Finding purpose in theatre: A talk with Raiyon Hunter
28th May 2024 · 0 Comments
By Candace J. Semien
Contributing Writer
(Jozef Syndicate) — At 8 years old, Raiyon Hunter dotted the theatrical stage as an energetic munchkin in “The Wiz,” being performed at New Orleans’ Anthony Bean Community Theatre. Dressed in bright colors, Hunter danced on stage and belted her one line: “Ida Pearl, this girl done dropped the house on your sister, Evelyn!”
It was there that Hunter discovered her love for theatre. “Seeing all of these beautiful and amazing actors, and then getting to work with (music legend) Irma Thomas was like so amazing, and I fell in love with everything!” She said.
If the younger Raiyon were to travel in time to see herself today, she’d probably be full of pride, excitement, and joy. Her young adult self has begun a successful career in theatre, often celebrating with her parents, Dent and Latecha, and second lining with her grandmother and the Undefeated Divas and Gents.
At 24 years old, Raiyon Hunter has had residencies at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and The Repertory Theater of St. Louis, a fellowship with the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, a study program at the British American Drama Academy, and a 10-day production of “Hands Up” in Alaska.
Hailing from St. Mary’s Academy in New Orleans, her journey has taken her to Spelman College in Atlanta and into her second year at the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis. This actress, director, producer, and arts administrator is making theatre a career for hundreds of children.
Is this the “Broadway” of children’s theatre?
HUNTER: “Yes, yes it is.” She explained: They work; they rehearse. They have tech. They work along with adult actors. This is their Broadway. “Watching these productions and how beautifully they are made, the production value is amazing. If you see the set, if you see it in the sound design, if you see the actors, you would think that you were watching a Broadway production.”
“This season is actually a beautiful mix with two very large shows including ‘Drawing Lessons’ and ‘Milo Imagines the World’,” Hunter said.
She works seven to nine shows a season with a cast ranging from ten to 40 people per show. That includes actors, understudies, and adult actors.
Her days are filled with reading scripts, directing, networking, and recruiting talent throughout the Twin Cities. She stays connected with a group of phenomenal mentors and uses the podcast, “Sisters in the Round,” to build an intergenerational collaboration between Black women in theatre.
“Imposter syndrome is real,” she said. “I’ve been able to be in a lot of rooms that I don’t think I would have been able to be in, without Spelman College, and without that prior experience going to St. Mary’s, to be quite honest.”
What led you to fine-tune your purpose within theater?
HUNTER: “Honestly, I was in college thinking I was going to be an actor. After an experience debating trigger warnings, I realized that part of theatre production was crafting people’s experience of what it’s like to come to the theater. That’s when I realized my purpose. I love performing, but getting people in that door, having them sit in that audience and watch a show that’s gonna change the way they think, that’s gonna make them ask questions. That’s what I do. I know theater usually is something that’s seen as a scary place to enter because there’s a specific audience for theater right now. But I wanna say no, this is for us too. Like please call, please be affected, please love, please laugh, please provide, and please feel. Acting was a love. And this was kind of like part of my mission.”
What does working in theatre administration look like?
HUNTER: “A big part of my job is advocating for artists, which is something that I love to do. As an artist, this work leaves you vulnerable. You are literally using your body and your spirit to basically embody these characters. I like being able to advocate for artists on the administration end especially when it comes to pay.”
Does that mean you are a gatekeeper?
HUNTER: “I wouldn’t call the casting director a gatekeeper. I just feel like that’s an outdated term. And it’s a term that embodies things that I don’t get to have as a Black woman. But, I will say, I am the person who is able to create that access. And I feel like it is not right for me to not advocate for what I know I need to advocate for, especially knowing that I have this responsibility.”
How has mentorship impacted you and who are your mentors?
HUNTER: “I was at an all-Black, all-girls high school in New Orleans, so mentorship is kind of ingrained within my DNA. I seek it out wherever I go. I have Nataki Garrett at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Hana Sharif at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., Dr. Eve Graves at Clark Atlanta, and Jody Feldman at the Alliance Theater. It’s easier for me to go throughout this industry knowing I have them to text or to email whenever I need to say, hey, this is really tough right now. They’ll ask questions about the artists, about the situation, and they never give me the answer. They teach me to trust my gut and make me realize I knew the answered the whole time. Isn’t that fantastic?”
Tell us more about “Sisters on the Round”
HUNTER: “Basically, the goal is to pair a young woman with an elder who is in a specific discipline. On the show, we’re also able to talk through differences as young people in this industry and as people who have been in this industry for a longer time. My goal is to reach that young Black woman who is at that predominantly white institution so they can listen, feel connected, and feel like they’re not the only one.”
Is “The Round” a specific theater term?
HUNTER: “Yes, ‘in the round’ is a term that describes the setting up a stage. What most people know is the proscenium, which is the stage you always see, where the audience is sitting on one side and you’re watching the stage, but in the round, the audience is on all sides of the stage. So, Sisters in the Round basically speaks to the sisterhood aspect of just Black women in general, and then also that intimate space where you can just be.”
Hunter said her message for others is simply, “Don’t stop. I know that sounds generic, but there are so many things that can cause you to stop. So many people are gonna tell you ‘no.’ But if you work hard enough and you really fight for it, at the end of the day, something’s gonna shake.”
This article originally published in the May 27, 2024 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
