The History of The Cannon Theatre
The Cannon Theatre was founded by Shawn Cannon and Bret Bahe, who shared a dream of creating a community theater – a place for learning, and great plays, a place where people could enjoy the company of others, laugh, and just lose themselves in the joy of artistic expression. This intimate performance space was conceived of, designed, and built from scratch after they discovered and saw the great potential of a unique open space in the old mill building in Littleton. Over the years, the theater incorporated, and then became a non-profit organization, managed so that every precious cent made from each production is carefully fed right back into the creation of the next.
After 10 wonderful years at the Littleton location, The Cannon Theatre had to shut down during the pandemic and search for a new space. We wanted a slightly larger space to seat more patrons but not lose that intimate feel that is part of our DNA, safe and accessible parking, and to not move too far from where we had our beginnings. After two years of very creative online productions, and running around looking at building after building, we finally found it, and we hope you enjoy our beautiful new theater in Devens, MA!
The Cannon Theatre board, which still includes the theater’s very active and passionate founders, invites you to join us and experience this welcoming community, whether as an audience member, an actor, backstage crew, or even director. We guarantee you will leave feeling satisfied!
After 10 wonderful years at the Littleton location, The Cannon Theatre had to shut down during the pandemic and search for a new space. We wanted a slightly larger space to seat more patrons but not lose that intimate feel that is part of our DNA, safe and accessible parking, and to not move too far from where we had our beginnings. After two years of very creative online productions, and running around looking at building after building, we finally found it, and we hope you enjoy our beautiful new theater in Devens, MA!
The Cannon Theatre board, which still includes the theater’s very active and passionate founders, invites you to join us and experience this welcoming community, whether as an audience member, an actor, backstage crew, or even director. We guarantee you will leave feeling satisfied!
Shawn Cannon - Artistic Director
[email protected]
Shawn Cannon has been acting and singing since having the role of Cinderella in fourth grade! She studied in Texas, Colorado, and Utah, majoring in drama, vocal performance, and TV/Film acting. She modeled for 20 years and has also performed in theatre, musicals, bands, cabaret, and TV & Film. The areas she has worked in are Houston, Denver, Chicago, LA, and Boston. She has also been directing for over 25 years, does choreography, musical directing and writes original musicals. Some of her favorite plays she has directed are: "Bye, Bye Birdie", "Moon Over Buffalo", "Steel Magnolias", "Jane Eyre", "Lucky Stiff", "Popeye, The Musical", "By Jeeves", "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels", " A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to The Forum", "Peter and the Starcatcher", " How To Succeed In Business", "Annie Get Your Gun" and "Matilda".
She has taught voice and acting for over 25 years, teaching for JF Talent in Denver, Colo., John Robert Powers in Los Angeles, CA, the Acting Loft in Manchester, NH, for Acton-Boxboro Community Education in Acton, MA, and for Littleton Community Ed. She is currently singing in a Rod Stewart tribute band, with the “Blondes Have More Fun” band. She also enjoys doing solo gigs----singing at weddings, private and corporate parties whenever she gets a booking---traveling all over the country as well as overseas!
She has tried to create a black box theatre with quality, family friendly shows that are enjoyed by all ages. She also is intent on teaching kids and teens how to experience and learn what good theater is all about----from the blocking, characterizations, and acting techniques, to the costuming and hair and makeup. She wants to create a whole new generation of kids with theatre knowledge!
She has taught voice and acting for over 25 years, teaching for JF Talent in Denver, Colo., John Robert Powers in Los Angeles, CA, the Acting Loft in Manchester, NH, for Acton-Boxboro Community Education in Acton, MA, and for Littleton Community Ed. She is currently singing in a Rod Stewart tribute band, with the “Blondes Have More Fun” band. She also enjoys doing solo gigs----singing at weddings, private and corporate parties whenever she gets a booking---traveling all over the country as well as overseas!
She has tried to create a black box theatre with quality, family friendly shows that are enjoyed by all ages. She also is intent on teaching kids and teens how to experience and learn what good theater is all about----from the blocking, characterizations, and acting techniques, to the costuming and hair and makeup. She wants to create a whole new generation of kids with theatre knowledge!
Bret Bahe - Technical Director, Set Design and Construction
[email protected]
Bret spent 10 years in Hollywood building sets, working as a professional propmaker. He met Shawn there, and since she needed someone to run her sound at her cabaret shows, he quickly took on that challenge also. He loves doing photography, and after spending another 10 years doing that in LA, he has started taking pictures again.... He is a HUGE part of The Cannon Theatre, and has worked right alongside Shawn----whom he eventually married----building this theatre and making their dream come true.
Board Members
Matt Foster - President
[email protected]
Matt Foster is passionate about the performing arts, and Community Theater in particular. He is a 20-year veteran of the US Air Force where he was an Engineer and Program Manager. After completing his Air Force career, Matt worked at Raytheon where he was a Senior Manager responsible for management of programs valued at over $50 million. Now retired, Matt used to joke that he was just doing the engineering gig between acting roles to pay the bills. Matt has performed in several shows, and his roles include “Beau” in Mame, “Tully Bascom” in The Mouse That Roared, “Winston Smith” in 1984, “Action” in West Side Story, “Baldrick” in Blackadder, “Scrooge” in A Christmas Carol Radio Play and “Dad” in Cheaper by the Dozen. Matt currently resides in Westford with his wife Nancy.
Bob Amici - Vice President
[email protected]
Bob joined the Cannon board in 2022 and brings an unusual combination of experience to the group. He has a PhD in organic chemistry from Yale and has spent several years in R&D, management, and legal, particularly in the intellectual property field. In addition, while relatively new to the local community theater scene, he has appeared in several Cannon Theatre productions, including How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Annie Get Your Gun, The 39 Steps, and The Real Inspector Hound, as well as shows at Theater III, Acme Theater, and the Dunstable Theater Collaborative. He got his "acting" start as a haunter, and his now well-known alter ego, Lord boB (spelled backwards for extra scariness) can be seen "entertaining" audiences on his seasonal mobile stage in Octobers at Witch's Woods. Bob is grateful to be a part of this board, helping to further build on the mission of this wonderful family-oriented theater company!
Heather Pruiksma - Treasurer
|
Jeremy McMahon - Secretary
|
Heather Pruiksma has been an active member of the board since early 2018, but has enjoyed acting on The Cannon Theatre stage since 2013, having starred as Christine Colgate in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Janet van de Graaf in The Drowsy Chaperone, Hedy LaRue in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun.
Professionally, Heather is the Director of Program Delivery at international environmental nonprofit Earthwatch Institute, where she has worked since 2001. In this role she manages a department of 15 staff, heads up the Incident Management Team, and oversees the responsible delivery of over three million dollars in research and community program grants each year. Heather also serves as a board member for Earthwatch Canada. Heather was the President of the board for two years (2018-2019), and now applies her broad experience in nonprofit administration in the role of Secretary. |
Jerry began performing in local theater in 2018, when his wife Jen dared him to audition for a stage adaptation of the BBC comedy Blackadder (a childhood favorite) here at the Cannon Theatre. This was followed by roles in Cheaper by The Dozen and Matilda the Musical, producing Willy Wonka and directing the radio adaptation of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. He has performed at various theaters in the area in shows such as Puffs at Theatre III and The Play That Goes Wrong at the Theatre on the Mount.
Professionally, Jerry has had a 25 year career in financial forecasting and inventory management with international sports brands, such as Puma, Nike and Foot Locker. He is currently the Director of Business Process and Development at a major US retailer and lives in Littleton with his wife and three children. |
Lexi Rock - Member at Large
|
John Lynch - Member at Large
|
Maren Caulfield - Member at Large
[email protected]
Maren is a (Western) New Yorker by birth and a retired librarian by profession. She has extensive experience both performing and directing in community theatre, including at the Cannon, where she has performed in “The 39 Steps”, “Hay Fever”, “Fahrenheit 451”, “Moon Over Buffalo” and "Boeing Boeing" and directed "The Real Inspector Hound". Other past roles include Annelle in “Steel Magnolias” and Honey in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” with Theatre III. She has also participated in the New Works Winter Festival at Acme Theater and appeared in a virtual production with the Concord Players.
Rachel Cieslik - Member at Large
[email protected]
Rachel Cieslik has always had a love for all art. Rachel found her passion for drawing and painting when she was a child and hasn’t stopped since. Rachel discovered her love of singing in chorus when she was nine years old. Rachel sang in chorus until high school, where she studied television media and theatre arts at Nashoba Valley Technical H.S. Where Rachel performed in her first musical her freshman year in Little Shop of Horrors. Rachel would describe the theater stage as her first home. Rachel has participated in several productions on stage as well as off stage. Rachel has gone on to win two awards, one from NETG for her performance as the “Stewardess” in “Upon a Sea of Dreams” in 2018. As well as showing her spirit, winning the Viking Spirit award for her enthusiasm and talents in 2018. Continuing her theatre studies, Rachel graduated from Mount Wachusett Community College in 2021 with her associate degree in liberal arts with a concentration in theatre. Since taking a break from theatre during the days of COVID. Rachel made her debut with The Cannon Theatre working as the sound operator for the musical “Phantom”. She has continued to operate sound for “Steel Magnolias” and “The SpongeBob Musical”. Last year Rachel performed as the “Princess” in “Ever After” at the ten-minute play festival, and more recently as “Perkins” and background characters in “Blackadder Returns”. Rachel is now the Producer, Prop coordinator and the sound operator for “Alice by Heart”. Rachel has also been attending voice lessons with Shawn Cannon since September of 2023 to continue her growth as a performer. Rachel can often be found painting, drawing, singing or even doing photography for her friends. She currently works as a personal banker II at Main Street Bank in her hometown Pepperell, and lives with her partner Jonathan, his family, and their feisty black cat Sadie.
Meredith Jones - Member at Large
[email protected]
Meredith began her entertainment career as a stage actor, dancer, choreographer, director and singer and has appeared in numerous productions across Eastern and Central Massachusetts. More recently, she has dabbled as a producer, writer, audio editor, and filmmaker. She particularly enjoys directing and producing interactive theater, voiceover, and short film projects. She is a voice actor who has appeared in animated short films, audio dramas, and video games. She is thrilled to be serving as a member of Cannon’s Board after appearing on the Cannon stage as Queenie in Blackadder and Mrs. Cratchit in A Christmas Carol, as an actor in and director of Cannon’s Dinner Theater productions, and as actor, director, and producer of Cannon’s 10 Minute Play Festivals. Meredith works for a biotech startup as Associate Director of Legal Operations and lives in Ayer with her kids, her cats, and her little Westie, Charlie.