Carol Hill joined and co-founded the Essential Theatrical Associates (ETA) for many reasons. Among them, she was excited to find a place to continue honing her theatrical skills outside of her role as the Director of Development of the FSU Foundation for FAMU-FSU Engineering.

Her main motivation, however, was to provide tools and resources for the next generation of thespians, and in particular, black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) artists in the Tallahassee area. 

Hill says a petition circulated late last year that asked organizations to boycott Tallahassee theaters who were cited for a lack of diversity and inclusion in providing roles for BIPOC actors. Instead of signing, ETA chose to host a roundtable with the theater houses listed on the petition, including the Monticello Opera House, Theater Tallahassee and Theater A La Carte. 

As a result of this open and honest discussion, ETA has partnered with the Southern Shakespeare Company to host a Diversity Town Hall on Thursday, Jan. 21. The conversation will center on representation of Black artists in the Tallahassee theater community and inroads for change. 

“The goal for the town hall is to have a discussion about what is out there and available from a grant standpoint, as well as getting personal background from actors that have been in the community,” says Hill. “We want to set the stage and then follow up with the remaining parts of what’s going on with an understanding there’s more that our theaters can do to bring diversity.” 

Hill’s own journey with theater has taken her in various directions, but she never lost the feeling she first experienced standing onstage in her high school theater production. Even as she attended FAMU with designs of becoming a physical therapist, her passion reignited after attending a show at a local Tallahassee theater. She visited the theater department at FAMU and quickly switched majors. 

Hill holds a degree in theater performance as well as an MBA from FAMU. She appreciates the strong mentors she’s had in Valencia Matthews, the Dean of Arts and Sciences at FAMU, as well as arts administrator Kimberly Harding, an associate professor in theatre management at FAMU. Both helped her to grow as a thespian entering leadership roles. 

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