From the tender age of five, Kathleen knew she wanted to be an entertainer – actress, singer, dancer. Leading roles in school shows earned her awards early on, including Best Actress in a national competition (Helen Keller in THE MIRACLE WORKER). After graduating from high school, she studied theater and voice at PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY. It was during this time that a highlight of her early performing career occurred: her participation in the UNITED STATES BICENTENNIAL WAGON TRAIN SHOW in 1976, a tour that re-enacted the westward trek of the former settlers in their horse-drawn wagons, in reverse, eventually culminating in a spectacular final show at their Pennsylvania destination: Valley Forge National Park. As one among many, Kathleen’s show troup was chosen to sing before a live audience of two hundred fifty thousand.
Graduation was followed by numerous engagements in musicals / revues such as ANNIE, THEY’RE PLAYING OUR SONG, GODSPELL, BRIGADOON, WEST SIDE STORY, ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, PAL JOEY, THE MUSIC MAN, COLE, OKLAHOMA, GUYS AND DOLLS and STARTING HERE STARTING NOW. She was cast in leading roles in plays such as OUT OF GAS ON LOVER’S LEAP, THE OWL & THE PUSSYCAT, PLAY IT AGAIN SAM, YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU, FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON, THE MIRACLE WORKER, ELECTION YEAR, A COUPLA WHITE CHICKS SITTING AROUND TALKING as well as in various murder mysteries in the US and Germany.
When the Berlin Wall fell in the fall of 1989, Kathleen happened to be on a six-month Broadway musical tour of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The show, THE GOLDEN MUSICALS OF BROADWAY, gave her dream performances as Maria in WEST SIDE STORY, Cosette in LES MISERABLES, and Grizabella in CATS. She got so close to the historical action that her tour bus was stuck in traffic for thirteen hours. After the tour ended, she decided to just quickly pick up her things in New York and move to Germany, where she has called home ever since.
In the 90’s Kathleen founded a American theater group in Cologne and performed in various stage productions for several years. She sang with a pianist, a big band and founded a swing/jazz quartet which played together for 17 years. Today, she is performing with her husband, Georg Kreuter, as a duo with a program of jazz, pop and movie musicals.
Finally, she wrote and produced her own one-woman cabaret show – A LOST AMERICAN IN GERMANY – which she performed for six years on numerous stages in Germany as well as in New York and Philadelphia.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Kathleen received German cultural grants which enabled her to found etc-english theater cologne with her British colleague James Bunyon. Their first production of BAKERSFIELD MIST by Stephen Sachs had it’s premier in Cologne in 2023. The ensemble is also working on an original play and created THE ENGLISH WRITING CHALLENGE for students.
German television audiences know her from series such as TATORT, KÜSTENWACHE, UNTER UNS, IN YOUR DREAMS and ALARM FÜR COBRA 11. A few highlights of her film career was working with Game of Thrones Star, Iain Glen in the international thriller OPERATION NAPOLEON, directed by Icelandic director, Óskar Thór Axelsson, and working with Hilary Swank in 55 STEPS, directed by Billie August. Nickelodeon fans could see her in the three-part LOST IN THE WEST, and Austrian director Barbara Eder cast her in two projects- WEST OF LIBERTY, an internationally produced six-part political thriller and in the international 6 part series, DANGEROUS TRUTH / DAS ZWEITE ATTENTAT which aired in April 2025. In 2021 American audiences saw Kathleen in a nationally broadcast commercial.
In Europe’s prize winning gay web series, KUNTERGRAU, Kathleen plays the feisty and kind-hearted Grandma Margarethe. The final season of the award-winning series premiered in 2020, but can still be seen on Amazon Prime as well as on the KUNTERGRAU YouTube channel. 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of KUNTERGRAU.
In addition to her stage, film and television acting, Kathleen is a sought-after voice actor in the medical, technical, and scientific fields, and provides her melodious voice to commercials, e-learning programs, and corporate films. She voiced 17 characters in the Rain Productions, Cologne games project, SWORDS OF LEGENDS as well as the animated films TAFITI and YAKARI. One of her favorite documentary narration projects was PURE LOVE: THE VOICE OF ELLA FITZGERALD. And also the documentary, THE DAY I BECAME A CLOUD, which follows the Italian dancer / choreographer Emauele Soavi and his company – incompany. “The film is a worthwhile journey to the roots of creativity.” Hansjoerg Thurm, director.
Kathleen has taught business English for major corporations, and coaches actors and business executives in English pronunciation and accent reduction.
Last but not least, she has been a prolific director in the U.S. and Germany, for children’s theater, drama, and comedies.