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FSW ‘Sets the Stage’ for Alumna’s Career in Theatre

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Before Fort Myers native Ali Hooks was hired to be the stage supervisor for the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, she studied theater at Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW).

“My passion was 100 percent in performance at the time,” said Ali, who had decided to be a performer in middle school and dived headfirst into theatre at Cypress Lake High Center for the Arts before FSW.

“During my first year with Professor Stuart Brown I really thought I was going to perform. He said this is your focus and you are great at it, but you have a natural talent for technical theatre,” she explained, pointing out how she’d grown up using power tools with her father.

Ali explored that side of theatre at FSW – lighting, sound, set design, wardrobe and more – and she discovered Professor Brown had been correct all along.

“I owe most of my career to Professor Brown,” she added. “Learning from him was such a privilege and if anyone else going to the program hasn’t realized it yet, they are in the midst of someone who could totally change their lives.”

For many aspiring artists, FSW has opened doors. The college’s theatre department is small, but the student experience rivals any competitive program in the country. Ali’s famous aunt, Saturday Night Live cast member Jan Hooks, studied acting at what was then Edison Community College. After her death in 2014, Hooks was ranked No. 26 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the best SNL cast members of all time.

Like her aunt, Ali attended both Cypress Lake High and FSW, but she explained that her decision to work in theatre was her own. She was too young to remember spending much time with Jan and said the two of them “had very separate lives.” Hearing about her aunt’s success did work to affirm her own aspirations of course, and demonstrated that the performing arts was in her blood.

Ali graduated from Edison State College in 2013 with an Associate of Arts in Technical Theatre. She later transferred to the Gainesville Theatre Alliance (GTA), a unique collaboration between the University of North Georgia and Brenau University.

In 2015 she graduated with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Technical Direction and a few months later was hired by the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Over one season she has worked on eight shows in three separate theater spaces.

“It certainly keeps you busy,” said Ali. “In my position I supervise all of the stage crew members and I also oversee the changeovers (moving the set). In between all of that time my people and I maintain all of the scenery, paint and props.”

According to Ali, FSW provided her with a base to be successful at both the GTA and Utah Shakespeare Festival, including the confidence to seek out future opportunities. She explained how networking is key to moving through the industry and one of her goals for the future is to be able to work on Broadway.