Already a Star

On junior Cali Hill’s first day at Oakland University, she remembers gathering with all of the other Theatre students for a town hall meeting.

“They told us, they expect you have at least one professional credit by the time you graduate and I remember I thought, ‘Why just one?’ ” Hill said.

Hill’s confidence in her abilities proved to be warranted as she booked two professional jobs during her freshman year and now has a total of five to her credit.

“It's kind of a full circle moment for me, where I can remember thinking that and now I’ve done it,” Hill said. “I'm just glad Oakland has created an environment where they really push you to go out and make something for yourself.

“All the professional credits that I’ve gotten have come from audition opportunities that were given at Oakland,” Hill added. “The goal was to always perform, but I never really knew what opportunities I would get. I'm very proud and appreciative of the opportunities that Oakland’s given me.”

Oakland Associate Professor of Theatre and Department Chair Jeremy Barnett said Hill’s commitment and work ethic have helped her take advantage of the opportunities that have come her way.

“Cali’s sort of got it all,” Barnett said. “She can sing, she can dance and she’s a wonderful actor. She also display tremendous leadership. She is professional, mature and she is focused in the rehearsal room. She works really, really well with her peers and she works beautifully with professionals and the faculty. She will be asked back by directors and production companies because she is great to work with.”

The first professional job Hill booked was for “Once On This Island” at The Encore in Dexter, Michigan.

“As a freshman, it’s totally unheard of to book a professional gig,” Hill said. “I had originally been cast as an understudy for all the roles. I wasn’t sure if I could do it with school, so I was thinking of saying no, unless I had my own role. Then they contacted me again, asking me to fill the role of Andrea. And I was like, ‘Well, that’s exactly what I wanted.’ It took a lot of work to do school and the show. A lot of my professors had a lot of patience with me.”

The summer after her freshman year, Hill booked the role of Sister Mary Hubert in “Nunsense” at Great Plains Theatre in Abilene, Kansas.

“I was really fortunate to book that show, the director Michael Aielloa is an OU alum,” Hill said. “That was a crazy experience because I was in a different state and in a whole new setting. It was in a very small town where everyone knows everyone so they would know we were actors.”

Hill later performed in “Spring Awakening” at the Flint Rep Theatre.

“It's a very well known show and pretty popular, and I feel like we took the show in a very interesting direction, and it got recognized a lot,” Hill said. “It was a very cool environment where it was like, ‘Oh, this feels like a professional gig. This is what a professional room looks like.’”

Things moved really quickly for Hill’s next show. She had just finished “Spring Awakening” when she heard from her vocal coach Alissa Hetzner that a spot opened up in “Beehive 60’s Musical” at The Penny Seats Theatre in Ann Arbor.

“They were just a week away from like opening and they needed a replacement for an actor,” Hill said. “I just sent in my headshot and resume, and then the next morning, I woke up with a contract sent to me, and they were like, ‘You're perfect. If you could come to rehearsal tonight, that would be perfect.’ And so I did. I learned the show in a week, and then I opened with them. It was very fun, just because I knew I could do it.”

Hill also performed in “Footloose,” which is the first joint production between Meadow Brook Theatre and Oakland’s School of Theatre, Music and Dance.

Hill said she’s always believed in her abilities as an artist because of the great support system she has, starting with her mom.

“She’s always been like, ‘You’re a star,’” Hill said. “As soon as she heard me sing as a kid she’s like, ‘This is what you’re going to do.’ There’s nothing more fulfilling for me than performing. She’s always shined that light and reminded me to not be afraid to be myself and just don’t hold back, don’t dim your light for anyone else.

“Alissa, my coach, has been my rock throughout my school experience,” Hill added. “And my siblings Steven Shipman and Nalani Shipman, they always come to my shows and were always waiting in the car for me to get out of rehearsals when I was younger. They have been great.”

Hill is a Musical Theatre major at Oakland. She said her time at Oakland has helped her improve her acting skills. She enjoyed a class on audition practicum, where they have mock auditions to prepare your for professional auditions. She’s also improved her skills as a dancer.

“At Oakland, they really hone in on your skills,” Hill said. “If they see something in you, then they take that, use that and heighten that. They really hone in on your craftsmanship and don’t try to put you in a box. They don’t try to make all of the students the same type of actor. They make sure your creative spirit is still alive. It’s an environment where artists can grow, that’s the best way I could describe it. I feel like they’ve really let me navigate myself as a performer and an artist. I feel I’ve made some really great arcs in my career and in academia. I’m feel like I’m more than ready to step out into the real world.”

Hill said her goal after graduation is most likely to move to New York and find an agent.

“I feel like, once you have an agent, you're kind of set because then they just send you all the material,” Hill said. “They know what shows to look for, for you. And so, yeah, that's the goal: agent, New York, and then possibly a tour, if I don't book anything in New York.”