A Brief History of Cue Zero Theatre Company
Fall of 2013. Dan Pelletier is driving from his parents’ home in Auburn to Durham for final dress rehearsal for UNH Mask and Dagger’s production of Taming of the Shrew, of which he was a guest alumni lighting designer. He was in a rut. He wanted to stay in his home area of the greater Manchester area, but had been unable to figure out how to get his directing career off the ground. As he traversed 101 East, he asked himself “what exactly do I want?” Dan didn’t want to act, he didn’t want to stage manage, he didn’t want to assist anyone; he wanted to direct. But who would hire a twenty three year old talent with barely two full shows to his name to be the captain of an entire production? He knew he had to prove himself, and he knew he was an ambitious dreamer. The answer to his “what exactly do I want?” became clearer. He wanted to prove himself. He wanted to take on a great challenge. He set a clear goal – before his birthday in July, he wanted to present a fully produced night of original one-acts. He would raise all the funds, do all the marketing, and show the world “hey, I’m for real.”
Partnering with fellow UNH alumni who were in similar situations, Cue Zero Theatre Company was born, with a clear mission and goal on “creating opportunities” and a high focus on one word: “New.” These were the things that excited its members the most: doing things no one else was doing, doing the theatre they wanted to see, and most importantly: taking risks. Over the whirlwind next seven months, with nothing more than grit and determination, they raised the funds to rent out the Derry Opera House, and paired up two original pieces to form Project Zero.
Project Zero was a smashing success. Wildly well-received, the goal of proving themselves to the theatre community was achieved, and instantly the originators of Cue Zero went from unknowns to wunderkinds. CZT was briefly put on the back-burner as Dan and the others found success working with a multitude of groups across all of New Hampshire. With a brief revival in 2017 to produce for the new Hatbox Theatre, Cue Zero’s next major milestone would be in 2018 when it was decided CZT needed to cross off our next major achievement – put together a full multi-show season, join the New Hampshire Theatre Alliance, and start our “revolution.” Since then, Cue Zero has been innovating, risk-taking, and noise-making. Whether it’s performing Shakespeare in bars, cafes, and minor league baseball stadiums, producing world premiers by local playwrights, or creating opportunities for budding artist with similar ideals and ambitions, Cue Zero has stayed truthful to its roots.
Cue Zero has been noted for its successes – being named “Best ‘New’ Theatre” by New Hampshire Magazine in 2019, and racking up a number of honors from the New Hampshire Theatre Awards, including multiple awards for Outstanding Achievement in Performance, finalists for Performance, Sound Design, and Overall Production, and a large number of other semi-finalist honors.
Who We Are
Artistic Director Dan Pelletier
Dan is both the founder and artistic director of Cue Zero Theatre Company. A 2013 graduate of UNH’s Department of Theatre and Dance, he has directed with such organizations as the Actorsingers, the Majestic Theatre, and the Windham Actors Guild. He has also worked in various roles at the Palace Theatre and the Ogunquit Playhouse. Dan is proud to be a three-time NHTA Best Director nominee, and a member of the Union Leader’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2020. He is always striving to bring new and exciting work to the Southern New Hampshire area. He loves sharing his passion for the arts with his students both at Arts Academy of New Hampshire where he teaches the full time, as well as at Manchester’s Central High School, where he runs the drama club. In his free time, Dan enjoys reading comic books (Superman, The Flash, and Harley Quinn being his favorite characters), playing retro video games, watching professional wrestling, and writing plays. He is a big believer in giving back to the community, having accumulated over five hundred volunteer hours with organizations such as FIRST Robotics, Group Workcamps Foundation, and The Elliot Hospital. He would like to thank Mom, Dad, Heather, and his friends and family for all their love and support. Dan-Pelletier.com
Artistic Associate Crystal Welch
The newest member of the Cue Zero Family, Crystal, started working with CZT at the beginning of 2022 as a director in the Season 3 mainstage. Since then she has acted, directed, choreographed, and more for a large variety of Cue Zero projects. Crystal graduated from Gordon College in 2016 with a BA in Theatre Arts and a passion for directing and choreography. Crystal fell in love with everything Cue Zero stands for as someone who loves new works and helping revolutionize the next wave of theatre. She is excited to work on expanding Cue Zero Labs and adding theatre educational offerings for CZT.
Brain Trust Member Jacob Randlett
Jake is an accounts payable specialist from Newfields, NH, and started participating in theatre at age 18. He is based on the NH Seacoast for both his dayjob and his theatre hobby. He has worked as an actor for the Seacoast Repertory Theater, Prescott Park Arts Festival & The Player’s Ring in Portsmouth, as well as the Hackmatack Playhouse in Berwick, ME, and Hatbox Theater in Concord. He met Artistic Director Dan Pelletier in 2012 at UNH and have been close friends and occasional collaborators ever since, including performing together in the Guerilla Shakespeare series hosted by Cue Zero, and being part of the Cue Zero debut night of one-acts, Project Zero. Jake would like the friends he has made through the theatre community that embraced and appreciated him, and his family for always supporting his theatre passions.
Brain Trust Member Sarah Flagg
Sarah Flagg is a Seacoast NH based performer who also dabbles in the technical and production side of the arts and is very excited to be joining the Brain Trust! Sarah holds degrees from Mount Holyoke College and the University of Southern Maine, where she majored in Gender Studies and Musical Theatre. In 2015, Sarah was selected as a Fellow for Artists Striving to End Poverty’s (ASTEP’s) second annual Artist As Citizen Conference held at The Juilliard School and she is a current member of ASTEP’s Leaders Network.
When Sarah’s not immersed in the arts, she’s probably roller skating, hanging out with her dog Reba, or repeatedly being asked to tell that story about how she got expelled from pre-school.
Brain Trust Member Sinehan Kerman
Sinehan is a marketing technologist based in central NH with an MBA from UNH’s Paul College of Business and Economics. Her love of theatre and dance started early – Sinehan was an Irish step dancer for many years and acted in several school productions, her favorites of which were the role of Tiger Lily in “Peter Pan” and Alice in “Alice in Wonderland.” As her interests in business and digital marketing expanded, her interest in theatre and film grew to appreciating the production aspects in addition to the art of acting. Sinehan met Dan as a part of the Pinkerton Television team in high school and the two have been connected since. She appreciates Dan’s trust in her to bring a business mind to Cue Zero and looks forward to its growth as it supports the local arts.
Resident Stage Manager Monica Derr
Monica is a stage manager, editor, and writer. She holds a degree in Drama and Theatre from Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, and a degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. In addition to CZT, she has also worked with JAG Productions, the Palace Theatre, the Winnipesaukee Playhouse, and Seacoast Rep. She currently lives in Londonderry surrounded by stacks of unread books. Check out everything she’s up to at monicamurrayderr.com.