Miranda Sue Hartmann

Michigan Nightlight: What does being a leader mean to you?

Being a leader means empowering others to find success, guiding them into solutions they already have and learning from them as they do so. Leaders help others grow by sharing their own growth experiences.

?Miranda Sue Hartmann, Artistic Director of All-of-Us Express Children’s Theatre: Being a leader means empowering others to find success, guiding them into solutions they already have and learning from them as they do so. Leaders help others grow by sharing their own growth experiences.
 
What is your dream for kids?
My dream for young people is that they are all afforded the opportunities they need to reach their full individual potential, for them to live in a society that builds them up rather than tearing them down, and for them to know from birth that their dreams are important, valid and reachable.
 
What is one concrete thing that could be done to improve the environment for social sector work in Michigan?
We could all benefit greatly by creating community-driven, intergenerational and accessible collaborative projects. I’d like to see people of all generations and walks of life come together to work toward social change in our communities.
 
How do you know you’re making progress?
Every year another set of our youth participants graduate and go out into the world with the skills and experience they have gained through our programs. Many of them keep in touch or come back to work as adult supervisors. AECT alumni have gone on to become some of the most successful people in their chosen fields. That tells me that we are doing something right.
 
What are you most proud of?
I am most proud to be a part of the organization that provided my foundation in theater and to know that I am a part of giving that foundation to today’s youth. We, at AECT, help to shape futures and that’s something to be proud of.
 
Reflecting on your career, what would you say was your greatest professional learning experience? 
While living in Los Angeles, several years ago, I had the privilege of working with a group of inner-city youth.

It’s not the number of hours you put in or the amount of money you make for the organization or the work that you do or the knowledge that you have that makes a difference. It’s how much you care. 

During that time, I was pregnant with my son and, occasionally, felt very drained of energy but I didn’t want to tell these kids, some of whom came from very challenging family situations, that I didn’t have it in me to work with them. So I went to every rehearsal. At one point, I just collapsed. One of my youth said to me after the show closed, “Ms. Miranda, I know how much you put into this show for us and it was a great experience but the show isn’t what I’ll always remember. What I’ll always remember is how much you cared about each of us. Thank you.” That’s the lesson we all need to learn: It’s not the number of hours you put in or the amount of money you make for the organization or the work that you do or the knowledge that you have that makes a difference. It’s how much you care.