We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Donovan Mahannah. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Donovan below.

Hi Donovan, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

I first caught the acting bug at age 10 when I auditioned to play Captain Vegetable in my 5th grade play. Although I had always been artistic and creative, I had never acted before. Something awakened in me after that performance—the applause and praise were exhilarating, and I loved brining joy and laughter to people without getting in trouble from my teachers. My principal told my mom he knew this was what I was meant to do for the rest of my life. Despite encouragement from my family, teachers, and friends to keep pursuing acting, I resisted. In middle school, I was caught up in the struggle to fit in and seem ‘cool.’ I wrestled with figuring out who I was—trying to accept and love my creative side while feeling pressured to be an athlete or excel in areas that didn’t truly interest me.
Halfway through my sophomore year, I couldn’t fight my destiny any longer. It started when unbeknownst to me, my counselor enrolled me in an elective theatre class. A week later, my mom found out the school was holding auditions for the spring musical – Les Misérables. I was hesitant to audition—not sure if I’d be good enough and worried it wouldn’t be ‘cool.’ My mom and grandma, determined to get me there, bribed me with $20.
During auditions, the director recognized me from my fifth-grade role as Captain Vegetable and was incredibly encouraging. I was cast in the show, and it changed my life. I fell in love with the performing and the theatre community—a place where I could truly be myself. I don’t know that I would change anything about my journey and how I arrived to my current destination. I can look back and identify how each production, relationship, disappointment, learning lesson – led me to exactly where I am now. It’s been 10 years and I am so incredibly fortunate that my journey continues.

Donovan, 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?

Hi, my name is Donovan Mahannah, and I am a Seattle based actor. I got my start in theatre acting when I was 15 years old, starting in high school productions, education programs through local theatres, and mainstage community theatre show. Since 2022, I have been fortunate enough to work with some of the best professional theatres in Seattle. I have always been an artistic person and knew from an early age that I wanted to pursue a career in the arts. Acting and performing provides me a creative outlet that utilizes my strengths, while pushing me to grow as an artist and a person. I’ve had the privilege of working with and learning from some incredibly smart, generous, and talented people who continue to encourage and inspire me on my journey. I am drawn to the intimacy and connection of live theatre – with my cast and production team as well as the energy exchange that occurs with the audience through the storytelling experience. Theatre evokes so many different emotions and it makes people think, learn, and reflect. It is one of the rare spaces people disconnect from their phones and just taking in the story unfolding before them. I am proud I get to be a part of this unique and powerful human experience.

Have you ever had to pivot?

That first year of Covid-19 pandemic was a significant adjustment for me and, in hindsight, a time of immense growth. In March 2020, I was 20 years old, living in Portland, and had just been cast in my first professional show. However, the run was cancelled after the first run of the week. The next day, I had to move back home with my mom, thinking the lockdown would last only a few weeks. That time of uncertainty was incredibly difficult. I wondered if my acting career was ending before it could begin. Adding to that, I was at the age where I was excited and ready to experience being an independent young adult and all of the life lessons that come with that. Instead, I was stuck at home, isolated, anxious about keeping my mom and grandparents safe.

Once theatres started reopening, it looked very different. Covid continued to deeply impact productions. And that required the need for a lot of flexibility and empathy – not only for my castmates, but for myself. Adjusting to the virtual auditions, play readings, and performances was challenging, but it has also created opportunity for more accessibility and equity for actors who otherwise might not be able to attend in person auditions.

This experience taught me resilience and showed me that I can adapt to challenging circumstances. It has reinforced my ability to pivot when necessary and it has reminded me of the strength and creativity that come from being a part of the theatre community.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I have been extremely fortunate in my journey, both in the people I have met and worked with and the opportunities I’ve been given. In high school and community theatre I worked with some tremendously talented people helped prepare me for the professional theatre world. While I’m appreciative of my journey so far, I do wish there were more accessible resources for youth who cannot travel to professional theatre houses as well as more support for young BIPOC artists wanting to explore theater and the arts.

It was during my time taking classes and participating in education programs with professional theatres in Seattle that I realized I wanted theatre to evolve from a hobby into a career. Those programs—and the working professionals I met through them—opened doors and created a lot of opportunities. I also have been able to work with a lot of BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ creatives that prioritize and are intentional about creating safe and affirming spaces for artists. That is not always my experience when I was younger so it made me more aware of what emotional and physical safety in the theatre space should look and feel like.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: dono.mahannah

Image Credits

Sarah Sanborn
Danielle Barnum Photography
Jim Carroll