After Citrus College alumna Shawna Hamic auditioned for “Orange Is the New Black,” she went in for a wardrobe fitting with her usual shapewear.
The show’s costume designer said she would tailor Hamic’s uniform instead, so she would be comfortable.
“I’ve never felt more welcomed, and I’ve also never felt more seen,” Hamic said.
Hamic auditioned on July 19, and didn’t get a call the next day. She said she thought she never would.
“It works really that fast,” Hamic said.
The following Monday, at 11:06 a.m. she was told she got the part of Corrections Officer Virginia ‘Ginger’ Copeland. Hamic said she remembered the time because it was the same as when she booked her first broadway show, “The Last Ship.”
The actress attended Citrus from 1995 to 1998 and was a Citrus Singer during that time. In the Citrus Singers, she traveled to Hawaii and Europe and fulfilled a childhood dream to perform musical theater.
Hamic said she wanted to be an actress because she had been bullied for being a “big girl.”
“I started doing shows to become anybody else and ended up finding myself instead,” Hamic said. “Theater is very powerful for me and always has been. And now that translates not just to theater but to being on the show ‘Orange Is the New Black.’”
She said Citrus Singers taught her everyone is important, not just those in the spotlight. Hamic said she uses the lessons everyday both on and off set and she is grateful to her mentors from Citrus.
Dean of Visual and Performing Arts John Vaughan said he considers Hamic a “friend.”
“She is a doer and a worker, and she’s worked hard for where she’s at and she deserves every second of it,” Vaughan said.
Hamic moved to New York and was in the cast of “The Last Ship,” “Les Miserables” and “Kinky Boots.”
Hamic said her “Orange Is the New Black” audition “came out of nowhere”. Her character was not originally written in the script for the episode. The writers were looking over the script and told her they thought there was something missing.
She said they decided it was her character Ginger that was missing. Hamic was cast for every episode of Season 6. She stressed how much she enjoyed being on the show.
“You don’t get to say that about a job very often,” Hamic said. “I literally loved every single moment I was there.”
“Orange Is the New Black” has been renewed by Netflix through Season 7.
