Medway Cultural Council's Artist Spotlight - Hazel Warnick

Eight years ago, Hazel and her husband retired and moved to Medway from Maryland, to be near their  family.  Her legal career included arbitrating consumer disputes, mediation and heading an appeals division for unemployment insurance.  She was active in several organizations that fostered women’s rights, including the House of Ruth (a shelter for battered women) and the Women’s Law Center. She also performed in community theater and sang with a choir. Since moving to Medway, she has been fortunate enough to have been able to continue performing, supporting women’s rights and still have time to help take care of her grandchildren.  All of these are labors of love! 

1. Tell us about your art! 

I have loved singing and acting, as long as I can remember. Although I haven’t performed professionally, I have always managed to find a way to find an outlet for this passion, whether it is community theater, parlor theater, choir singing, or educational theater.

2. What inspires you? 

My dad is my inspiration for loving to perform.  When I was a child, I would sing with him for an amateur night on summer vacations. My dad was a trained tenor and loved to sing and perform. Unfortunately, WWII interfered with his plans to sing on the radio.  In his later years, he performed in senior productions of musicals.  My mother inspired me to become involved in social justice issues, particularly women’s rights.  

3. How did you get started in making your art? What drew you into the field? 

I performed in several community theater plays and joined a choir.  Several years later, I was fortunate enough to join the cast and crew of “We Did It For You!”, a musical that tells the story of how women got their rights in America. We have performed all across Massachusetts. This experience has allowed me to combine my love of performing, while also educating and hopefully inspiring others to vote and become involved in their communities.

4. How long have you lived in Medway? What drew you to this town? 

I moved to Medway, about 8 years ago.

5. How can people experience your work? Do you have a website/gallery?

Since Covid 19, we have been unable to perform “We Did It For You!” before a live audience. (Our plan to perform at Medway High School during Art Week MA 2020 had to be canceled.). However, Medway residents and people all over now have the opportunity to see a “live” performance via Zoom technology. We have several performances scheduled for this fall. To learn more, you can find us at www.wediditforyou.org. 

I have also performed in “I Want To Go To Jail” a one-act play about suffragists who picketed in Boston.  This staged reading, written by the granddaughter of one of the suffragists, has also been presented via Zoom.  To learn more, check out www.iwanttogotojail.com.

6. Describe your favorite meal. 

Anything cooked by my husband!