Winthrop senior, Hannah Atkinson, acts in the role of Joanna Drayton in the play “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” put on by the Rock Hill Theatre.
The show takes place in 1967 when two families, the Draytons and the Prentices, have to navigate and come to terms with their children’s interracial relationship.
“Joanna Drayton is a 25-year-old nurse who just finished a yearlong internship in Hawaii, where she meets Doctor Prentice,” Atkinson said. “She is a very determined and optimistic young woman.”
Atkinson became involved with theatre at 11 years old when a teacher in the fifth grade recommended that she audition for TriDac, a summer program for middle schoolers with a talent for the arts.
“I didn’t make it, but it sparked an interest in continuing to learn theatre,” Atkinson said. “From there I started taking classes at school and at my local community theatre and I haven’t looked back since!”
Since first being involved in theatre, Atkinson has been involved with almost 30 productions. Her first production was “Sleeping Beauty.”
“I performed in Sleeping Beauty in 2013 when I was 11 or 12 years old!” Atkinson said. “The show was an original script written by the director, Debra Leopard, and I played Duchess Danielle. I can’t really tell you exactly what it was about the experience that made me want to continue acting, but all I know is that the theatre bug bit me and it hasn’t let go since!”
Working with the community theatre has allowed her to meet and perform with people that you may not meet while participating in college shows.
“I decided to audition for this production because in all my time in Rock Hill I had never done a community theatre show despite how much of an impact community theatre had on my training,” Atkinson said. “When I saw the casting call for this show I decided to go for it!”
While preparing for “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” Atkinson and the other performers put in close to 100 hours of practicing.
When picking her major at Winthrop University, it was a “no-brainer” for her to major in theatre performance.
“It was important that I understood the complications that come with getting a degree in the performing arts, but I knew that I would be unhappy doing anything else,” Atkinson said. “It’s been a big learning process and mindset change but I wouldn’t trade it for anything!”
Some of the most impactful classes she has taken with the Winthrop theatre department are Acting 3 and Stage Combat.
“Not only are these classes a lot of fun, but they have also exposed me to things that I’ve had no experience with,” Atkinson said. “For example, in Acting 3, we worked a lot with classical acting, which helped me realize how much I enjoy performing Shakespeare!”
After graduating in May 2023, Atkinson is still thinking about what she wants to do but short term, she would “love to go out and work for different theatre companies to make connections and network.”
“I love the support that [the theatre] department gives its students!” Atkinson said. “It’s become a very safe place for me.”
