Spotlight: Hannah Schmidt
Hannah Schmidt, a Fairmount theatre alumna, has been keeping busy in Neverland performing on the National Tour of Peter Pan!
Hannah participated in theatre productions at Fairmount from 2009-2011. At age 11, she was cast as Wendy in Fairmount’s Peter Pan production, so she was no stranger to Neverland when landing her National Tour role as a member of the ensemble and understudy for Mrs. Darling and Jane.
“[Wendy] was my first lead role, and I was so excited. I got to be onstage with a lot of my close friends which was very special. Playing Wendy made me realize that I was passionate about musical theatre and wanted to pursue it to a professional level!”
Hannah graduated from Otterbein University in 2023 with a BFA in Musical Theatre and a Minor in Dance. Immediately after graduation, she took off for the second star to the right to begin her Neverland adventure.
“I joined the company during the workshop phase in NYC during the summer of 2023 and participated in both the script and choreography workshops as the production was developed... By the end of my time on tour I will have performed in 50 cities and done nearly 500 shows!”
Hannah is not just a performer on the tour, she is also a self-proclaimed avid amateur watercolorist. She says she has been painting a piece to represent each city she has visited while on tour and is currently has 45 finished paintings!
Behind-the-scenes, she also serves as the Co-Dance Captain helping bring new cast members onto the show. In a recent interview published in the Akron Beacon Journal, Hannah talks about her fulfilling experience in this role that she added to her resume in December.
“It adds a whole new layer of like getting to be analytical, getting to feel like a leader and helping people that I really enjoy. I think that it’s something that, after doing the same show for so long, that’s really just enhanced the experience for me.”
Read the full Akron Beacon Journal article here.
Can you spot Hannah? She is on the right with the violin and blue bandana!
When asked what sort of advice Hannah would give to current Fairmount students, self-care was at the top of her list:
“The biggest thing I’ve learned on tour is how important it is to take care of yourself as a person first. There can be a lot of external and internal pressure as a performer to push through illness, pain, or difficult emotions for the sake of seeming strong and reliable. But the most sustainable thing you can do for your career (or even if theatre is not your career!) is to address the issues you’re having so that you can feel better on the stage and off longterm.”
Hannah’s first round of pixie dust those many years ago on Fairmount’s stage really sparked the magic of the performing arts in her. When reminiscing on her time at Fairmount, Hannah says,
“My time at Fairmount was one of my earliest experiences with theatre. It was a perfect introduction to the art form. I always appreciated how welcoming the Fairmount community was, and coming to Fairmount was the highlight of my week!”
See Hannah shine on stage this week at Playhouse Square’s Connor Palace with 8 shows running April 9-13. Click Here to purchase tickets!
