Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Fisher.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
When I was 7 years old, we got a flyer in the mail advertising acting classes at a new local theater. I dipped my toe in with a beginning acting class, and I got the bug for performing right away. I was quickly auditioning for productions and my passion for musical theater was fully formed. During my high school years, I spent time as a student inside the green walls of the original Acting Studio location in Grapevine. When I thought about my future and what it would entail, the part that was crystal clear was that there was nothing else that I wanted to do every single day. The most obvious path to that goal was to get my degree in Acting and head straight for New York City, but as I sat in my closet-sized dorm room my freshman year of college and contemplated the question of my “survival job” (the one that would pay the bills between performance contracts if I was lucky enough to land them), I started to contemplate if that obvious path was the only one. That got the wheels turning. How could I make a living doing what I love to do every day? I began pursuing a minor in the College of Business to accompany my major in acting and set my sights on a way to combine the two. Aside from marrying my wonderful husband, opening the Acting Studio Rockwall was the easiest “YES” of my adult life. The Studio provided an opportunity to not only fulfill my passions and reach the goals set for myself but also to give back to the art in greater ways than I had considered possible. The Studio brand had already paved the way at the three locations preceding Rockwall to creating a place where the next generation of artists would have the opportunity to discover their passions and for children who wanted to perform for fun would have a place to do so in an environment that strives towards pushing each student to be bold, be daring, and to be themselves!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As I’m sure is the case with any business, there have certainly been struggles along the way. The most personal struggle that I encountered right off the bat was stepping into such a large leadership role as a woman in my 20s. I found myself constantly questioning my position and felt a heavy sense of imposter syndrome when making decisions and interacting with our business. In an attempt to gain confidence, I completely immersed myself in my work and tried to prove my worth by working so hard that I didn’t come up for air. I thought if I defined myself by my job, that would solve these feelings of uncertainty. It was when I was gifted a copy of Brene Brown’s book Dare to Lead that my perspective completely changed. I began to reevaluate my decisions as a leader and reconsider what defined such a title. I started to take off my armor, as Brene would put it, and learn to trust myself, listen to the needs of the business, and recognize that unrealistic expectations would not get me where I wanted to be. While this will always be an ongoing journey, I have noticed a significant shift in establishing boundaries, finding myself outside of work, and giving myself permission to trust where I am in my own processes rather than strive for an ideal. In addition to my personal struggles, the setbacks of COVID-19 created significant obstacles for the Acting Studio. As a business that relies heavily on face-to-face interaction, we were forced to completely shift our mindset and go back to the drawing board on how to approach the theatrical arts. Our team came together to develop a plan that continued to fulfill the needs of our students while allowing for safety and the protection of our students and staff through a virtual learning environment. While it was incredibly different, we found ways to adjust and emphasize lessons that we were not able to heavily focus on in the Studio. Though it took a bit longer, we were also able to safely and successfully begin producing live theater again across DFW. We incorporated masking protocols, health and safety standards, and even shifted to our first-ever outdoor production when an indoor space was no longer an option to give students the ability to continue to perform. Amid setbacks, we found an opportunity to lean into our mission of teaching life skills through stage skills, adapt to the unique conditions, and produce full-scale productions in an environment that emphasized the health and wellbeing of our cast, crew, and audience members. We are so proud to be producing our 10th Acting Studio production since the pandemic began, and are confident that with the lessons learned along the way, that it is sure to be a showstopper.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The Acting Studio Rockwall is a children’s theater with a mission to teach “life skills through stage skills,” meaning that our objective is to teach students to not only be proficient, professional performers, but to concurrently help them grow into a well-rounded individual who can contribute to society outside of the theater. Our training program puts the focus on the work rather than the finished product and emphasizes that you learn just as much from mistakes as from triumphs, so whatever you do, make it full out. Each students’ journey is unique and we have found that their greatest success comes from our recognition of that in holding space to listen to those needs in whatever way they may be communicated. I have been so proud to watch our students begin to find their footing as leaders and artists through our program. It is so fulfilling to watch a young performers confidence grow in both their abilities and in who they are as an individual. The Acting Studio brand is one that strives to provide a professional experience and environment for our students who just so happen to be children, and built from the foundation laid by our founding team, I have been so proud to be able to continue to bring just that to the Rockwall community.
What’s next?
We are currently working on a production of Les Misérables that will combine all Acting Studio locations for the very first time. We are so excited to collaborate with students across the metroplex and have the opportunity able to bring such an incredible story and massive production to the Addison Theatre Center, home of WaterTower Theatre, on the Terry Martin main stage in February. Additionally, we plan to travel with our Triple Threat Conservatory program to Orlando this summer where we have been honored to be one of the first programs invited back to perform at Walt Disney World! We are thrilled to have the opportunity for our students to train and perform amongst professionals in their field after such a long halt in our industry during the pandemic. While we do not have any plans currently, we hope to continue to expand the Acting Studio and bring life skills through stage skills to additional communities. In the meantime, we look forward to continuing to safely produce live theater and teach excellence in the theatrical arts to our incredible students.
Contact Info:
- Email: actingstudiorockwall@gmail.com
- Website: www.actingstudiotx.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actingstudiorockwall/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ActingStudioRockwall
Image Credits
David Perlman Photography
Sunnybrook Studios
Tyler Lyons Photography
