Today we’d like to introduce you to Meagan Harris.
Hi Meagan , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in the DFW-area and somehow stumbled into this thing called theatre my freshman year of high-school. Unlike a lot of my classmates, I didn’t grow up in talent shows, and children’s theatre. I really had no clue what this whole acting thing was. But, boy, did I love it once I dove in!
I went to Southern Methodist University to study Theatre & Art History, where I cut my teeth on voice work, theatre history, solo performance, and classical text all for the first time. I loved learning as much as I could about what made live theatre work both on and off the stage. It wasn’t until after college that I began to learn about film production and producing for stage and screen.
As a working professional, I’ve served at several DFW non-profit theatres, and film production studios, and worn the various hats of freelancing as a commercial & film actress (shout out to Mary Collins Agency!), worked behind the camera as a 1st AD, director and producer, as well as producing commercial and narrative film projects with my business partner through our production arm, PerfectoMedia.
But ultimately, my love of live theatre is the thing that routinely gets me going. So much so, that I’m writing this now from a mountain village outside of Madrid, Spain, where I’ve been collaborating for a third time with international theatre laboratory, Manifesto Poetico. My director is Manifesto Poetico’s founder, Carlos García Estévez, who is working with me to add material to my award-winning one-woman performance “Lux: a Solo Show”.
“Lux” will be premiering with a brand new second half, running August 21st – 30th at Artstillery’s 723 Open Space in West Dallas as part of a festival called “Tres Cabezones” alongside two other DFW-based actors.
In addition to that exciting work, I am also a proud co-founder of a new theatre company, Witches 3 Productions. We are a women & queer run theatre company with a goal to make theatre that is bold, strange, playful, and unafraid, and create a space where everyone is welcome in the circle. Every month we offer professional development courses for actors to build up their skills at an accessible price, as well as completely free events open to anyone in the community. So far, we’ve offered combat classes, improv workshops, Shakespeare intensives, voiceover masterclasses and plan to continue to offer other creative disciplines like ballroom dance classes and figure drawing workshops.
All of this is leading up to our fall premiere of “Taming: A Folk Tale” an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew”. Set in rural Appalachia at the turn of the previous century, this adaptation will include live, original music, and includes an element of the supernatural… one we can’t wait to sink our teeth into! Directed by Witches 3 co-founder Cheyenne Haynes and starring myself as Petruchio and Katie Wetch as Katarina. We will perform October 29th – November 14th at the Bath House Cultural Center.
I’m incredibly proud of the work I’m creating with colleagues, mentors and friends and I can’t wait to see what comes next!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Has it been a smooth road? This is the arts! The path is never smooth! No, but, of course, it’s always a challenge to find funding, build an audience and to promote your work in an oversaturated market where people would rather be home scrolling on their phones, you know? Theatre attendance is down nationwide, many big theatres here in the DFW area are struggling to get by, government funding is harder to come by and it’s incredibly difficult to get work produced as an individual artist.
That was one of the inspirations behind why I decided to found my own company, Witches 3 Productions, with local DFW talent Katie Wetch & Cheyenne Haynes, to give ourselves the flexibility to create what we wanted without waiting for permission.
In some ways, the path to the performing arts does seem to be getting narrower by the day, and, yet, that’s why I feel it’s more important than ever for us to invest in it with our time, attendance, and support, financial or otherwise. Live theatre is one of the last few gathering spaces where we can all be in one room, experiencing an emotional journey together, without the distractions of the outside world ringing in our ears. It’s a place where audiences and actors’ hearts beat as one, where empathy is fostered, where minds and hearts are opened to one another, and where marginalized stories can be heard, not as a statistic on the news, but through a touching, human-centered narrative.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Over the last 2 years I’ve specialized in international collaborations with Manifesto Poetico, touring my solo show to Mexico, Spain, and the US. I highly recommend anyone who is interested in revolutionizing their approach to performance to take from Manifesto Poetico’s many international workshops. They are diving into a month long laboratory in Amsterdam in July, 2027.
In addition to my solo work, I continue to be an active member of the DFW theatre and film scene, regularly performing around the metroplex and working in front of and behind the camera for independent features, shorts and commercials.
It’s beyond thrilling to be building a new theatre company from scratch and offering so many classes and community events to bring DFW artists and arts advocates together! I can’t wait for our production “Taming: A Folk Tale” in the fall, featuring a version of Kate & Petruchio audiences have never seen before. This is a project myself and the entire team have fully poured our hearts into and can’t wait to share with audiences!
Beyond this fall, I’m so excited to see where Witches 3 goes next. We plan to continue offering regular classes and community events even after our show closes.
I think the thing that makes me unique as an artist is, honestly, my endless curiosity. I am always looking to learn new ways of doing things or how to be better at my craft. I love surrounding myself with colleagues who are experts in things I want to learn more about, because it gives us the opportunity to teach each other and grow as creatives. I am relentless when I am in a show about how to get the most out of every scene, every line of dialogue, every choice, to bring the story to life in the most compelling way possible.
Any big plans?
In addition to the immediate plans I have to present my solo show through Artstillery’s “Tres Cabezones: A Three-Part Festival” in late August and mounting Witches 3 Production’s “Taming: A Folk Tale” at the Bath House Cultural Center in October and November, I am really looking forward to a future where I can tour “Lux” through festivals around the globe. It would be my greatest pleasure to be able to perform that piece to as many audiences as possible. Dealing with themes of anxiety, isolation, self-improvement and taking responsibility, this show is guaranteed to resonate with every kind of audience.
With Witches 3, we also have our eyes on taking our production abroad as part of a major international festival. If that happened, I think I could die happy!
Beyond those two goals, I plan to continue to find ways to collaborate with Manifesto Poetico, continue to grow the outreach and impact of Witches 3 and, tell as many meaningful stories as I can in the meantime!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.witches3.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/witches3productions/
- Other: https://www.gofundme.com/f/join-us-in-bringing-taming-a-folktale-to-life/cl/s
