Email: aimee@cafeteriakidstheater.org
Olivia Cowell Co-Director, Teacher
Olivia is an award-winning director, and choreographer who focused her attention to teaching when returning to Napa Valley. She has directed adult and youth productions with theater companies in the bay area. Selected directing credits include: Shakespeare Summer Stroll 2023 & 2021 (Shakespeare Napa Valley and diRosa Center for Contemporary Art), She Kills Monsters, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Finding Nemo Jr., Junie B. Jones the Musical Jr., Romeo and Juliet, Elf the Musical Jr., All Together Now, Matilda the Musical, Mary Poppins, Shrek the Musical, Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka, Peter Pan, Private Eyes, A Chorus Line, Late: a Cowboy Song, The Wizard of Oz, Lend Me a Tenor, and Alice in Wonderland. Olivia has taught drama throughout Napa Valley to aspiring actors elementary school age to adults. Schools and theaters include: Blue Oak Lower and Upper Schools, St. Helena Primary, Napa Christian Campus of Education, Yountville Elementary School, Pueblo Vista Alternative Elementary School, Calistoga Elementary School, Silverado Middle School, Redwood Middle School, Cybermill Technology Inc., Hopper Creek Montessori, Vichy Elementary School, Bel Air Elementary School, Napa Valley Performing Arts Center at Lincoln Theater, The Napa Valley Opera House, and Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center. As a faculty member in the Theater Arts Department at Napa Valley College she teaches a variety of theater courses, she is also an Associate Artist with Shakespeare Napa Valley. She has a Masters Degree in Drama from San Francisco State University and has worked as achoreographer throughout her career, having trained with UK-based Royal Academy of Dance. Olivia has been co-director of Cafeteria Kids Theater since its transition to a non-profit in 2014. As a Napa Valley native, spouse of a theater professional and mother of two amazing kids, she is proud to be an arts educator in this community. Email: olivia@cafeteriakidstheater.org
Vivian McLaughlin Musical Director, Teacher
Vivian has a BFA in Musical Theater from New York University. She performed on Broadway and starred in the television show Out of the Box currently streaming on Disney+. She has performed in Russia and Argentina, recorded several children’s audiobooks, and can be heard on Volume I and II of the Playhouse Disney CD Series. Vivian has filmed industrials and commercials for companies such as Western Union, Sun Microsystems, MSN, and Visa. She is a proud member of SAG/AFTRA and AEA. Vivian was the head of the theater department at Justin-Siena High School where she taught acting and choral classes, and directed their musicals and plays. After leaving the position, she returned to the school to music direct and conduct the orchestra for their yearly spring musicals. She has been an adjunct faculty member at Solano Community College where she music directed for Solano Youth Theatre and was the acting Artistic Director for the Teen Touring Company. A multiple Arty Award winner/nominee for her music direction, Vivian has also taught at several other schools including: Fairfield High, Benicia High, Will C. Wood, American Canyon High, Rodriguez High, Sun and Stars Montessori, Stone Bridge School, St. John’s Catholic, St. John’s Lutheran, Pueblo Vista Elementary, Northwood Elementary, Matthew Turner Elementary, and Oakbrook Elementary. Vivian has also been the music director for the J & S Center for Performing Arts and at the Missouri Street and Lincoln Theaters. In addition to Cafeteria Kids Theater, Vivian currently works with Starbound Theatre and Musical Mayhem Productions, and offers private voice/piano lessons. While some of her students can now be heard singing on Broadway, Vivian hopes to impart an appreciation for musical theatre and the art of singing, regardless of whether or not her students choose to pursue the arts as a career. She feels extremely lucky to be part of the Cafeteria Kids Theater family and to have landed the roles of “wife” to Bret and “Mommy” to daughter Julien.
