This Part is About Me

In college I was once described as “organized chaos” and every year that feels even more accurate.

Heck. Those are the words my own wedding dress was designed off of.

I’m not really sure where to start here, I’m not even sure how all this started. But if someone had told 2018 Savannah that she had been a dance lighting director, toured a famous comedian, started a business and became one of the few female Head Electricians on Broadway in less than 6 years, she would have laughed in your face.

And now publicly bragging about it? Get. OUT.

But like personally?

My Story

Progress isn’t steady…

I’ve been really into these little visuals lately popping up on my instagram.. This hit home.

I graduated in 2012 and from 2015 through 2018 I felt like I was grooving but not thriving. Then all of a sudden my life TOOK OFF.

How I see It

  • 2012: Graduated high school with a very clear vision. Was late to college due to my first professional job running spot light for the New Dinner Theatre in Kansas City.

    • Determined, Energetic, Unstoppable.

  • 2015: Graduated college with a BFA in Theatre from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. A very hands-on oriented degree and had the opportunity of heavily working the 2 roadhouses in the city part time.

    • Afterwards went to the Santa Fe Opera as an Apprentice.

    • Followed by immediately going on my first tour with the first national tour Bullets Over Broadway that fall as the assistant electrician / lead spot operator.

  • 2016: Tour ended and I moved to NYC (thinking I wouldn’t stay there for long). (Spoiler alert, I’m still there.)

  • Fall of 2017: Was a rough year, my dizzy spirals increased to a point that I wasn’t sure I would get to continue the work that I do, making it unsafe for me to be on ladders or even able to get out of bed somedays.

  • 2018: Thanks to a magical eye doctor who discovered my tear ducts had stopped working (at the age of 23) and knew these symptoms could be caused by an autoimmune or allergy. I was able to drop gluten out of my diet (SAD) and get right back on track with my life (YAY). Within 2 weeks without gluten my eyes were back to normal, the dizzy spells had ended and I was feeling better than I had in half a decade at least. << More on this health journey in the blogs…

    • I worked at my first (and most loved) Broadway theatre! The Helen Hayes, where my confidence and so many dear, dear friendships began.

  • 2019: I accepted my dream job of being a Lighting Director for an incredible dance company “Ballet Hispánico.”

    • We toured across the country. I lived my dreams adapting designs from famous designers and reviving old repertory pieces. Even designing a piece of my own at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, NYC, NY.

    • (I started dating the love of my life, William Hansen.)

  • The heartbeat. 2020-2021. Covid 19. Theatres across the nation shutting down. NYC going into lockdown, followed by the rest of the world.

    • This was a period that I call the “heartbeat.” It was terrifying, eye opening, pivoting and honestly something that I’m grateful for (minus the actual pandemic). But that forced stop in our busy lives. That changed everything.

    • I started my own business, assisting photographers in their backend systems. Things like finances, client experience, CRM systems, photo shops, SEO and so much more.

    • Will and I had to move out of NYC for a little bit. We went to KS to work for my dad and assist in getting his house sold.

  • Fall of 2021: Broadway opened back up and suddenly my name was at the top of multiple people’s list. I hadn’t done a darn thing for the industry while we were gone. I had pivoted, started my own business and straight up ignored it all. Ultimately, after a lot of hard choices this is what happened:

    • JJW Production Electrics hired me as the Technical (well… everything) for Hasan Minhaj’s The King’s Jester tour. This tour tug at my multi-passionate, leadership love. Running the carpenters, video team and electrics in every venue. Adapting from tiny rock n’roll venues to arenas and everything in-between. This job brought me, the LD, the electrician, the touring head back to life.

  • 2022 & Beyond: Has been a whirlwind that I can’t even keep up with. I’ve risen to the top so incredibly quickly it makes you second guess what has happened (no honestly!). Prior to 2020 my name was barely even known and now I have playbills on my wall, I’ve designed over 25 shows in one theatre and more outside of there, my spouse is known as “Savannah Bell’s Husband” in half the places he works now.

    • Working with productions like Moulin Rouge, Here Lies Love, How to Dance in Ohio and Heart of Rock and Roll in various electrics leadership roles on Broadway. Roles like “Associate Production Electrician” and as a female in this industry… Well. Let’s just say I’m feeling rather honored.

    • Still making time for the beloved Okoboji Summer Theatre, designing and mentoring each summer.

    • Running a small consulting business on the side for Photographers and Artists alike.

    • Going on incredible vacations to Iceland, Alaska, Hawaii and more.

    • Marrying William Bell-Hansen. Going on a 1 month Honeymoon in Italy & Switzerland.

But, what are we here for?

Well, if you’ve made it this far, maybe you’re just bored… :) But you could actually be here for a lot of things and that’s the awesome part.

Maybe we’re doing theatre together. Maybe we’re talking about life. Or maybe you’ve got a business needing some help.

Either way, I can tell you simply what I’m here for. Community. Connection. Growth.

I created this site to house all of me, to start a few conversations and to continue even more.