Hannah Peterman’s debut as a director takes place with the opening of “Anne of Green Gables” production at Ukiah Players Theatre (UPT), playing through May 18. For tickets, go to: www.ukiahplayerstheatre.org/box-office Phone: (707) 462-9226. UPT is located at 1041 Low Gap Rd., Ukiah.
Peterman relates her life journey leading her to this place at this time.
“So much of my story starts before me with the world’s most outstanding parents and grandparents, all of them compassionate, intelligent, honest, creative, and humble. Being born into the Peterman family is definitively one of the best things that has ever happened to me. My sisters and I had the privilege of being raised on the family ranch next door to our grandparents; everyone who spent time on that property knew it was a little slice of heaven. My parents chose to homeschool and loved us so thoroughly teaching us hundreds of skills and life lessons. I am outrageously privileged not because of race or economic status but because I was parented and ‘grandparented’ by people who are loved by Jesus and wanted the same for me.
“I have fond memories of crawling up on the piano bench as a toddler next to my grandma who played so excellently and wishing I could play as she did. My parents gifted me piano lessons for my fifth birthday and I’ll always be grateful for that decision. As a child, reading was one of the greatest highlights of my life, I even remember crying on the day I learned to read because of how free I felt. One of the very first literary friends I made was Anne Shirley, I kept coming back to her story in the books on my grandparents’ bookshelf over and over, relating to her perpetual optimism. When I was ten, our family moved from the family ranch in Philo to Redwood Valley and we developed a rich community of friends who have had such great influence in my life.
“Shortly after moving I remember coming to see UPT’s 2011 production of ‘Anne of Green Gables’ and completely loving it. Our family went to see various plays and musicals when I was in high school, and I thought ‘man, the ultimate dream would be to play piano in the pit someday.’
“As a pastor’s kid in a small church, you naturally become the primary ministry team and at just age 13, I became the piano accompanist for church. In high school I competed in a national Christian speech and debate league that absolutely terrified me but would become one of the skillsets I used the most. At the time I had no clue that these skills that I was developing in music, and public speaking would be used in a theater setting.
“My deep love of reading changed as I aged, and I could appreciate a wider range of books and stories. Stories like ‘Ben-Hur,’ ‘Narnia,’ and ‘Les Misérables’ captivated my mind as a teenager. The philosophy behind a story or a character is something that has drawn me into both books and the theater.
“At the end of High School, I decided I wanted to become a teacher (just like ‘Anne of Green Gables’) and decided to pursue a B.A. in Education. Something I wouldn’t come to understand until later is that God has created me with a vibrant desire to learn and research and He has gifted me with the ability to synthesize and explain things I have learned to children.
“I moved to Redding to go to Bible school for a couple of years and ended up switching tracks when I realized that my heart is not just for educating children but answering their questions about God and the Bible creating disciples who know and love Jesus.
“I moved back home just before Covid and sought a B.A. in Apologetics (a fancy word from the Greek that means to give a defense for Christianity. The way I like to explain is that it means my job is to take every block out of the path between a skeptic and Jesus). I enrolled at a university that offers online courses. Even in college ‘Anne’ was someone I kept coming back to as a friend in a challenging season.
In 2023 two very pivotal things happened to me: I graduated from college with a B.A. in Applied Apologetics with an emphasis in cultural engagement. My particular emphasis was on how a Christian can use any media like movies, books, songs, plays, musicals, and art to draw messages and connections with those mediums as a portal of truth about God or His Word. That same year I was asked to be the music director for ‘Something Rotten’ even though the person asking me had never even heard me play piano. The teenager in me who had always dreamed of an opportunity like this to play for a show was squealing! But truthfully, I was thrilled to use a gift God has given me in understanding music to bless our community.
“One of my greatest ambitions is to live as an ambassador for Jesus Christ here on earth no matter where I am, so it seemed to me like the theater was the next place that God needed one of His representatives. During ‘Something Rotten’ I learned so much about what goes on behind the scenes in producing a show but did not think it would be something I would continue to do long term purely for how time consuming it is.
“A few months later some friends thought I should go out for ‘Through the Looking Glass,’ the sequel to ‘Alice in Wonderland.’ As somebody who cannot read enough and lives for the next page in a story when I say ‘Alice in Wonderland’ has never caught my attention – it means something! I’ve never been interested in it so the idea of being in a play based in that world was not at all exciting. But I was encouraged to audition and was cast in several roles in ‘Through the Looking Glass.’ That was my first time getting to be a character in a play and I just loved it, I mean who wouldn’t want to be a magical unicorn?
“During the run of that show, I was honored with the request to direct ‘Anne of Green Gables,’ and I accepted with so much excitement and surprise. I had friends in the theater with ten+ years of experience under their belt who were just learning to direct so the fact that I had been asked to direct with a measly 10 months and two shows under my belt felt shocking.
“I have been thrilled to be on this new adventure, getting to use so many random talents God has blessed me with that I never knew I would use in this context.
“My reason for being involved in this show goes beyond my endearment towards ‘Anne’ or my love of classic literature. I do it because I believe that the arts belong to Jesus. Romans 11:36 “For from him and to him and for him are all things” and that absolutely includes performing arts. The very best of our time, talents, efforts, and abilities belong to God and the arts exist to bring God glory.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Getting to know Hannah Peterman )
Also on site :
- The Beths Announce North American Tour Dates Alongside New Single, ‘Metal’
- Child Damages $56 Million Rothko Painting in Rotterdam Museum
- Four dead after car crashes into after-school camp in US state of Illinois