Draft:Caitlin Houlahan

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Caitlin Houlahan
Born (1991-04-13) April 13, 1991
Aurora, Ohio, U.S.
EducationBaldwin Wallace University (BM)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
Years active2011–present
Musical career

Caitlin Houlahan (/ˈkeɪtlɪn/ /ˈhuːləhæn/ KAYT-lin-HOO-lə-han) (born April 13, 1991) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her work on stage, including playing the roles of Dawn in the Broadway revival of Waitress and Kate in Girl from the North Country.[1] Houlahan has also appeared on television in Peter Pan Live! and HBO's Mare of Easttown.[2]

Early life

Houlahan was born in Aurora, Ohio in the suburbs of Cleveland, and began acting when she found out several of her fellow Girl Scouts were in a musical and joined them. She first appeared as a child performer in a production of The King and I.[3]

She attended Aurora High School where she was involved in theatre, before attending from Baldwin Wallace University. She originally studied music therapy, before switching to musical theatre, graduating with a Bachelor's of Music.[4][5]

Career

Houlahan's first role was Jane Darling in NBC's Peter Pan Live! in 2014,[6] followed by Iola Stover in a 2015 concert presentation of Parade at Lincoln Center Theatre.[7] She next played Carolyn in the U.S. national tour of The Bridges of Madison County , from 2015 to 2016. Her performance was positively received, with reviews calling her "adorable and funny"[8] and claiming she "landed every laugh line and captured all of the fragile pathos of teenage girlhood."[9]

In 2016, she became a replacement as Dawn in the musical Waitress on Broadway.[10] She stayed with the show until 2019 and reprised the role for the revival in 2022, along with appearing in the Bleecker Street Media film of the production in 2023.[11] During this time, she made a guest appearance in an episode of Girls in 2017,[12] had a recurring role as Katie Bailey on the series Mare of Easttown on HBO[13] and as Christy in American Rust on Showtime.[14] She also had guest roles in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as Kiki, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Anne Holmes, and the 2024 film Turning as Sarah Cassidy.[15]

In 2018, she appeared in the musical, Girl from the North Country, at The Public Theater, which featured the music of Bob Dylan, playing the supporting role of Kate Draper. In 2020, the production transferred to Broadway, before closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The show re-opened in 2022.[16] Her performance, alongside Colton Ryan, was praised, with the New York Times calling their ballad, "I Want You", "sung to perfection."[17] "The show closed in March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but reopened in 2022.[18] Her performance was captured for a PBS Great Performances special, which first aired in May 2025.[19] In 2025, she was cast in the recurring role of Romy in Only Murders in the Building, set for release in 2025.[20]

She reprised her role of Dawn again in 2024 in a regional production of Waitress at Cape Playhouse. Her performance was praised, with TheatreMirror calling her "captivating."[21] In 2024, she originated the role of Rita in the new musical, Prelude to a Kiss at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, alongside Ryan McCartan and Karen Ziemba.[22] The next year, she appeared in the MCC Theatre Off-Broadway premiere of Not Ready for Prime Time by Erik J. Rodriguez and Charles A. Sothers, as Jane Curtin. The play follows the chaos of creating Saturday Night Live through the eyes of the writers.[23][24] Though the production received mixed reviews, her performance was singled out for praise, with Theatre Mania calling her "among the few whose own voices shine through."[25]

Stage credits

Year Title Role Venue Ref.
2011 Kiss Me, Kate Ensemble Regional, Solon Center for the Arts [26]
2012 Even The Brighter Things Woman 2 Regional, The Con Theatricals
2015 Parade Iola Stover Off-Broadway, Lincoln Center Theater [27][28]
The Theory of Relativity Julie Regional, Goodspeed Musicals
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Olive Ostrovsky Regional, Bucks County Playhouse
The Bridges of Madison County Carolyn U.S. National Tour
2016 Waitress Dawn Broadway, Brooks Atkinson Theatre
2018 Girl from the North Country Kate Draper Off-Broadway, The Public Theatre
2019 Waitress Dawn Broadway, Brooks Atkinson Theatre
2020 Girl from the North Country Kate Draper Broadway, Belasco Theatre
2021 Waitress Dawn Broadway, Ethel Barrymore Theatre
2022 Girl from the North Country Kate Draper Broadway, Belasco Theatre
2024 Waitress Dawn Regional, Cape Playhouse [29]
Prelude to a Kiss Rita Regional, Milwaukee Repertory Theater [30]
2025 Not Ready for Prime Time Jane Curtin Off-Broadway, MCC Theatre [31]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2014 Peter Pan Live! Wendy Darling NBC Live Musical [32]
2017 Girls Amanda-Lane Episode: "All I Ever Wanted"
2021 Mare of Easttown Katie Bailey 4 episodes
American Rust Christy 4 episodes
2023 The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Kiki Episode: "The Princess and the Plea"
Waitress Dawn Proshot of Broadway production
2024 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Anne Holmes Episode: "Third Man Syndrome"
Turning Sarah Cassidy
Girl from the North Country Kate Draper PBS Great Performances
2025 Only Murders in the Building Romy 4 episodes

References

  1. "Caitlin Houlahan". Playbill. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  2. "IMDb: nm6932367". IMDb. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  3. Kassal, Kobi (January 3, 2022). "Day Off Diary: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY's Caitlin Houlahan". Theatrely. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  4. "5 Questions with Caitlin Houlahan of Girl From the North Country". Broadway Direct. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  5. "Two former Aurora residents starring in NBC series". Record-Courier. December 2, 2014. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  6. Heisler, Steve (December 3, 2014). "BW grads Caitlin Houlahan and Chris McCarrell land roles in NBC's 'Peter Pan Live!'". cleveland.com. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  7. Hetrick, Adam (February 16, 2015). "Tony-Winning Musical Parade, With Laura Benanti and Jeremy Jordan, Rises Again". Playbill. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  8. "BWW Review: The Bridges of Madison County Pops the Question, Just How Romantic Are You?". BroadwayWorld. January 29, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  9. Cherry and Spoon, Jenna Papacek (June 22, 2016). "Review: The Bridges of Madison County". Twin Cities Arts Reader. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  10. "Caitlin Houlahan to Replace Jenna Ushkowitz in Broadway's Waitress". TheaterMania. October 11, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  11. "Waitress". Filmed Live Musicals. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  12. "Caitlin Houlahan – Characters". IMDb. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  13. "Mare of Easttown Revealed Katie Bailey's Fate & We're Desperate for More Answers". E! Online. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  14. "IMDb: Caitlin Houlahan - Filmography/Characters". IMDb. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  15. "IMDb: nm6932367". IMDb. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  16. "Girl From the North Country Announces Complete Cast for Broadway Return". Broadway News. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  17. "Girl from the North Country Review". The New York Times. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  18. "Girl From the North Country Announces Complete Cast for Broadway Return". Broadway News. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  19. "Broadway's Girl From the North Country Broadcast on PBS May 23". Playbill. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  20. "Every Broadway Person in Only Murders in the Building". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  21. "A Scrumptious Production of 'Waitress' at The Cape Playhouse". Cape Playhouse. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  22. "Prelude to a Kiss, The Musical". Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  23. "Not Ready for Prime Time Play Official Website". Not Ready for Prime Time Play. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  24. "Not Ready for Prime Time (Off-Broadway, The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space 2025)". Playbill. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  25. "'Not Ready for Prime Time' Off-Broadway review — live from New York, it's the making of 'Saturday Night Live'". New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  26. "Caitlin Houlahan". AboutTheArtists. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  27. "Caitlin Houlahan". IBDB. Archived from the original on March 12, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  28. "Caitlin Houlahan". Playbill. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  29. "A Scrumptious Production of 'Waitress' at The Cape Playhouse". Cape Playhouse. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  30. "Prelude to a Kiss, The Musical". Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  31. "Not Ready for Prime Time (Off-Broadway, The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space 2025)". Playbill. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  32. "Caitlin Houlahan". IMDb. Retrieved May 16, 2026.