Hannah Schmidt, a talented performer and a captivating dancer, is now flying around the country with the musical tour of “Peter Pan”, which tells the classic story that everyone has come to know as a child, but with modernized sets and language. Schmidt told us about the process of being the dance captain for this show, and how the cast and crew make pure magic happen on stage.

Everyone involved in the arts has a different story, and Schmidt has her own story to tell. A talented performer like her, of course, has had a unique journey to get to where she is.

“I was pretty young. I was 12 when I told my parents that I wanted to be an actor. It was very dramatic. I had been playing soccer, and also doing theater on the side. And I was so scared to tell them that I wanted to do theater,” Schmidt said. “So since then, that’s when I started dancing, and I really have not looked back. It’s always been what I wanted to do.”

Schmidt decided to put this plan into motion, and she’s been auditioning parts ever since she graduated. Her agents submitted her for multiple productions around the country, but the call for “Peter Pan” was what stuck out the most. For this specific audition, the ‘Peter Pan” casting team asked her to record a song, a dance combination, and a scene. She was called back a few weeks later with a smaller group, and they were asked to do the same process. About a month later, she got the call.

“I was in my apartment in New York – I’ve been living there for maybe four or five months – and I was really not expecting it because my audition had been a month before that. I figured, because I hadn’t heard in that long, they’d already cast it, that sort of thing. So when my agents called me, I was really surprised.” Schmidt said.

And so the now formed cast is on the road, and many of them have become like family.

“I mean, it’s work. Like, it is more serious than that, but you are living with these people, eating with these people, rehearsing with them, traveling, dancing with them,” Schmidt said. “So you do get to know them very well. I definitely think it becomes like a family, actually.”

One may think that performers in shows do not have much free time between shows, but Schmidt said that those in the case do actually get a chance to explore the cities that they happen to be in for the week. 

“I like to go on long walks and just look around. Or I’ll go to an art museum, botanical garden or something like that. And then I try to be back in my room at least three hours before I would have to go to the theater, and do some reading or journaling and relax,2” Schmidt said.

However, there is still plenty of daily prep work that goes into this specific show. “Peter Pan” is an action-packed show, and they go through many protocols during rehearsals to ensure the safety of everyone. 

“There’s a lot of fighting, a lot of sword fighting. And so we have a fight call every day where we go through all of the fights. And then we get ready to do the show. So that’s basically what a day looks like,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt plays a crucial role in this show; she is one of the two dance captains in the production. She has many responsibilities, in addition to standing out on stage as a captivating dancer, she also has to maintain the choreographer’s vision.

“I’m in the show every night in the ensemble. So when I’m not onstage, I’m often taking notes on the people who are on stage at that time, so I can give them to those cast members and make sure that the choreography stays nice and tight and clean. I also help new people learn their choreography and get settled into the show,” Schmidt said.

Action-packed and fulfilling productions like “Peter Pan” are bound to have the occasional mishap.

“Occasionally, something will come up. If there’s some sort of a disaster at the show, like a bunch of people are sick and can’t come in, we work with the stage manager to figure out some modifications that we can do to make sure that the show still works, and the audience still gets a great show,” Schmidt said.

Yet, some of these mishaps that do not directly involve changing the entire show and tracks. They actually turn out to be pretty hilarious. 

“In the show, there’s a section with a cake, and someone gets hit in the face with the cake. And so they have cream all over their face, basically. And a couple times, because we dance with the cake before that happens, the stuff inside the cake has fallen out or gotten onto someone else and all over the floor,” Schmidt said. “I don’t know if the audience really thinks anything of it, but we have a good time on stage when that happens.”

Schmidt has been with this production since late 2023, and it has changed her life through relationships, as well as being able to express her talents and passion. She wants anyone who wants to pursue a career of performance to be open to all opportunities, and to not choose something by based on money. Explore everything, because you won’t find your passion. It will find you.

“Just work on trying to find your personal voice. You’re not going to be for everyone, but I think that that’s okay,” Schmidt said. “If you focus on the kinds of theater, the kinds of dance, the kinds of singing or kind of songs that make you happy and joyful you’ll end up doing the kind of work that you were meant to do.”