Sharee Harris Is Blazing A Trail For Women of Color Creatives
Sharee Harris is a game changer. The Glen Burnie, MD resident is a screenwriter and producer. She produced her hit play "What If," which ran at the Anne Arundel Community College for nearly two weeks last fall and swiftly turned into a movie which premiered on April 7th at Hoyt's in Maryland. We're in awe of how fast she went after her dreams of making her play come to life, read our exclusive interview with Harris below:
How did you get your start in the play industry?
I wrote my first play my freshman year in college. However, it wasn't until I saw my first stage play by Tyler Perry at the Hippodrome that I knew I wanted to be a playwright and movie producer. After having my first play sit under my bed for 10 years I decided to go out on a limb and put on the production.
Some people would be terrified to transition into filming, what motivated you to do so?
What motivated me to do so was knowing I could do it, that the dream was possible and that I could afford to. One of the cast members in my play is a cinematographer and I didn't know he was until I said one day in practice that I wanted to do a movie and from that conversation another dream was coming true. After putting on the stage play and seeing the success in that, all the fear I once had to live out the purpose God gave me went away.
The film and play industry are very hard to break into. What advice can you give to an inspiring playwright or screenwriter ?
Never give up on your dreams and go after everything you want in life because one thing I do know life is short. If you have a vision, a story, a dream, write it down, pray over it and go to work and make it come to life. This industry takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and money and you may not succeed in the beginning but don't give up. Being knocked down only makes your dream even better in the end. Because guess what, you have a bigger story now to tell. First start and "Never Give Up"!!
When people see your film, what’s the biggest lesson you want them to remember after watching ?
The lesson I want people to learn is, in life you will fall, be bruised and have the worst hurt in the world happen to you and you will question or ask "What If". In this film, you will find purpose and learn a lesson that will define your life. In life we have choices, we can go left or we can go right. The great thing about it is we have a choice and we can always get up when we fall and be the greatest we ever was before.
Who inspires you ?
My kids inspire me to be the best I can be. I live a life where I set no limits and I chase every dream and desire I have. In them I see their talents and I want them to see that they can do anything they want in life. My boys push me and they are my biggest fans. I am inspired by them daily.