We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christa Collier a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Christa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Every show we do is meant to tell a woman’s story, a story that might not otherwise be heard, as women’s voices are often drowned out by multiple factors. Women tend to take a back seat for the greater good, tend to put their wants and needs second, third, fourth, to make sure others are well-cared for, no matter how it affects them.
The building of this company, show by show, is a meaningful project, in and of itself. Every show reveals a new truth, a new narrative that women go through and overcome and master. Without these stories revealing universes that multiple people can relate to, both men and women, we only continue to help silence succeed. So many women need help breaking said silence. I like to think that we are having a small part, a small ripple effect, in creating a little more sound for them, for all of us.

Christa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have worked in theatre for most of my adult life, having begun my studies in theatre and music at the age of 10. With both an undergrad and graduate school degree in theatrical performance and production, I worked in film, television and off-broadway to effect whatever creativity I could in the world.
After working on a local production of Steel Magnolias with an incredible group of women, all of whom like me, have other day jobs and families they are trying to support, we decided we wanted more when it came to our creative outlets and our abilities to share our theatrical work.

We formed Magnolia Productions to be able to focus on women’s stories and to help our local communities with outreach, informtion, and emotional support. Helping people feel like they’re not alone in the world is one of theatre’s greatest gifts to the individuals who are able to see and participate as an audience. As a brand, we focus on inclusion and bringing strength to those who might otherwise feel powerless, helpless, or overwhelmed by their situations. Tell me that hasn’t been any one of us at some point? Don’t you wish you had a group who wanted you to know you weren’t alone, while also watching fun shows and getting to laugh and cry with like-minded individuals? The shared experience, making your concerns universal, that’s how we become stronger, more empathetic, more giving….more human.

That is what Magnolia Productions is about.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Let’s stop perpetuating the negativity. Let’s bring back respect and dignity. The advent of social media has allowed for a lot of new voices in the world, some creative, some less so, but most opiniated and self-focused. Many of these voices look to be louder than the rest, and when trying to drown others out, they tend towards the negative, the hurtful, and the half-truths, or self-proclaimed truths. This hurts not only the creative society, but society as a whole.

It is so much harder to be kind and generous in the face of hate. It is so much more difficult to forgive in the face of destruction. Theatre can help us, all of us, be better. We need to stop reveling in the disenfranchisement of others and remember that Earth not only accepts all kinds, but *needs* all kinds in order to thrive. Society would do well to remember that before we self-destruct under our own lack of tolerance and understanding.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I was knee-deep into my personal theatre/film career when my home family life largely fell apart in two, separate but equally meaningul ways. I struggled to find a new home, and in that struggle, had to give up on my dreams in their immediacy.

I found a new life, a new career in real estate, and told myself it would be okay. I told myself I didn’t need to pursue the creative arts, didn’t need to create worlds for other people in order to be happy. This self-denial lasted for about 9 years, until I discovered I could forge my own path, using the foundation I had spent the past decade rebuilding. I had new family members and friends who supported my dreams and supported my wish to start creating again….with all of them by my side.

While this was a pivot, some could also say it was a kind of Frostian “road not taken”. Many artists have had to pave their own way in order to stay creative. And, in the true spirit of theatre, not for one second did I do any of this rebuilding alone. And now, I get to help share stories so that others know they don’t have to either. Because I know, how well I know, I am not the only one.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://magnoliaproductions.org/
• Instagram: @magnoliaproductionsnj

Image Credits

Samantha Ambler
Rachel Hamilton
Carl Hoffman
Matt Gochman
Julia James
Jenn Hyman-Zimmerman
Andrea Bell-Wolf