Hannah is currently performing as Anybodys in WEST SIDE STORY at The Argyle Theatre in Babylon, NY. Performances run February - April 2nd. Click here for ticket information.
Hannah is currently playing Frieda (U/S Sally) in the national tour of A Charlie Brown Christmas Live! Tickets can be purchased at https://www.acharliebrownchristmaslive.com .
Hannah has spent the summer performing as Campbell in Bring It On the Musical with Summer Stock Austin. You can buy tickets at: https://texasperformingarts.org/event/summer-stock-austin-bring-it-on-2021-mccullough-theatre-austin-texas . Come see Bring It On through August 2nd.
Catch Hannah in A Moment In Crime on the Discovery Channel this June! Hannah will be portraying the role of Lisa Hullderman in the episode centered around Connie Quedens.
HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE!! I am thrilled to announce that I started an internship at The Growing Studio this month. TGS is a performing arts platform that offers a wider variety of theater and film based classes as well as workshops with casting directors, agents, and other industry professionals.
In other news, I ran my first marathon this month! My mom, my aunt, and I took a road-trip to Tucson, AZ to celebrate my aunt’s 50th birthday. We ran on a trail through a desert like terrain with gorgeous mountains surrounding the area. The air was COLD and CRISP, which I prefer to the humid temperature in Austin. The run was an experience that I will never forget.
Until next year!! K, BYE!
Howdy y’all!
I’ve decided to start this post out with a ~shamless plug~. My class and I have a virtual performance coming up at 2p (EAS) on December 6th. Don’t miss The Launch 2020: A Senior Cabaret. You can buy tickets at https://www.showtix4u.com/events/17515/?event=39908&date=108736 !! YAY ;D
Okay, moving on to a quick review of the past two months…
OCTOBER
The best part of October was Halloween (obviously). This year, I had the pleasure of dressing up as King George from Hamilton and hanging out with one of the little girls that I nanny and her family. In other non-related news, I made homemade yogurt this month. A friend of mine gave me what is called a “yogurt mushroom” (I am pretty sure that it’s just fancy yeast or something). I mixed the mushroom with milk, poured the mixture in a mason jar, put the mason jar in a dark cabinet for 12 hours and BOOM - I did it. It was a big moment for me. I hope it isn’t a phase — I want to keep making homemade yogurt forever.
NOVEMBER
We are half way through November as I write this. I’ve been busy with school work since the semester is coming to an end. Other than that, I’ve spent a lot of time baby sitting, running, and lounging with my dogs. Lola and Rufus have truly become an extension of myself….I’m not sure this is healthy…but I feel like I can read their minds and they can read my mind? And maybe our brains are merging and I am turning into a dog and they are turning into humans? Only time will tell.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!! K, BYE!!
As I sit in my living room writing this reflection, my dog, Rufus, is craning his head toward my oat-milk. Yes - you heard right. I’ve decided that warm oat milk (don’t knock it till you try it) is now a VITAL part of my writing process. It’s a Friday night and I’m home alone with the dog. Just to set the scene for you, picture two armchairs with a coffee table in between them. Imagine a girl sitting criss-cross-apple-sauce on one of the chairs, a 120 pound dog sitting on the other armchair, and a mug of warm oat-milk resting on the coffee table between them. The dog and the girl stare at each other wondering who will get the milk. Both the girl and the dog know that the dog will win. The girl registers that her oat-milk will soon be gone. So she chugs it all before the dog can make a move and the dog falls asleep and the girl continues to write. Talk about a powerful moment before...
HEY GUYS!! Here I am with another reflection. I’m half way through my first semester of senior year at Otterbein and it feels absolutely unreal. I am now, like, one of the old women within the sphere of college aged kids. A “senior citizen” if you will. I am taking the semester online from my hometown of Austin, Texas. While I would love to be in person, my teachers are doing a phenomenal job of educating us online. I’m grateful that they altered our curriculum rather than just canceling all performance-related activity. We have dance every morning, we have productive class sessions, we have master classes at least once a week, and we are still producing a season of shows. The commitment of my department gives me motivation to look past the challenges of online learning. Plus, my dogs are receiving a free theater education. Lola sits in on all of my classes. She particularly enjoys directing class.
In August, my mom built me a dance floor in the garage. She attached old mirrors to walls, nailed plywood to palettes, and even hung curtains to make the space special.
Lately, I’ve found a lot of peace in spending time with family and friends. Here are a few weekly rituals I have that make me feel grounded:
I listen to the Hamilton soundtrack for hours every week with the little girl I babysit.
My best friend, Lily, and I play basketball at the park, make dinner together, or take a walk every week.
My brother and I watch “Big Mouth” on Netflix after long busy days.
Every Saturday, I run with my mom and my aunt at Town Lake. Afterwards, we get smoothies.
I am learning to slow down, and enjoy the little moments:)
Until next month!!
- Han
I’m happy to say that I spent the month of July filming clips for the Summer Stock Austin 2020 season: CyberStock. Visit www.summerstockaustin.org on August 16th at 7:30pm and tune into this epic virtual movie musical!
About CyberStock:
“The story we are telling is reflective of our current reality, told through the lens of our young creators and performers. Art has the unique opportunity to hold a mirror to society. Sometimes there is beauty. Other times, there is pain. Oftentimes, it is a catalyst for change. More importantly, it is always with hope, heart, and humanity... that we can bring people together. And in this time, we can't think of anything more vital” - artistic director Ginger Morris
Stay up to date on all things Summer Stock Austin...
Instagram - @summerstockatx
Link Tree - https://linktr.ee/Summerstockatx
Website - www.summerstockaustin.org
June was a quiet month. I spent my time working at the grocery store, playing basketball with my friends, and snuggling with my dogs. I made the hard decision to take classes online next semester due to the pandemic.
It’s a weird time. I don’t know what to write about because my life is pretty similar from day to day. I have found peace with my situation. I try to find happiness in the daily mundane tasks. I enjoy the simplicity of my routine. I wake up, run, go to work, eat dinner with my family, do the dishes, and then go to sleep.
Hopefully, I’ll have more to write about in July!
Books Read:
The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
The Subtle Art Of Not Giving a F*** by Mark Manson
Movies Watched:
Call Me By Your Name
Fried Green Tomatoes
Hey everybody! May flew by. This month I had the pleasure of performing at a Sondheim garden party. Everyone wore masks and there were very few people in the audience in order to stay safe during quarantine. I was so grateful to get the chance to perform again.
A picture of me singing at the Sondheim Broadway Brunch in ATX along side the amazing Adam Roberts on the keys:) Photo credit: photohouse films
On top of this, I spend the month working at Randalls and working on two online classes. When I wasn’t working, I was running! I’m excited to say I ran my first half marathon. Here are some of the lessons I learned from the experience:
For my next half marathon, I want make it a goal to train with a purpose. I ran a 10 min 11 second mile. I’d like to decrease that time to 8 minute miles. This will require alot more speed training than I’m used too! This will also require me to stretch consistently after runs and work on my core strength. I have always struggled to engage my core. I’m making it a goal to do a quick ab routine and stretch routine after each run
It’s important to get a lot of sleep (8 hours) before the race
I need to make sure I am hydrating the day before the race
I learned that eating oatmeal before a 13 mile run is a bad idea...I had horrible cramps by mile 9
The next time I do a half marathon in Texas I will start running before the sun comes out. I started my run around 8a and it was already hot. By 9a it was like 90 degrees outside!!
Books Read:
If I Die in a Combat Zone by Tim O’Brien
Eaves of Heaven by Andrew Pham
Movies Watched:
Jurassic World
The Revenant
April flew by!
I spent the first part of the month finishing up junior year. We had a lot of really cool masterclasses and my favorite part of the week was getting to see my classmates and teachers through Zoom.
Other than classwork, I spent a lot of time hiking with my mom and dogs. I also enjoyed many long morning jogs. The Texas weather is perfect right now. I’m trying to soak up the good weather before it gets super hot.
Goal for May: Stretch before bed
Plays Read:
Of Mice and Men (I read this again this month for an assignment)
A Little Night Music script
Movies Watched:
Good Will Hunting
After spring break, I was only at Otterbein for a week before the school switiched to an online platform and we were forced to go home due to COVID-19. In the midst of this tough and scary time, I am deeply grateful to be with my family. Some of the highlights of the past two weeks at home include:
Walking the dogs with my mom - As we are forced to social distance, I am staying at my Dads house. This doesn’t stop me from seeing my mom. Everyday, she drives from her house to my Dad’s house so she, my brother, and I can do a social distance walk together. Their is nothing more special to me than walking with my mom. She helps me process through my emotions, we laugh at how cute our dogs are, we try but fail at making Tik Tok videos, and we enjoy the sunshine.
Breakfast / Dinner - Every morning I wake up and make a big breakfast. Lately I’ve been enjoying eggs, avocado toast, and greek yogurt in the mornings. Always with a cup of coffee of course! If I’m feeling really special, I’ll make chocolate chip pancakes. I’m lucky to live with a chef. Noi has been teaching Ben and I how to make some of her recipes. Everynight, around 7 or 8p, I eat a Thai dinner with my family. It’s the only time we are fully unplugged from the digital world, and I find this to be a very grounding part of my routine that I can look forward to everyday.
Watching my classmates perform through zoom:)
Facetiming friends
Watching The West Wing with my brother
Running
Learning to play the E chord on the guitar
My goal for April is to write down the little moments I am grateful for each morning.
Plays read this month:
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Our Town by Thorton Wilder
Movies / TV shows watched this month:
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Spaceballs
Tiger King (this is a Netflix documentary series that is VERY popular at the moment)
Father of the Bride
The West Wing
My mom captured this photo of my dog Lola and I on one of our daily walks
I’ve been eating this for breakfast pretty much everyday. Normally with eggs as well.
(Photo by Logan Reeder) My brother and I performing at Junior Cabaret
February was epic. I was focused throughout the days and life was balanced! I spend the month swinging for A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder. My highlight for the month was watching my friends shine in A Gentleman's Guide. The show was seriously hilarious...like my stomach hurt from laughing so hard every night. My department is very sad that we have to put the production on hold due to COVID19. I feel lucky that I got to see the show runs every night. The public would have absolutely loved it!! And even though they didn’t get to see it, I’m grateful that I got to be a part of such an amazing group. When it comes down to it, life is about enjoying the little moments. My time as a swing in rehearsals for GGLAM was full of so many little moments of laughter. When I add it all up, I realize that the show brought me a whole lot of JOY, and no virus can take that away!!
Aside from rehearsals, I spend a lot of time with my best friend / roommate Marley Runk. We watched many ice skating videos, listened to records, and danced. Very grateful for her.
Junior Cabaret was such a good time. My brother, grandma, dad, and step-mom surprised me by showing up to the show. I was elated. I love them so much and to know they travelled so far to watch me perform for 20 minute meant the world to me. My stepmom bought me a bunch of thai food that we ate that night in the hotel after my performance. Also my rockstar mom got to watch the performance through facebook livestream. I wish she could have been there in person, but I’m happy she got to see the recording:)
I travelled with my classmates Emma Kate and Grace Dillon for summer stock auditions in Chicago. We stayed with my twin brother Ben. Colin (another one of our classmates) met us in Chicago at the natural history museum. The five of us had So. Much. Fun.
After Chicago, Emma Kate and I spent spring break in Florida with her grandparents (who are angels). We went to Universal Studios for a day, stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel, and attended a drum circle on the beach.
Goal for March: Make a reasonable to-do list every day.
Advice: If I could go back in time and give February Hannah advice, I would tell her, “drink more water”. I also would tell her to, “take ownership of your classwork. Don’t strive for perfection. Strive to be a part of a story onstage. Think of every performance as your last”. \
Books Read this month:
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Movies Watched this month:
Kill Bill Vol. 2
Harry Potter 4 & 5
The Shape of Water
My MT Studio class and I being cute and candid at Northstar.
And just like that the first month of the year is over! The past four weeks flew by. I spent the first week spending time with my family in Texas. One of my favorite memories from the first week of January was helping my Mom in her classroom. My mom is a fantastic teacher. She is loving, patient, and firm towards her class. Getting to see her in her element makes me so happy! I played basketball, did crafts, and read Junie B. Jones to her kids. After a long day of teaching, my mom and I had barbecue and then watched A Marriage Story.
The next week I went back to school, turned 21, and started classes. Some highlights from the past 3 weeks of classes include: filming audition videos for summer-stocks, taking my first chemistry test, starting rehearsals for A Gentleman’s Guide (I really enjoy swinging), and putting together my Junior Cabaret set.
If I could go back in time and give Hannah in the past advice this month I would tell her this:
Dance Advice: “Think about your posture throughout the day, not just during dance. Push yourself to dance more full out that you believe you are capable of. Fail big so that teachers know how to correct your technique. If you dance small, because you are afraid of messing up, people won’t know how to help you. Find the layers in your movement.”
Voice Advice: “Plan out what songs you need to print each week ahead of time. There is no value in printing out sheet music right before a voice lesson. Think about how you use your voice throughout the day, not just while practicing singing. Energize throughout the entire phrase, don’t stop halfway through”
Audition Advice: “Come up with a goal for each audition. The goal shouldn’t ever be to book the show. The goal should be something specific about your performance. For instance, I want to stay present throughout my whole 16 bar cut. Always measure your success based on an attainable goal rather than whether or not you booked the show. There will be far more rejections than acceptances. It doesn’t matter if you get the part or not. Think of an audition as a performance! Enjoy each performance, be proud of your work, embrace your imperfections, and move forward”
Goal for February: **focus on posture / vocal habits throughout the day ** ; 15 minutes of arm workouts a day ; cut out dairy for the voice and eat vegetables with lunch and dinner
Books Read this month:
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life by Jane Sherron De Hart
Movies watched this month:
Parasite
Kill Bill Vol. 1
The One Hundred Foot Journey
Hey guys! The fall semester of my junior year is coming to a close. The past 4 months have been a whirlwind of odd jobs, a busy class schedule, and musicals. Thought at times it was tough, I wanted to reflect on why this was my favorite semester at Otterbein yet.
1) A Giant Pumpkin Costume, Group Fitness Classes, and The Democratic Presidential Debate
After summer break, I went directly into Chicago rehearsals. This meant that I had to find a way to support myself financially that did not interfere with my intense rehearsal schedule. It was a challenge, but I made it work! I returned to Melt Hot Fitness, doing the job that I’ve had since freshman year there. I dove back in to teaching barre at Melt once a week. On top of that, I started teaching cardio barre at Otterbein once a week. That’s about all I could commit to on a weekly basis with classes all day and rehearsals all night. I made a promise to myself to take on any little jobs that came my way throughout the semester in order to bring in extra cash. People always have told me about the famous “side hustling” that comes along with being a performer. Now I really respect the act of finding extra work. As of right now, my specialized “hustle” is literally committing to any random work I can find on campus if it fits into my free time. For this semester, that meant committing to Boo at the Zoo and volunteering at the Democratic Presidential Debate.
Thank you to Emma Shine for capturing this image of me stepping into the Spookily the Square Pumpkin for the first time.
Boo at the Zoo is an event that happens every fall at the Columbus Zoo. As a performer at the zoo this year, I rotated between performing in a pumpkin carving skit for young children, and dressing up in a pumpkin costume for a live reading of Spookley the Square Pumpkin. On weekend days when I had no rehearsals, I would go to the zoo and rotate between these activities every hour from about 10a-6p. Never in a million years did I think I would get paid to wear a pumpkin costume and read halloween books to kids. The best part of the job was getting to see all of the cute halloween costumes that kids would show up in. For anyone who wants a good time and some extra cash, I highly recommend doing any amusement park / zoo performance work you can find!
Working the at the Presidential Democratic Debate was the highlight of my semester. I spent the eve of the debate running the printer for CNN staff members (a group of kind, patient, organized, hardworking individuals) and observing the massive amounts of preparation required for a national television event. The day of the debate was magical to say the least! My friends and I put on our best debate attire, we went to a local tea shop for lunch, we then waited in line for like 5 hours, and finally made our way into the gym for a night that I will never forget.
2) Morning Dance, Beginner Piano, and Choreo 2
This was the first semester that I had a lot of freedom with creating my class schedule. Every Tuesday and Thursday I took Choreo and Piano back to back. Choreo challenged me to stop overthinking. I had 5 class periods to choreograph the entirety of “Loud” from Matilda the Musical. My natural tendency is to procrastinate when choreographing a piece, but I was forced to keep moving with only 5 rehearsals. I found a rhythm half way through the process and ended up having so much fun! My friends and I experimented with interesting lifts and ended up putting some of them in the final piece. Taking Piano gave me a chance to take a break from thinking about the shows I was in and to exercise my mind in a new way. I suggest taking a music class unrelated to your major if you are looking to add some spice to your life.
3) Chicago, Title of Show, and Fun Home
The majority of my semester was spent working on 3 wildly different shows. I started the year off as Go to Hell Kitty in Chicago. Melissa Lusher, Stella Kane, and Lori Kay Harvey, collaborated together to make wonderful and unique version of the musical. The best part of this show for me was getting to spend time with the other ensemble members. Onstage, we all went ham during the court room scene and the energy in Cowan was electric dancing the “Hot Honey Rag” with the entire cast onstage. My best friend, Marley Runk, served as the assistant director which was amazing because we got to walk to and from rehearsals together, and visit with one another during breaks. Thomas Martin’s costumes were FIRE. Performing in this musical was a great way to kick off the year.
Title of Show was the biggest challenge of everything I worked on. We spent a little over 2 hours working on the show every Tuesday and Thursday in MT Studio. The point of classroom projects at Otterbein is to push students out of their comfort zones and allow them to work in a focused rehearsal setting for an extended period of time. In this classroom project, I played Hunter, a role normally played by a male that we gender-bent. We spent 2 weeks on music and a large part of that time was used to figure out which parts of songs I would sing up the octave and which parts of songs I would sing down the octave. With the help of Lori Kay, our fabulous music director, and Dr. Keyona Willis, my voice teacher who literally is an angel sent from above, I managed to find a way to sing the traditionally male sung music in a way that felt comfortable. The comedic timing of the show was really hard to find because it required attention to detail, subtlety, and a deep understanding of New York City theater culture in the early 2000’s. Our director, Thom Warren, gave us an in depth dramaturgical run down of the many references mentioned throughout the show that we needed to know. He taught us to keep the energy up throughout the hour and a half 4 person show. This was tricky! Once we got the energy where it needed to be, Thom helped us to find levels so that the show wasn’t performed in one place, but that it grew. Not only did I discover the importance of finding moments to breath, slow down, start small, but I also learned how to root a comedy in truth, thanks to the guidance of Thom. This show explores the highs and lows of being a theater artist, and presents a writer and composer’s journey to Broadway in a hilarious, out-of-the-box, and heart felt way.
Last, but certainly not least, I got the opportunity to performer in Isabel Billinghurst’s Advanced Directing Project production of Fun Home. It was a 5 person cast with piano by our music director Spencer Stern. One actor played Bruce, and the rest of us rotated throughout the show. However we each had base characters that we played throughout the show, and mine was Medium Allison. It was my first time performing in the pit theater (a black box located in our school’s campus center). My brother flew from Chicago to watch our opening performance. This meant the world to me! Fun Home is a show that I could perform over and over again and never get tired of. I’m grateful I had the chance to do it with a group of lovely people!:)
Thanks for reading,
Hannah
Hi everyone! This summer I took a 3 month long break from performing to work as an appetizer cook and expediter under the guidance of my step mother, Somyong Sukkij, otherwise known as Noi, who happens to be an amazing chef. My first few weeks on the job were filled with panic, as I had no prior restaurant experience. Luckily, Noi whipped me into shape! I thought I’d share some the takeaways I gathered throughout the process of this new experience.
Noi and I in the kitchen after work. During the work day we wear hairnets btw! Here we were just cooking for. ourselves.
Pay Attention to Detail. At the restaurant, I had to cut green onions, lime, cucumber, soft tofu, cantaloupe, pineapple, mango, and wonton dough in mass amounts on a regular basis. There was a specific quantity of each produce item I had to reach by the end of a shift. Cutting pineapple was the bane of my existence. The technique to remove all of the skin in a quick yet aesthetic fashion required a level of coordination I simply didn’t have.
One Tuesday morning, I was sloppily chopping a ripe pineapple with the objective to finish my prep work as soon as humanly possible so I could leave. “Hannah, no! Do you know how to cut?”, came a firm voice from behind me. My step mother stared at me with disapproving eyes. I never liked seeing a dissapointed Noi. She worked unbelievably hard to make sure every nitty gritty detail was in place for our customers. Every plate rim was to be crum free, every garnish fresh and appealing to the eye, and every table was to be served in a timely manner. Her expectations were high but clear, and when I failed to meet them due to my own laziness, her corrections where a wake up call that I needed to get my head back in the game. The guilt immediately rushed through me. “Oh, I am sorry”, I replied. The 4’10” Thai woman that is my step mother paraded over to my side of the kitchen, grasped the half of the pineapple I hadn’t gotten to yet, and cut the devilish fruit with speed and precision. It was then and there that I made the choice to work my hardest to produce quality pineapple prep work. Fortunately for me, pineapples went out of season shortly after I made the commitment and we switched to selling cantaloupe. Regardless, I learned that quality work is achieved by paying attention to the details.
Team Work Makes the Dream Work. The ensemble spirit at “Thai, How Are You?” motivated me when I wanted to quit. In the beginning, I knew absolutely nothing about cooking, I had an astonishingly low amount of spacial awareness which proved to be problematic in the tight space, and I was slow in an environment that depended on speed. People responded to my lack of skill in different ways. Some gave me very specific corrections when I screwed up, while others left me alone until I asked for help.
Noi was hard on me when I made mistakes, snapping things such as, “You need to learn how to think”, or “HURRRY Hannah!” in Thai. Sometimes Noi’s impatience wore on me. I was already hard on myself, I didn’t need her to reaffirm my insecurities. Over time, I realized that her criticism was constructive whereas my self-criticism was destructive. She was hard on me because she cared about me. She believed in me. Regardless of how people felt about the fact that I was working in the restaurant with no prior experience, they accepted me and helped me to grow. If I was behind on my cutting, people would pitch in to get the job done. If I screwed up a curry or a batch of spring rolls, people would stop what they were doing to give me corrections. If I put the wrong garnish on a dish, the cooks would remake the dish with no complaints. The palpable team spirit was infectious.
Observing my step mother’s work ethic impacted me the most this summer. Noi worked all day everyday for as long as the restaurant had been open. She pitched in at every station cooking, waiting tables, prepping food, expiditing, bussing, dish washing, catering, cleaning, buying food, and dealing with delivery services (and she continues to to this day). There were times when people wouldn’t show up for their shift. Noi was the one that had to take their place on those days. From 3p-5p Noi mutlitasked as line cook, appetizer cook, and expiditer all on her own. At the end of the day, all of the responsibility fell on her shoulders, and she managed it like a superhero. I cared about her well being, which caused me to care about the well-being of the restaurant.
Choose Joy. The people I worked with seemed to be genuinely happy even when doing tedious tasks. I began to laugh in the kitchen with my co workers. We played card games on breaks. One of the waitresses would bring us pancakes from the restaurant she worked at when she wasn’t at “Thai, How Are You”. It was a community of humble, hardworking individuals that inspired me smile even when I was tired. I gained a sense of peace in the workplace that carried over into other parts of my life. Even though I wasn’t performing for an audience this summer, theater remained a key part of my life. I went home from work each day motivated to sing, dance, and listen to my favorite musicals.
A pic of the famous “Hi, How Are You” mural. The popular tourist spot forms the outer wall of Noi’s restaurant cleverly named “Thai, How Are You?”
I really like the fact that the things that helped me succeed at “Thai, How Are You”, are the same things that help me stay grounded in rehearsal (aka paying attention to detail, team spirit, choosing joy, etc). It was neat to uncover parallels between running a restaurant and running a show:) Also, it is nice to finally be able to cook. I scramble eggs, cook noodles, and cut pineapple with GUSTO these days thanks to Noi.