From stage sets, to directing, to lighting and costumes, Hoover High School’s new theater director Miss Morgan Brown can tackle it all. With an education in theater and a close connection to the North Canton community, Brown shares about her career in the arts, her love for performing and her experience so far at Hoover.
Q: What is your background in theater?
A: “I have loved theater for pretty much my whole life. I started acting when I was seven years old. I went to audition for Christmas Carol and I got the part of “Want”, which if you’re familiar with the show, there is a part right at the end of the first act where these kids crawl out from under The Ghost of Christmas Present’s jacket, and then they’re gone five minutes later. I absolutely loved it. In that moment I decided that I wanted to do this forever. When I went to college and I concentrated on theater production. After that, I figured I would combine two things that I love, which is theater, and teaching. I got to teach a bunch of classes in college, mostly to kids in community theaters, and I loved that. So I thought ‘Wow, I may as well combine the two and see if I can teach theater somewhere,’ It was sort of like a ‘stars aligning moment’ when they just happened to have the theater position open up at the middle school, and here I am!”
Q: What has your experience been like directing shows? What goals do you try to reach with each show you direct?
A: “My very first show that I directed was in college. My thesis project was directing a show at Kent Stark, and it was all student led. That was an amazing experience for me, to be in the driver’s seat of a fully student led production. Then after that, I directed at different community theaters, and of course here at Hoover with Matilda and Titanic. My goal when I direct a show is to make it the most enjoyable experience for the people involved. Of course you want it to be a good show, of course you want to sell tickets, but the reason why people do theater is because they love it. The experience of it needs to be something that you remember fondly. If we get a great show, then that’s the cherry on top, but the meat of it is people forming relationships and enjoying the process.”
Q: What is the process of choosing a musical?
A: “When you look at a musical, you have to look at a couple of things. If it’s high school, you need to show that it can be relatively large, you don’t want to cut off opportunities. If you have a lot of strong female actresses or a lot of strong male actors, you can look for a show that fits those categories. For example, with “Cinderella” this year, I would say that there is an equal number of guys and girls that are strong in this program. Of course you want to look at how well known the show is, you can do shows that are less well known, but you’d kind of need to bolster it.”
Q: What do you hope to bring to the theater program at Hoover? What changes do you hope to make?
A: “I want to make it so when people think of the theater program at Hoover, they think of a positive group of people who are totally accepting. Theater is an open door for everybody. It’s welcoming, and you know you can be yourself. In my classroom, I want people to know that when they walk in that they are respected and valued. I’d like to add in some more drama focused elements to our year. I’d like to have a couple showcases here and there, something extra for our theater There’s a lot of opportunities that we can take a hold of.”
Q: What stood out to you about Hoover High School? What have you enjoyed so far?
A: I grew up in North Canton, but I went to GlenOak, so I’ve been around this community my entire life. A couple of my best friends went to Hoover, and my boyfriend went to Hoover. I have had all these little connections to Hoover throughout my life, and I have heard great things about it. People enjoyed their experiences. I fi gured if it was a good place to be a student it’s probably also a good place to work. So far, I’ve loved the people, everyone is so welcoming and positive. It’s honestly been the most wonderful experience of my life. I love it here!”
