Nantucket Edition Ep.01
On the Isle Community Theater with Kathi Loughlin
Your Creative Midlife is visiting Nantucket for special episodes this summer. Nantucket is a beautiful wedge of sand 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod. Just 14 miles long and 7 miles wide, it has a storied human history—from early Indigenous people to English settlers to becoming one of the wealthiest towns in the mid-1800s at the height of the whaling industry. Today, it’s a place full of inspiring people in midlife who are finding creative opportunities to reinvent themselves and pursue new passions after retirement.
This episode features Kathi Loughlin, Executive Director of On the Isle, a long-standing community theater group that builds on the legacy of the early 20th-century Actors Colony. It’s a powerful example of how late-blooming artists and post-retirement creatives are keeping the arts alive on Nantucket.
On the Isle, with players drawn from both year-round and summer residents, presents musicals and plays to sold-out houses for one weekend each July. They perform in the historic Sconset Casino, a beautiful gathering space built through the fundraising efforts of the original actors. Community-based productions like these are a vibrant part of Nantucket’s creative aging landscape and offer midlife adults meaningful ways to express themselves through the arts.
Kathi shares her experience leading the group, drawing on her previous career as head of her own advertising firm. She reflects on her deep connection to Sconset, the spirit and lore of the Actors Colony, the creativity used when working with Artistic Director Carl Schmehl in choosing works to perform each summer, and the joy of artistic collaboration in later life. Her story is a perfect example of creative reinvention in midlife.
This year’s production is Working, based on the book by Studs Terkel, adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso, with additional music by other Broadway composers. It’s a celebration of work, purpose, and passion—timeless themes that resonate deeply with people exploring second acts and creative purpose after 50.
https://www.sconsetcasino.com/
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