Today we’d like to introduce you to Meagan Harris.
Meagan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
So, I actually came to acting a little later than most: It wasn’t until high school that I stumbled into the world of theatre. To be honest, I registered for a theatre class in my freshman year because I thought it would help to push me out of my shell. I wanted to grow and do something way outside of my comfort zone. And low and behold, I fell in love with it! I went on to get a BFA in Acting and a BA in Art History (I’m also a HUGE history nerd!) from Southern Methodist University. My favorite subject of study while in college was Shakespeare and I even had the opportunity to study abroad in London, where I saw every play on offer at Shakespeare’s Globe during my months there. I’m especially passionate about Shakespeare’s plays because they seem to remind us how little we have really changed in the 450 years since Shakespeare first wrote his body of work. The human struggles and political troubles of his plays still plague us today.
The more you get to know Shakespeare, the more universal his themes and stories seem to become. I love acting as a medium for expression because I’ve always said there are ultimately two types of people that society will listen to Politicians and Artists. How many people have had their worldview shaped by an influential film or TV show? It seems to me that actors representing the stories and struggles of others have a real power to bring awareness and to cultivate empathy for the audiences they perform for. Especially now with everyone stuck at home, binge-watching their favorite movies and shows, it seems now more than ever, media is helping to dictate how people interpret the world around them. I really hope to continue growing in my career and to keep influencing hearts and minds towards a more cohesive world. But who knows? Maybe I’m WAY too idealistic! In any case, we have to keep trying, right?? Anyway, after graduation, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in acting. I was lucky enough to sign with the Mary Collins Agency here in Dallas for film and television work, which has been such an amazing experience so far. Shout out to Sara and Kim! But, I was still looking for an artistic home.
That’s when I found Shakespeare Dallas, an outdoor Shakespeare theatre that has been serving the Dallas community since the early 1970s. I had worked with them a few summers before while still in college, and now I had the opportunity to work with them full time as an associate and producer. I’ve been with the organization since 2018, and it’s been a great experience. I feel so lucky as an artist to have a stable source of income that still feeds my creative spirit. I get to do what I love every single day! And I’m especially aware of how rare that is given the current state of things. Over the last two years, I’ve grown with the organization and actually developed a digital education tool for teachers, parents and students alike called Will on the Web, designed to engage with students from 2nd to 12th grade on some of Shakespeare’s most famous works. Right now, the state of our industry is so uncertain, but I am choosing to keep a positive outlook and hoping the grass is greener on the other side!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I’d have to say, no, it’s not been a smooth road to get to where I am. I believe my biggest personal struggle has been self-doubt. I know I get in my own way more so than anyone else. In a career field like acting, there is no clear corporate ladder. You don’t go from promotion to promotion with feedback along the way. All of our work is extremely subjective, and one person’s opinion isn’t always reality. One of the major things I’ve learned being closely involved in Shakespeare Dallas’ casting process, is that no casting decision is personal: there are a thousand reasons someone doesn’t get cast that has nothing to do with how talented they are.
Still, as an actor, you don’t always see that, so it can be challenging and disheartening when you don’t book a gig you really wanted. So much of acting is sort of unknown. You send off a self-tape or you go to a callback and then, you just don’t hear anything (which means you didn’t get it) and that can be rough because you don’t get to know how you could have done better. Sometimes, for me, I have to work to remind myself that it’s all about persistence. You can’t give up, because that next audition might be the one you book! Half the battle is just showing up with your ‘A game’ and even if you’re not right for that part, if you give a good audition and you’re professional, who knows what work may come out of that later on?
So, yeah, to answer your question, sometimes it’s a challenge to keep my head held high. But, I always get back on the horse even when I fall off, and that’s what matters. (And, yes, being from Texas, I DID grow up riding horses so that’s both metaphorical and literal!)
Please tell us about Shakespeare Dallas.
Yes, let’s talk about Shakespeare Dallas! They are a theatre company founded in 1971, which started at the Band Shell theatre on the grounds in Fair Park and has since moved to the Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre in East Dallas. They are a large, outdoor theatre that holds up to 1200 audience members and hires about 150 creatives (from cast, crew, designers and producers) each summer and fall. As of 2018, they have also introduced an indoor winter show, which takes place in January of each year. Obviously, given the name, they specialize in performing works by William Shakespeare, but they are not exclusive to those 38 plays. They have also produced new works inspired by classical literature as well as 18th-century farces and musical adaptations of classic plays. I work with the company as the Programs and Marketing Associate and Producer.
My job mainly consists of building new audience engagement programs for our patrons as well as working closely with our Education Director to develop educational programming for our students. Outside of our mainstage shows, we host book clubs on our upcoming plays, a pub crawl each year in March, engage with students in acting summer camps, produce two touring productions that travel around North Texas schools, as well as our provide our new digital engagement tool, Will on the Web and much, much more! We’ve been staying very bust these last six months, getting creative on how to offer content when we can’t safely produce plays. It’s been an exercise in creativity to say the least! Shakespeare Dallas is an extremely unique theatre venue in that it’s essentially an outdoor picnic with a show! Patrons can bring their own food, beer and wine and many will layout blankets and lawn chairs so they can have a relaxing and fun, open-air experience that the whole family can enjoy.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I would, first of all, really like to thank my parents: Christina and Bill. Without them, none of my work up to this point would have been possible. From day one, they have supported me in this very risky industry and have always told me how proud of me they are. I couldn’t have done it without their constant, unwavering love and support. I love you both with my whole heart!
The same goes for both my stepparents who have also always built me up, and done nothing but embrace me with open arms since I came into their lives: Thank you, Jeff and Lorrie! To my professors at SMU, I want to thank you for all you do and have done to train the next crop of talent to go out into the world: Jim, Blake, Bernard, Michael, Anne, Jack, Rhonda, Gretchen, and Stan, thank you for all you have taught me. I’d like to thank Adam Dietrich for working with me and introducing me to the production side of things, I have booked so much as a result of the relationships I made during that time! Lastly, I’d like to thank my boyfriend, Stephen, who has done so much to support me through all my late-night shoots and tech nights, all my self-tapes and lengthy sessions of getting off book. Thank you for everything!
Contact Info:
- Address: 1250 Majesty Dr. Dallas, TX 75247
- Website: www.shakespearedallas.org
- Phone: 214-559-2778
- Email: mharris@shakespearedallas.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shakespearedallas
Image Credit:
The two headshots (Red beanie and white shirt and blue dress on yellow and blue background) are credited to Jordan Fraker.
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