Hannah graduated Magna Cum Laude from Baylor University with a BFA in Theatre Performance with emphases in Sound Design and Musical Theatre as well as a minor in Communication Sciences and Disorders (which was her way of creating a minor in American Sign Language). She spent her time at Baylor as a student leader for both sound design within the theatre department and organizations without.
Hannah has spent the years since graduation working in schools as well as choreographing and directing shows with children.
Last year, Hannah worked as a lunch/recess monitor at a local elementary school until Covid-19 sent everyone into their homes. This past summer, she directed three shows with a children's theatre company here, one virtually and two in person outdoors at public parks.
She is incredibly excited to begin this new endeavor with Bethany and create powerful young theatre artists for a new time.
Once she graduated high school, Bethany spent two years at the New York campus of American Musical and Dramatic Academy and finished getting her BFA in Music Theater at the Los Angeles campus. She's grateful for the opportunity to live on both sides of the coast and see the different styles of theater and tv/film in both areas. She took classes focusing on the business side of theatre as well as performing. She had amazing dance teachers who were on Broadway and taught her the audition process
After she graduated college, she took a year in Austin, TX teaching dance and auditioning around town. She worked at Gold's Gym in the Kids Club caring for many children at once. From this opportunity she gained skills in classroom management and maintaining the attention of children.
Bethany spent the Covid summer choreographing and assisting in directing three virtual camps for children ages six to fourteen. She has learned the ups and downs of using a virtual platform to teach dance and choreography.
Due to Covid-19, the need for dance and theater teachers has dwindled so Hannah and Bethany decided to use their entrepreneurial skills to good use and create their own virtual studio.
Born two years apart, the Schell sisters have been best friends as long as they remember. Their mom, Suzanne Schell, homeschooled the girls and their older siblings while running a small studio of her own. She taught piano and voice lessons to neighborhood children and beyond, which quickly became a defining feature of the family's lives.
In 1998, the Schells moved to Anchorage, Alaska and the kids quickly became involved with choir, dance classes and a community theatre's new program: Broadway Kidz, directed by the fabulously talented Jill Bess. Hannah and her older brother and sister auditioned and were accepted into the inaugural year of this professional performance troupe. Bethany joined the next year along with Suzanne who was hired as the Musical Director. Inspired by their new passion, 7 and 9 year old Bethany and Hannah had already begun talks of their own future musical theatre troupe and studio. Alaska's Broadway Kidz performed musical theatre songs for audiences all over Alaska as well as their biannual review shows at local theatres. Jill and Suzanne ran ABK together as a non-profit organization until the Schells moved again in 2006.
Once in Austin, Texas, Bethany and Hannah, now in middle and high school, respectively, took up a more rigorous dance education at TexARTS dance studio run by Robin Lewis and Todd Dellinger. The girls began to fill out their resumes with more full on productions while Suzanne began teaching a musical theatre class at Bethany's private school. Hannah made the decision Junior year to homeschool again in order to assistant direct and choreograph Suzanne's class, which Bethany took. These classes culminated in a fall and spring show each year which the trio collaborated in writing, pulling songs from musicals and movies.
With their dream of one day running a Musical Theatre Studio together in mind, Bethany and Hannah went off to separate universities. They have both worked extensively with children in childcare and education to supplement their theatre education and are incredibly excited to come back together for this endeavor.