Sunny Min-Sook Hitt, Mannes Faculty Member, Choreographs and Directs Bold Pieces of Theater
Mary Todd Lincoln is currently the toast of Broadway. For eight shows a week, she pursues her dreams of being a cabaret singer, all while her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, tries to keep his gay love affair a secret.
“Oh, Mary” won a number of Tony’s this past June, including one for the star and creator of the show, Cole Escola. Sunny Min-Sook Hitt, a faculty member at Mannes School of Music, serves as the Associate Director for the acclaimed show, which also marked her Broadway debut.
“I have collaborated as an Associate with Sam Pinkleton on past projects, and when the move to Broadway was announced he called me and asked if I would do it,” shares Hitt. “To which I obviously said yes.”
The show originated Off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel theater in Downtown New York City. Hitt wasn’t involved with the initial run, so when the show transferred to Broadway, she had to learn the show inside and out. Her workload now includes rehearsing replacement cast members, regularly watching and noting the show, and running understudy rehearsals.
“We’ve learned that the show is best understood like a musical,” explains Hitt. “The pacing is breakneck, the transitions are tight and often start or end with musical buttons. The blocking is like choreography, and so my background as a dancer and choreographer has been instrumental in communicating that level of precision to the actors.”
Many things inspire Hitt’s artistic work – funny memes, the art and athletics of basketball, a song she can’t get out of her head. She’s particularly drawn to work that dares us to put our phones down, look a stranger in the eyes, hold hands, and share a laugh.
Hitt co-teaches a Physical Workshop with Jordan Laroya for Mannes Opera. Her portion of the course focused on partner dancing, learning choreography, and how to approach physical choices on stage as a vocal performer.
“My mission with students is to give them tools to make dynamic choices on stage, and to make movement integral to whatever character they’re playing,” says Hitt. “I literally do the exact same exercises with my students that I do with professional actors.”
Next up, Hitt is choreographing “The Seat Of Our Pants,” a musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s “Skin Of Our Teeth,” at the Public Theater. She is also the Associate Director/Choreographer for “Ceilidh,” a new musical directed by Sam Pinkleton, which will debut in Baltimore in September.