Today we’d like to introduce you to Shane Peterman.
Hi Shane, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started as a performer in 1996 doing shows around the DFW area and commercial/TV work. I moved to New York City in 1999 and started working as a full-time performer and member of Actors Equity Association (back when it took many weeks of professional work to join and continue full-time status). I had a great career working both in NYC and around the world as a performer and owe quite a lot of my artistic development and journey to two men I met in the city; Alan Seale and Fred Kareman. Both of these gentlemen provided the blueprints for my journey as an artist and young man living in the city. To thrive in this business, one must develop an authentic set of core values as an artist and person. I also worked for a program in Georgia during that time that also shaped the rest of my life’s work; The Springer Opera House in Georgia led by one of the best Producing Artistic Directors in the business, Paul Pierce and his associate, the late Ron Anderson. Their Springer Theater Academy is an amazing program for children that has thrived for decades-based oil the principle of teaching life skills through stage skills. I also performed their role fo Harold Hill for their production of The Music Man, a role I have also performed since with WaterTower Theatre and The Dallas Wind Symphony. A part of my heart is still there at that amazing place. So much so that upon meeting my amazing wife and partner in 2006, getting married, and starting a family, we decided to open a chain of studio businesses in the North Texas Area called The Acting Studio. The business has been quite successful, so much so that beginning in the summer of 2022 we are offering franchises to those interested in becoming a studio business owner. Life skills through stage skills has been the staple of our business and set many young folks up for success in whatever they choose to do or be. A number of years ago, in addition to opening our fourth location I was asked to come on board at Lyric Stage, one of North Texas’ professional theatres as a producer. I was at that organization for just under five years when the Producing Artistic Director position opened up at WaterTower Theatre, one of North Texas prominent professional theatres. In March of 2019, I signed on as their CEO and have worked with an amazing team and board of directors to position the company in a positive direction both fiscally and artistically. The Town of Addison is instrumental in WaterTower Theatre’s success story and a legacy of excellence was set by another mentor and former PAD of WaterTower Theatre, Terry Martin… I only know of a handful of other local municipalities that support the arts, but none compare to Addison and its leadership. I would be mistaken to not mention the support I had as a young man with a physical disability from my amazing family, specifically my four beautiful sisters, grandparents, an aunt who was the catalyst for my first studio business, and how to balance family and work and my dad and his wonderful wife, truly the best in the world. My wife and two children are my everything and I truly count myself as the luckiest who gets to run five businesses with great teams and come home to them. Sure, the COVID 19 pandemic has been most challenging, however, I have been carefully taught and worked toward finding the opportunities that lie beneath.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As a young man with a prosthetic leg, I was often told I could not do things. As an actor, I was often told “no thank you” as is industry standard. As a business owner and CEO, I am sometimes faced with challenges that seem unbearable (like pandemics, etc.). As a family man, I have been given life-changing news about members of my immediate family that hurts. As a man of faith, and one who is certain of my path, I know it’s all under control, and on the other side of every struggle lies an awe-inspiring gift…but only if I choose it to be. One of my favorite quotes from one of my mentors is; “Peace is not the absence of conflict but rather your reaction to it.”
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Shane Peterman is a native Dallas Texan who has worked extensively with theatres across the country as a chief executive, entrepreneur, producing artistic director, executive producer, associate producer, casting director, director, and performer for over 25 years and hundreds of productions who now leads Addison’s highly acclaimed professional theatre, WaterTower Theatre. During the COVID pandemic, WaterTower Theatre became one of the first in the country to switch to filmed theatrical productions beginning with Doug Wright’s TONY Award Winning production of I AM MY OWN WIFE for video on demand. Many successful filmed productions followed including original world-premiere works. In the Summer of 2021, WaterTower Theatre again pioneered efforts by becoming one of the first in the DFW area to reopen with an agreement with Actor’s Equity Association by presenting an indoor play. Previously, Shane was Producer for Lyric Stage and was instrumental in relocating it to Dallas’ historic Majestic Theatre and programming award-winning seasons. Shane, along with his wife Erica, also own and operate The Acting Studio, North Texas’ largest independently owned children’s theatre program with multiple locations. As an actor, he has performed many leading roles across North America and Europe including New York City. As a solo vocalist, he has been accompanied by leading orchestras around the world in various venues including The Meyerson Symphony Center, Bass Hall, and Carnegie Hall. Shane has also worked in film and television and studied in both the U.S. and the U.K. with many top industry professionals. Shane proudly volunteers his time to work with the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital of Dallas where he was a patient with his own physical challenge as a child. Shane currently lives in Trophy Club Texas with his wife and two children.
What matters most to you?
My family and my prosthetic legs. I need them all to get through each day! 🙂
Contact Info:
- Email: georgeshanepete@me.com
- Website: www.ActingStudioTX.com, www.WaterTowerTheatre.org
