Artist of the Month-August-Hannah Lochhead
The Artist of the Month for August is Hannah Lochhead. Hannah is a local actress hailing from Ireland. You may have seen this past year in ACT's annual breast cancer benefit or at The Vixen's Christmas Show. Get to know this lovely lady below. She's one heck of a dancer and has a great set of pipes on her.
- Name, Birthplace, Age
Hannah Lochhead. Born in London and raised in Dublin, Ireland. 22
- How does where you were raised affect your work?
After a really long conversation with the flatmates trying to figure out “What is it about the Irish?”, we came to the conclusion that, “we just have a thicker skin.” I think, because of this I’m a pretty fearless actor. Weekly Burlesque rehearsals have tested this many times, there’s really no time for fear in Burlesque.
- Where did you train?
The Conservatory of Music and Drama, D.I.T
- What is your favorite style of theatre? Why?
Musical Theatre. Musical Theatre is everyone’s dream when they’re little, being a star on stage, it’s so fantastical. I love everything about Musical Theatre, singing, dancing, I love it because it’ classic. It isn’t about being famous; it’s about being a star!
- What was the best show you EVER saw?
The Wilde Bride by Kneehigh, a theatre company from Cornwall. It was a contemporary style retelling of a Grimm fairy tale, originally called The Handless Maiden. Our graduate year was in the middle of divising our own contemporary pieces.When we went to see it everyone left inspired.
- What was the best show in HK you EVER saw?
Hairspray! Absolutely loved everything about it.
- What piece of work are you the most proud of?
My third year graduate performance of the Threepenny Opera demanded my every waking hour. The character I played originally hadn’t appeared in Brecht’s Threepenny Opera, but in “The Beggar’s Opera”, the ballad Opera by John Gay. However the characters our director and lecturer adapted into the script were loosely based on his observations of us and our own character. This immediately implied a much closer connection between us and our Victorian counterparts in the show. We underwent very up-close-and-personal training exercises as well as studying the cockney accent from the era closely, eventually leading to warm-ups and everyday life conversations in the accent. We also had invaluable singing coaching to prepare us for singing with a live orchestra. Putting in so much hard work really made the end product more rewarding and stronger for facing the many challenges along the way.
- What is your process like?
Research, research, research. I try never to stop learning about the character. I engage in their lives as much as possible. I listen to the music the character would listen to, wear her clothes and imagine the character in my circumstances.
9. What is your dream project?
To play Marilyn Monroe when Bombshell goes to Broadway.
10. If you could change one thing about the art scene in HK, what would it be?
A higher demand for Musical Theatre so local artists can produce West End scale shows in Hong Kong.
You can see her in the Vixens upcoming production, Midsummer Night's Tease at Bisous. You can also catch her as Sleeping Beauty in the Panto when it opens in November.
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