Tannis Hanson represents the heart of Castilleja’s Theater Department, leading and directing successful showstoppers ranging from renowned plays such as “Lovesick” to beloved classics like “The Lightning Thief.”
Before joining Castilleja, she worked as the co-theater director of a private school in Orange County for five years. She also worked with the Los Angeles Theater Company for around 10 years, allowing her to focus on producing.
After honing her skills for years, Hanson joined Castilleja Theater in 2018, giving her “more of an opportunity to grow as a director,” Hanson said.
Stepping into her role at Castilleja for the very first time, Hanson directed “Almost, Maine” as her first show. “It was simple, beautiful and poignant,” Hanson said. Without a technical director at the time, she brought in a former dance teacher and other technical support figures to help make it all possible.
“This is why theater is, at its heart, collaborative,” Hanson said. “It’s not so much how I’ve grown as a director, even though the audience sees it and says, ‘How do you do this?’ Well, I do it with a huge team of people.”
Although she has gained immense experience as a director since her first show, every new show presents an unpredictable variable with a new component to tackle. This remained especially true for her production of “Lovesick.”
“Lovesick” was a resounding success on stage, but behind the scenes, it was a fruitful struggle—one that Hanson understood was necessary: “[Directing] never gets easier, and you really don’t want it to be easier.”
When the pandemic hit, creative challenges as a director took even more of a turn, according to Hanson. It caused the instant stop of all live theater. Despite this obstacle, however, Hanson creatively produced Castilleja’s first virtual play in spring 2020. “When you give an artist a restriction, we’ll find a way,” Hanson said.
With her latest show, “The Addams Family,” Hanson believes even more now that “Casti Theater is [great] because it is student driven.”
Balancing various student perspectives, Hanson feels her role is to look at the bigger picture to bring a show to life: “It’s a really boring show if it’s one person’s vision,” Hanson said.
Rather, Hanson said she encourages each student involved to direct their own character: “What I’m interested in is everyone bringing their vision and seeing how we can put them together to tell the story.”
With each show being its own unique novel, there is no rinse-or-repeat. “The Addams Family” in particular reflects this idea, capturing beloved characters in a new light.
“With our cast, there are a lot of opportunities for our students to play these characters in the way that they see—maybe not in the way that they’re traditionally seen—which I think is really special,” Hanson said.
With directing, it’s an ever-changing game to find creativity in things that have already been established. No matter her experience, Hanson said, growing is a lifelong process—one she is adamant about continuing with her cast and crew alongside her.