Theater company founder makes her home in Groton

Although she was born in Iowa, Priscilla Hummel spent her childhood in Lansing because her parents, John and Audrey Hummel, relocated to the area in the mid-1980s when John took a position at BorgWarner. John graduated from Cornell University, so it was familiar territory for the family to return.

Priscilla’s school years began at Covenant Love Community School in Freeville through fourth grade. She was homeschooled through ninth grade and then attended Tompkins Cortland Community College, from which she graduated in 2000 with an associates degree in liberal arts and humanities.

On Jan. 27, 2017, Priscilla established her own theater company in the Ithaca area, Walking on Water (WoW) Productions, but more recently, Priscilla, her husband, Mike Carroll, their toddler daughter, Lila, three dogs and a cat have made their home in Groton and are simply delighted to be here.

“We just fell in love with Groton and the home we purchased,” Priscilla said. “And my brother, Jeremy, and his wife, Kate Lane, also live here, and that makes it even more special.”

To own a theater company at such a young age is quite an accomplishment, and the path Priscilla took to arrive there is quite an interesting one.

When she was 6 years old, Priscilla began dancing at the Ithaca Academy of Dance until she was 12 and then at Armstrong School of Dance until age 16 and was a member of the Ithaca Ballet Company for two years.

“I felt that I grew my skills as a dancer in all three places,” Priscilla said. “But in fourth grade, I had spent a summer in theater camp where I had an immersive experience creating sets and costumes and learning the design and technical aspects of theater, and I just loved it.”

While at Tompkins Cortland, Priscilla had thought her course of study would land her in some sort of environmental sustainability career, but her heart kept calling her back to theater and dance.

Although she wanted to continue her education and had been accepted at Brenau University in Georgia, Priscilla took a gap year and went on three mission trips to Brazil, the Midwest and India as part of the dance team with GX International Impact World Tour through Youth With A Mission.

Upon her return, Priscilla was excited to attend Brenau, which she said is one of the oldest women’s colleges in the nation and a place she was drawn to because of its traditions and small school atmosphere. She majored in theater and minored in dance.

“I was hopeful for performing arts as a performer, but I knew that was not my end game,” Priscilla said. “I saw it as a stepping stone to becoming a director and choreographer and eventually starting my own theater company.”

Priscilla’s next step was earning her master’s degree in fine arts in acting with a concentration in directing from Regent University (RU) in Virginia in 2007. While at RU, Priscilla was in several productions as an actor, directed her own show and was chosen as one of two directors for its annual one-act play festival.

Upon her graduation from RU, Priscilla chose to move to Chicago, where she felt that the theater opportunities were abundant and “second only to New York City.”

“Chicago felt like the big city with a small-town feel,” Priscilla said. “And the theater atmosphere reflected that in the way people treated one another.”

For the next nine years, Priscilla spent her time directing, choreographing and teaching dance and theater. She was also part of the Willow Creek Chicago Theater and Dance team and was an actor and dancer herself in the original production “A Chicago Christmas” four years in a row.

“Seven of those nine years, I also worked for the Provision Theater Company as its education director,” Priscilla said. “I taught classes and held summer camps from 2010 to 2016 and directed and choreographed several musical productions for family audiences. I just continued to grow.”

At the end of the summer of 2016, the Provision Theater Company building was demolished, and Priscilla felt compelled to move back home.

“I wanted very much to make a difference,” Priscilla said. “And Chicago was just too big. I knew that Ithaca supports the arts, so it seemed the perfect area to return to for fulfilling my dream.”

Priscilla hit the ground running and began networking as soon as she moved back — committed to produce a show within a year — which brings this story back to January 2017 when WoW Productions was born. Ten months later, Priscilla produced its first show: “Godspell.”

It was just two days after Priscilla established WoW that she met Carroll and fell in love, and they married in February 2018.

Since “Godspell,” WoW has hit the stage with “The Fantasticks,” “Katrina,” “A Virtual Cabaret,” “Comfort Food” and “A Year with Frog and Toad” — sometimes at the Community School of Music and Arts or the Kitchen Theatre Company.

WoW has been fortunate to have received grants from the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County, the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York and the New York State Council on the Arts and support from numerous community partners that may be found on WoW’s website, walkingonwaterproductions.org.

Priscilla’s next endeavor will be WoW’s July 2022 production of “Calvin Berger,” a hip, hilarious, heartwarming show written by Barry Wyner. This contemporary musical comedy is loosely based on Edmond Rostand’s iconic play, “Cyrano de Bergerac,” and the details for that may also be found on the website.

“Since 2020, I began to focus on community outreach and arts education,” Priscilla said. “I have formed a partnership with the New Roots Charter School to pursue theater education this spring and fall, but I want to develop even more partnerships with schools and libraries in the area.”

Priscilla also said she and her family have been overwhelmed with joy to be a part of the Groton community.

“I love that everyone looks out for each other here,” Priscilla said. “Neighbors do random acts of kindness all the time, and I have never felt more warmly welcomed anywhere else that I have lived.”

Groton on the Inside appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Submit story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com or text or call Linda at (607) 227-4922.

In brief:

TST/GHS Students of the Month

The following Groton High School students were recognized as outstanding students of the month for February at the TST BOCES Career and Technical Education Center: Lexie Loveless, Cosmetology, and Jason Rabenstein, Career Exploration Program.

These students are chosen based on qualities such as character, leadership, citizenship, work ethic and attendance and should be compassionate, honest, trustworthy, responsible and a positive role model.

Offerings at J’s Arrays

Upcoming vendor offerings at J’s Arrays, 211 Main St., March 26 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. will feature Basil Boutique, B&B This to That, Color Street, Genuine Impressions and Stampin’ Up.

One craft class opportunity is Paint with Anna, a guided session to paint a waterfall scene on canvas, March 26 from 6 to 8 p.m. Cost is $45 per person and includes all supplies, snacks, nonalcoholic beverages, a $10 Basil Boutique coupon and more.

March 31 features Sewing with Paula from 6 to 8 p.m. This will be a guided session to cut out and sew a 36-inch table runner, four napkins and four coasters. Choose your material from several options. Sewing machines are also provided for your use.

Cost is $35 per person and includes all supplies, snacks, nonalcoholic beverages, a $5 coupon toward your next J’s Arrays craft night and more.

Space is limited. To register or ask questions about any class, contact Janette at JsArrays211@gmail.com.

Culinary herb class

In this one-hour virtual seminar for beginning and intermediate learners, April 16 at 11 a.m., representatives of Centurion Farms discuss the various ways to preserve your herbs for later use and how easy it can be to save your herbs and replenish them for years.

You will also discover the dos and don’ts when incorporating herbs (fresh or dried) into your cooking. To register, go to tinyurl.com/y98nzj4t. Once you register, you will receive a participant guide the week prior to the seminar containing recommended readings and the Zoom link to the seminar.