Ellen Webster 
Quiet determination, emotional hutzpah, and wonder. That’s what Chris Cragin-Day conveys when speaking about her new role as artistic director (AD) in residence at Hoboken’s Mile Square Theatre (MST). She is the first woman to hold that role. When asked why theater matters, the award-winning playwright and director says it is because live performance “captures the universality of our human experience.” Read on to learn more about Chris and her contributions to Mile Square Theatre.
Photo Credit: Mile Square Theatre
About Chris Cragin-Day
She is the third artistic director in the theatre’s 23-year history. Chris O’Connor, founder of MST, was AD for two decades before Kevin R. Free led the creative side of the non-profit, professional playhouse located adjacent to Hoboken’s 14th Street Viaduct Park at 1400 Clinton Street.
Read More: What’s Filming in Hoboken + Jersey City? An Ongoing List for 2025
With a background rich in theater leadership, Chris is poised to deliver robust, exceptional-quality new works to MST. Her debut season brings together characters of different ages from various social circles and cultural backgrounds. Their stories, told with humor and imagination, shed light on facets of ourselves we may not have noticed.
Chris has an MFA in Theater from Baylor University, a BA in Theater from Oklahoma Baptist University, and a BA in Psychology from Oklahoma Baptist University. She spent part of her childhood in China and then grew up in Oklahoma, beginning in her teens. She has written, directed, and performed in several plays, including Martin Luther on Trial, which went on to tour nationally twice.
What is an Artistic Director?
“The most obvious job of the artistic director is scheduling the season. It’s an organic, multi-faceted process that involves the board, staff, and others,” Chris says.
Once the plays and directors are determined, the AD’s attention turns to a flurry of focused, organizational gatherings. How the stage is configured, who is cast in the roles, and the overall concept for each show are under her purview. While supporting the production teams, she must also balance creative vision with business realities.
Then alchemy unfolds. After months of work and planning, opening night arrives. The lights dim, a story awakens, and magic materializes in the sacred space where actors and audience meet.
Motherhood-Informed Leadership
Photo Credit: Chris Cragin-Day
The collaboration that is essential in theater also shapes the complex home life Chris shares in Weehawken with her husband and their two children.
With a burst of laughter that speaks to the constant surprises of motherhood, she says she and her husband work hard to share family responsibilities equitably. What she describes is a form of improvisation built on empathy and shared values where harmonizing the children’s needs, their marriage, and each of their professional goals is paramount.
As it happens, being a parent enhances both her creativity and leadership skills. “I have encountered real, raw humanity through motherhood,” Chris says. “It strengthens my writing and enables me to be a better artistic director.”
While she acknowledges that many paths lead to life’s lessons, for her, motherhood has been the fast track to grace, humility, and grit.
Community, Classes, Connection
^ Most recent Mile Square Theatre artistic director, Kevin R. Free, with Chris Cragin-Day. Photo Credit: Mile Square Theatre
Due to the ongoing isolation that began during COVID, Mile Square Theatre intends to strengthen its presence in the region.
“The real competition we’re up against isn’t other theaters,” Chris says, acknowledging Hoboken’s proximity to the theater mecca that is New York City. “Instead,” she stresses, “it’s how much of our attention we as a society give to our screens.”
Mile Square Theater will add adult acting classes, improv classes, and possibly afternoon events for older theatergoers. Chris says such offerings help position MST as a regional answer to connectivity.
“There’s such a great need in our society right now,” she says. To address the massive problem of seclusion, MST is committed to providing an environment where people can engage around the shared interest of theater.
“So many young professionals in Hoboken need to get plugged in somewhere,” she says. “They work in the city and need to meet friends and become part of a community. Taking classes is a great way to do that.” The benefits of acting classes, she explains, go far beyond stage presence. By being open to being seen and having fun, people can boost their confidence, develop public speaking skills, and discover an inventive way to meet new friends.
“Get out of your apartment! Go do something fun where you’re in a room with other people,” Chris urges.
Being this close to Manhattan also means MST has access to high-quality artists. “I love going to New York theatre, but it takes a lot more energy, and we use all the same artists. It’s the same art, just closer,” Chris says.
Unlike community theaters that rely on volunteer casts and crews, Mile Square Theatre operates as a professional company with an in-house staff as well as contracted workers. Being across the river from New York makes it uniquely attractive to tradespeople and artists—carpenters, actors, directors, playwrights, costumers, and lighting designers— who already work and live in the New York region. When MST uses these talents, Hoboken benefits from the joy of having professional theatre in its backyard.
See More: What’s Filming in Hoboken + Jersey City? An Ongoing List for 2025
Chris envisions Mile Square Theatre forging strategic partnerships with local businesses. She and executive director Elizabeth DiCandilo are actively cultivating these relationships through open dialogue and productive exchanges. The quiet determination Chris brings to this work reveals her talent for building meaningful connections—a skill that is already enriching Hoboken’s cultural landscape.
How to Become Involved with Mile Square Theatre
1. Attend and bring a friend (the best way for the theatre to grow)
2. Take an acting or improv class, and get to know fellow Hobokeners
3. Purchase a flexible 3-ticket pass for $99, even if you can’t attend all three shows
4. Make a tax-deductible donation
Mile Square Theatre’s 2025-2026 Season
Oct 9-26, 2025—The Supreme Leader, written by Don X. Nguyen and directed by Sarah Shin, is a coming-of-age comedy where three out of the four characters are teenagers.
Dec 6–27, 2025—The Young King by Oscar Wilde, adapted for stage by Nicki Bloom and directed by Misti B. Wills. The play asks, “What is true leadership?” and is performed by actors under the age of 25. (Note that this show is not included in the 3-package pass.)
Feb 19-Mar 8, 2026—Dishwasher Dreams, written and performed by Alaudin Ullah, directed by Chay Yew. This solo show “. . . explores identity, legacy, and what it means to truly be seen in America,” through stand-up, music, and storytelling.
April 16-May 3, 2026—The Mountaintop, by Katori Hall, directed by MST’s former AD, Kevin R. Free. Set on the eve of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination, the story imagines King confronting “. . . his life, his past, his legacy, and the plight and future of his people.” Chris Cragin-Day says, “I hope parents will bring children 10 and up because it’s such an important part of American identity and history.”
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