We recently connected with Hannah Fontes and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Hannah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Since college, I had been working on a one-woman cabaret show that began as a school assignment. Since then, I had tinkered with it on and off when I felt inspired, something in my life changed, or I was feeling like I needed to get my thoughts on paper. It has always been in the back of my mind to produce this show some day. At the end of 2022 I decided to pursue it! I asked the Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival if they would be willing to take a chance on it, they did, and it sold out the first time we did it! After that, it was picked up by the Island Shakespeare Festival in Washington, it was produced again at FlagShakes, and then got picked up by Bridge Initiative in Phoenix most recently. The show means a lot to me and discusses my trials as a young woman. It covers breakups, my mom getting sick, disordered eating, learning to love myself and love others well, and much more. The show is titled I Am Playing Me and features songs of all genres tying together stories from my life. I am very proud of the show and every time I do the show, I get feedback that people connected with my story, and appreciate the honesty and vulnerability.

Hannah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am an actor, singer, aerialist (aerial hoop), podcast host, producer, and arts administrator (Marketing Director at the Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival) based in Flagstaff, AZ. I grew up in small town California, moved to Utah (Southern Utah University) for a degree in Musical Theater, and am now based in Flagstaff, AZ. Even though I live in Arizona, I travel and contract out to theaters across the country as a professional actor often.

I specialize in Shakespeare, musical theater, and movement based work (mostly aerial work!). I believe I bring positivity to my work place, an eagerness to learn new things and create cool art, make new friends, and be kind. I believe in not comparing yourself to others, finding what you consider success (not what others do) and going after it, finding a healthy work/life/art balance, and making your own opportunities.

To God be all the glory!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part of being a creative, is having the privilege to learn from and express myself through my art. Often times, my art helps me understand my own feelings and experiences, it helps me reflect upon myself and the things I have gone through. It helps me grieve, celebrate, and understand my own self and the world around me.

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

I had to learn to say no to unpaid work as a career artist. This can be hard and can feel selfish and feel like you are passing up opportunities. But I believe that although most institutions cannot pay a living wage or what the artist truly deserves (which I fully understand, it’s hard out there!), paying something, anything, even gas money, is a step in the right direction to creating sustainable careers in the arts.

But I also believe theater and art happens at all levels. Community theater and free art programs are still incredible and should be supported! Community theater gives non career artists a chance to create art and express themselves. But we as a society need to feel comfortable paying our artists.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @hanniekenz, @untamedshrews, @flagshakes

Image Credits
Michelle Badger Photography (aerial shots) G’s Photos All others personal shots!