By the time Hannah Fernandes started kindergarten, she had seen her first live theatre show and was a veteran actress herself. “My first performances took place in my living room where I performed Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and The Wizard of Oz, in the lead roles at the tender age of two years old, with my parents performing all the other characters,” says Fernandes, a sophomore musical theatre major from La Crosse, Wis.
She also developed her own sense of style at an early age. “I was never without a costume growing up and would rarely go to preschool in regular clothes,” she says. As she got older, she never did outgrow her love of costumes or performing.
When it came time to choose a college, Fernandes’ high school voice teacher suggested Wichita State. After learning more about the musical theatre program, she applied.
After she was accepted, she and her parents decided to visit campus. “The day we were supposed to fly down, our flight was canceled due to weather,” she says. “We jumped in the car at 3 p.m. and drove for 12 hours. Even though we were exhausted the next day, I fell in love with the program and, even more so, the people.”
In particular, she appreciated faculty members’ interaction with students. “The faculty saw me as a unique, individual artist,” she says. “Dr. Pina Mozzani made a huge impression on me, and I felt like I would be in very capable hands studying with her at WSU.”
Now in her second year at Wichita State, Fernandes knows she made the right choice. “I have a wonderful set of classes that I’m required to take, which are essential for my professional success,” she says. “I also have the freedom to take classes I’m interested in, such as stage combat, women’s studies and psychology. Being a well-rounded person is important to me, and I feel as if I can be that here at Wichita State.”
Fernandes also appreciates the responsibility demanded of her. “Everything about Wichita State is preparing students for the real world of being a professional,” she says. “I’m learning that in the future, no one will be there to wake me up and make me get ready for an audition or dance class.”
As she continues to grow as a performer, she enjoys taking on a variety of roles. “Being in the theatre, you have to be a student of the world, taking inspiration from anything or anybody,” she says. “Acting is the biggest act of empathy one could ever partake in. You have to put yourself in the character’s shoes to understand why they did or didn’t do something. It gets really fascinating when you get into roles that are so different from your own personality. Learning is one of my biggest passions, so it makes character work enthralling.”
One challenging character with a personality and life experience opposite her own is Percy, a role Fernandes played in WSU’s September production of The Spitfire Grill. “The character is such a tortured soul,” says Fernandes. “Percy’s most crucial, formative years were spent being sexually abused and then in jail for five years, growing up behind bars for a crime she only committed to defend herself. After I read the script five or six times, taking notes, I decided to go to the Sedgwick County Jail for research. Going to the jail alone was completely eye-opening.”
In addition to tackling the challenge of the role, Fernandes enjoyed working with Music Theatre of Wichita director Wayne Bryan, who was at the helm of The Spitfire Grill. “Being able to work with such a talented professional was an amazing experience in itself,” she says. “He’s so generous with his knowledge and challenged me in the best ways.” For her performance as Percy — Fernandes’ first leading role on a WSU stage — she garnered an Irene Ryan Award nomination and will travel to Minneapolis, Minn., in January to compete for the award.
For this rising star, the ultimate goal is to be a Broadway actress. She understands the preparation such a career requires, and is doing what she can to make her dream a reality. “I want to get as much experience as I can, including studying as much as I can from as many different people as I can,” she says. “The education I’m getting from WSU is absolutely wonderful.”
