Conservatory student in A Thousand Clowns

Congratulations to Patel Conservatory theater student Hannah Anton, who landed a role in the Hat Trick Theatre production of A Thousand Clowns.

Hannah Anton, left, with co-star
Ned Averill-Snell

Anton, 13, started at the Conservatory as a violin student and has been studying theater for the past four years.

“It’s a really good learning environment,” said Anton. “The staff and teachers, they want you to succeed. They want to help you get to where you want to be."

Anton had roles in the Conservatory productions of Alice in Wonderland, Jr., Once Upon a Mattress, The Music Man, Jr. and, most recently as Eidophea, the goddess of the sea, in The Odyssey.

The director of A Thousand Clowns noticed Anton’s performance in The Odyssey and invited her to audition.

The Hat Trick production is her first professional role, but Anton feels her experience at the Conservatory prepared her.

“It helped me know how the theater world works, the etiquette, how rehearsals go, and, how to act,” she said.

“I love the rehearsal process, working with other actors, and trying to discover another character. And when you’re on stage, there’s just this kind of rush.”

In A Thousand Clowns, Anton plays Nicki, a girl who lives with her Uncle Murray in New York City.

“Murray’s a different kind of person. He’s not a 9 to 5 job kind of person,” she said.

When a social worker comes knocking, Murray must learn how to conform to society in order to permanently adopt Nicki.

A Thousand Clowns runs through this weekend at the Shimberg Playhouse at the Straz Center.