Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shanan Custer . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Shanan , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

I’ve started referring to what I do and, to a certain extent, who I am as a Theater Maker. Sometimes I leave off the capitalization so that it feels more approachable: theater maker. I work full-time in theater and my days are a combination of teaching, rehearsing, writing, performing and creating. I guess you could say that I have managed to avoid the “day job.” I don’t love the distinction of a “day job” in my line of work, as if this is somehow an undesirable part of being a theater artist or any artist for that matter. Maybe even a failure. Honestly, I’ve always found it weird the way that the “day job” (as in “But what do you REALLY do?”) is weaponized among theater artists and those questioning them. I went to a liberal arts college when I studied theater and mixed into my day were Theology classes and Biology labs. I think this choice–to attend a liberal arts college as a theater major rather than engage in a pre-professional theater program–prepared me for a life in theater with all of its ups and downs. If an artist creates a life as a software manager or a server or a vet technician, then so be it. I think we are stronger in our complexity. I pay for my own health insurance and I don’t have a 401K, sick leave or vacation days, so you could say that it goes both ways. I do remember–vividly–reading this quote by Annie Dillard while I was in my literature class: “How we spend our days is how we live our lives.” For whatever reason, this truth hit me hard, in the best way. I think about how my days are shaped and what I choose to do with them. Carving out a small place in this industry has always been the goal for me.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and What are you working on now? 

Recently, I have been creating a new show with a friend of mine (Rhiannon Fiskradatz) called “Songversations.” It’s like no other show I have ever written or created. Rhiannon is a singer-songwriter (among many other things) and she brings that talent and point of view to the work. The show, like the title suggests, is part conversation, part song, part storytelling and part ritual. I love how this work stretches me and I’m really excited to keep exploring new themes through the lens of the show. In addition, I am currently directing as well as continuing to perform monthly with the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I studied theater early in my career, first at an all women’s private, liberal arts college and then at a larger university for my graduate work. I went to graduate school because I always knew that I wanted teaching as a part of my life in theater. I started in the directing track in graduate school and, after a year of intense study, I realized that I was too young and too inexperienced to keep going in this direction. I was doing fine, getting the grades and all of that, but it didn’t feel good. I was in my early-twenties and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say. I remember it being such a big deal among the department faculty. I had to meet with all of the key players and I shared honestly about how I wasn’t quite ready to direct. They stared at me with a mixture of fear and pity. I was already a bit odd, a Minnesotan on the east coast where most of my classmates were from New York, so this only added to my strangeness. I switched to a history, theory and criticism track and kept writing. That decision and the realization that there is no right or one way to pursue this kind of life was the best lesson I could have learned. After I graduated, I returned to Minnesota and auditioned at the Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis, a sketch comedy and improv theater and that’s where I found who I wanted to be. Improvisation changed my life. Writing my own work changed my life.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Collaboration. I love being in a room with other people and coming up with new ideas. In theater we are so lucky because you work with people from so many different backgrounds and ages. I’ve done shows with actors who were in their 70’s right alongside actors who were teenagers. I love the energy in a rehearsal room.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: w.e_h.a.v.e_b.e.e.n_t.o.l.d (Songversations)
• Facebook: Songversations
• Linkedin: Shanan Custer

Image Credits
Athena Pelton (Songversation image) Dan Norman (Kin image)