Somniterum takes its name from Shakespeare’s The Tempest:
“Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices
That, if I then had waked after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming,
The clouds methought would open and show riches
Ready to drop upon me that, when I waked,
I cried to dream again.”
(Caliban in act 3, scene 2)
“Somniterum” (pronounced “som-nih-TARE-um”) is a Latin translation of the final phrase, “dream again”: somni (dream) + iterum (again). Unlike the original, we use the imperative, which makes it a command, request, or challenge.
Our name expresses our mission as a company. We endeavor to follow Caliban’s admonition and “be not afeard”, to set aside our reservations and attempt what doesn’t seem entirely possible. We endeavor to dream again and open ourselves up to the sounds, sweet airs, voices, and riches present within us.
The cornerstones of our activities are community and artistry. Community made the founding of Somniterum possible, and we seek to further establish community through our work. Artistry is the means by which we explore the human condition together, and we aspire to audacious and rigorous artistry that makes our exploration as comprehensive and fulfilling as possible.
Team
Hannah Preisinger (Founder, Executive Director – she/they)
One summer, I had the fateful (insane) idea to put on a play with only two weeks of prep time; the result was the first Shakespeare in Ten, which I directed in 2015. I joined forces with longtime collaborator Kay in 2016 to prepare for the second installment, and we’ve been proudly testing our artistic limits with a grand community of creatives ever since.
I hold a BA in Culture, Literature & the Arts with a minor in Consciousness Studies from UW Bothell, and an Executive MA in International Studies from UW Seattle. My theatrical interests include directing, acting, and sound design, and I also occasionally work in film, podcast production, and voice acting.
Outside the world of the arts, I have worked in a myriad of fields from game design to gravitational wave astronomy; my intended path leads into the realm of humanitarian aid and disaster response. In the meantime, I’ve made a very effective warlock pact with coffee and have all kinds of weird, obscure research to do.
Kay Divoky (Founder, Executive Director – she/they)
I am a theatre practitioner and scholar, born and raised in Seattle. I started out as an actor, performing professionally with Wooden O, Book-It, and Seattle Shakespeare, and training at Western Washington University. Over time my work shifted to include many other aspects of theatre.
I assisted Hannah in mounting the first Shakespeare in Ten and we founded Somniterum the following year. At Somniterum, I have directed Triceratops Love Song and Shakespeare in Ten: Much Ado About Nothing, with the rest of my work centering on assistant directing, stage combat choreography, and producing.
My greatest interest is acting pedagogy, and I conduct scholarly and practical research to realize its fullest potential. As part of my research, I earned an M.F.A. in Actor Training and Coaching at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London. I am in the process of establishing a group dedicated to actor training and personal artistic process, where my pedagogy will be offered and refined.
Calen Winn (Social Media Marketing Director – they/them)
I first met Kay at Western Washington University and was brought on as a member of Somniterum in 2019. I hold a B.A. in Theatre from WWU and am slowly working my way into the Seattle theatre scene. I strive to live through a lens of social justice and am really a dreamer working in the theatrical idiom as an actor and director. Musical Theatre is my first love, and I look forward to Somniterum growing to support producing a musical someday.
Somniterum Productions 