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Picture

OLIVIA HARTLE




​Olivia has had quite the adventures as of late. She recently directed Destiny is Judd Nelson, a hard hitting tale about New Yorkers trying to find their way, performed at the New York International Fringe Festival this summer.

Busy as Olivia is, serving as the Artistic Director of BIG Theatre Company founded by CPTG alumni, teaching improv comedy and mentoring our own improv team The SJU Bad Astronauts, or just being awesome, she took some time to chat with us.
Picture
Olivia in GRIMM: The Musical

"WE WORKED REALLY, REALLY HARD TO BRING OUR 
CRAZY IDEAS TO LIFE!"

How did you transition from college to the real world?
Immediately after graduating, I landed an audition and was cast by the Walt Disney Company as a character performer at Disney World. I moved to Orlando and worked there for a summer, and I absolutely hated it. I returned to New York and started auditioning, performing and taking classes, while working 3 part-time jobs. I remember at one point I was feeling particularly downtrodden about what it actually felt like to be “chasing your dreams” in New York City, and fellow Chappell Players alumna, Leeanne G-Bowley, gave me the most perfect analogy for the post-graduation transition. She said that graduating from college and transitioning to the real works is akin to being born -- it’s a change as great as going from breathing amniotic fluid to breathing oxygen. Hearing that really helped me put things into perspective. I realized that I had to learn how to breathe in a new way in order to be in this new world.

Did being involved in the Chappell Players prepare you for life after college? How so?
Absolutely! Being a Chappell Player has taught me one of the most absolutely invaluable lessons of my life: how to successfully work with a team. Us Chappell Players spent so many hours, such long days and nights, honing this skill -- and we made a lot of mistakes. But we learned how to build with our mistakes, to utilize everyone’s individual strengths, and to support each other to stretch and grow. And we worked really, really hard to bring our  crazy ideas to life. Under Nick Caccavo’s leadership, we created environments where we could brilliantly succeed and brilliantly fail -- and we kept getting back up to do it all over again.
PictureOlivia backstage for Urinetown with Michael Wirsch and Jon Randhawa

​What is your favorite Chappell Players memory?

I have so many!! I’m really nostalgic. But one that stands out for me is the end of my freshman year, when  we had to clean out the old theatre to prepare for the big renovation. We sifted through decades of history that night, which sparked so many questions, conversations, ideas, memories and laughs, and we spent the whole night working together. At one point, in the wee-hours of the morning, we had constructed a giant garbage pile in the middle of the stage, and we created a little performance where Joe Cantalupo was the Garbage King and we were all dwellers of the Garbage Kingdom. There was singing, dancing, bizarre storylines and outrageous characters. It was beautiful and  insane and absolutely magical… like so many of the things we did together.

Any advice for Chappies?
Do something. That’s advice that Mick Napier (founder and artistic director of the Annoyance Theatre) tells improvisors who don’t know how to start a scene. If you do something, and then build with it by saying “yes, and…”, you will make discoveries. Then from there, you just keep doing, building, yes-and’ing, and discovering. And that’s life. Do something!
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  • Home
  • About
    • EXECUTIVE BOARD
    • Forms
    • Members >
      • 2021-2022
      • 2020-2021
      • 2019-2020
      • 2018-2019
      • 2017-2018
    • JOIN NOW >
      • Tech
    • PERFORMING ARTS AT SJU
  • Alumni
    • Hall of Fame
    • Nominate
    • Alumni Spotlight >
      • Kate Beckman
      • Debbie Thompson
      • William Thierfelder
      • Jessica Forella
      • Chelsea Guerra
      • Emily Abma
      • Ray Abruzzo
      • Jasmine Benitez
      • MaryAnn Borg
      • Nicholas J. Caccavo
      • Joe Cantalupo
      • John Cappachione
      • Brandon Collins
      • Larisa and Michael
      • Kurt Cruz
      • Caitlyn Cummings
      • Ryan DeForeest
      • Vikki De Meo
      • Tony and Geraldine Dibari
      • Sara Donnes
      • Dylan Frisina
      • Leeanne G-Bowley
      • Sarah Goncalves
      • Don Gormanly
      • Amy Hart
      • Olivia Hartle
      • Olivia Hartle 2
      • Gordon W. Innes
      • Ben Kistinger
      • Ken Kruper
      • Amora Laucella
      • Diana Lounsbury
      • Gary McComiskey
      • Gary McComisky 2
      • Megan McCoy
      • Alexis Pereira
      • Eric Porter
      • Michael Rabus
      • Michael Rosenberger
      • LJ Stevens
      • Robin Kaiser Winograd
      • Mike Wirsch
  • Seasons
    • 2022-2023 >
      • Catch Me If You Can
      • Audition Dates
    • 2021-2022 >
      • Legally Blonde
      • CabaTime
      • 12 Angry Jurors
    • 2020-2021 >
      • CabaCircus
      • The Laramie Project
      • Play Readings
      • Senior Showcase
      • A Zoom with Seuss
      • Memories
    • 2019-2020 >
      • All Shook Up
      • CabaVegas
      • Peter and the Starcatcher
      • Miss Nelson Is Missing
      • Memories
    • 2018-2019 >
      • 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
      • Cabaret: Glory Days
      • The Dinner Party
      • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
    • 2017-2018 >
      • The Addams Family
      • Cabaret Jr
      • Boeing Boeing
      • Sideways Stories From Wayside School
    • 2016-2017 >
      • Godspell
      • CabaLove
      • Speech and Debate
      • The Wizard of Oz
    • 2015-2016 >
      • Hairspray
      • MisCast
      • Snow White
      • How I Learned to Drive
    • 2014-2015 >
      • In the Heights
      • CabaDisney
      • Cat in the Hat
      • The Library
    • 2013-2014 >
      • Working: The Musical
      • 15th Cabaret for Charity: CabaNoir
      • James and the Giant Peach
      • Picasso at the Lapin Agile
    • Send in Your Pictures!
  • EVENTS
    • 24 Hour Playfest
    • Music Revues
    • Play Readings
    • Alumni Banquet
  • Contact
  • Merchandise
  • Committees
    • Events Committee Members
    • Photo/Video Committee Members
    • DEI Committee Members
    • PR Committee Members
  • Support