Kate began her professional acting career at the age of 17, playing Estella in The Citadel Theater's production of "Great Expectations".  Despite numerous offers to perform in popular theatre, she preferred to be on the edge of the arts, exploring subjects often perceived as too gritty for mainstream productions. Her first play, "Whatever Happened to What's Her Name", was a biting examination of a young woman's loss of self identity in a nameless suburb. Shortly after What's Her Name was produced at Edmonton's Fringe Theatre, Kate travelled over seas to study in London with the British Theatre Association.  Training in the classics by day left her evenings open to explore some of London's newest playwrights and explosive productions. At 18 she was developing a taste for the raw, insightful and unpredictable theatre she is known for today.

Once in Vancouver, she studied at Gastown Actor's Studio under Mel and Karen Austin-Tuck. In 1994 she began to teach and was soon appointed Artistic Director of Gastown Theatre, a 66 seat black box theatre that fueled Kate's passion for directing and writing.

During this time she also acted extensively in film and television, some favorites including;  X-Files, Outer Limits, Killer App,  DaVinci's Inquest, and Dead Zone, along side an evening theatre acting regime that included plays such as "Birdbath" by Leonard Melfi,  "No Exit" by Jean-Paul Sartre, "Miss Julie" by August Strindberg and more.

In 1996 Kate founded The Company We Keep, with Bill Marchant and directed "Creeps" by David Freeman and "Waiting For Lefty" by Clifford Odets. 

Select directing credits include: "The Curate Shakespeare As You Like It" by Don Nigro, "The Shape of Things" by Neil LaBute, "Stop Kiss" by Diana Son, "Wild Abandon" by Daniel MacIvor, "Hope Slide" by Joan Macleod, "A Midsummer Nights Dream" by William Shakespeare, and "Tough!" by George F. Walker. Kate wrote and directed "Torched" performed by Terri-lyn Storey to national acclaim in 2005.

Kate has taught for The Canadian College of Performing Arts, The Vancouver Film School (through which she co-wrote and directed "Serfing" with Mark Ragan), Cineworks, The Company We Keep, and in 2001 she co-founded The Lyric School of Acting.

To date Kate has directed over two dozen stage plays, written three stage plays which have been produced across Canada, and has taught well over a thousand students. She has had a profound effect on the arts community as a mentor and innovator, and is known for her creative tenacity and fearless exploration of otherwise difficult subjectmatter.