Serena wants to serenade you
Houghton resident, Serena Steinhauer makes sure her art is something you want to hear or see repeatedly.
As a little girl, Serena Steinhauer was left completely spellbound by the magic she saw played out on stage.
Enchanted by its power, she knew she too had to be part of this magic. “I left the theatre each time trying to emulate the songs that I heard and acting that I saw onstage. As I grew older and as an only child, I filled my quiet days with music of all kinds,” she said.
At the age of seven, through her school’s talent show, she found herself centre stage for the first time. From that day on her passion for the arts was cemented.
“When I was 13 years old, I experienced a deeply traumatic event. For the first time in my life, I felt completely isolated and voiceless. In that same year, myself and the rest of the drama students at my high school were taken to watch Tsephang: The Third Testament by Lara Foot. As I watched this incredibly brave play, I felt a sense of catharsis come over me,” shared Steinhauer. From this experience, she realised the arts have a sense of social consciousness and a call-to-action can change not only her life but the lives of others too.
Performers such as Athol Fugard, John Kani and Winston Ntshona, to name a few, are luminaries for her. These artists and many others, have for her, “Shaped the music and theatre that I aspire to create and perform, as well as inspiring me to leave an indelible mark in my industry.” Within the arts, she is described as a quadruple threat, as she is a singer, dancer, actress, and guitarist. The mediums she is part of have allowed her the opportunity to perform at concerts, take part in dance competitions across the world and be a delegate at the international, Limmud Festival where she spoke on the science of music.
Her greatest achievement so far has been achieving her Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Music Studies Summa Cum Laude from the USA-based Berklee College of Music. Among her many accolades, one of her best achievements was her award at the 2017 South African National Community Theatre Awards where she won best actress in a musical for her role as Diana Morales in A Chorus Line.
She describes her artistry as one that has always had a social consciousness and a deeply empathetic overtone. Steinhauer’s love has always been to make people think, feel and learn. “My hope is that I make a lasting social change through my artistry, if not to the world at large. Perhaps, even just to one person, as it did for me all those years ago,” said Steinhauer.
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