Life & Work with Olivia Schaperjohn of North Druid Hills

Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Schaperjohn.

Hi Olivia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I wanted to be a professional soccer player and played for 14 years growing up. All of that changed when I saw my sister in a production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. I was in awe seeing others my age getting to tell stories and play for an audience of people that actually wanted to cheer them on. From then on, I was hooked. I auditioned for so many things getting rejection left and right. I started classes at a local studio called The D’Altos Studio in Evansville, IN where I grew up. Finally, I was cast in a production of Romeo and Juliet as a Page. I memorized the Prologue for my audition and was so proud of myself. From there I dove in headfirst, doing musicals and plays in high school, sometimes three at a time. I went on to earn my BFA in Acting from Ball State University graduating in 2017, where I also spent my summers doing stock theatre — Shakespeare, musicals, and Theatre for Young Audiences. Right out of college, I had three contracts on the horizon, including an internship at the B Street Theatre in Sacramento that solidified my love for storytelling. There, I worked in TYA, sketch comedy, and playwriting, performed a one-woman show, toured, and was a vocalist and percussionist in One Man, Two Guvnors. That experience solidified my love for physical storytelling and ensemble-driven work. After that, I joined a sketch group in Indianapolis where we performed Jurassic Park and Lord of the Rings in an hour with just a handful of actors and live foley. I was the foley artist and also played everything from dinosaurs to Gollum to Galadriel. With my athletic background and love of movement, it felt like the perfect creative playground. I got to act in front of people in a quirky, silly way while making fun soundscape live. A month before the pandemic, I moved to LA to pursue film, and then promptly left when the industry shut down. In 2021, I found myself back onstage in The Lost Colony in the Outer Banks for two seasons, and in between those times I moved to Atlanta! My very first week here, I was cast in a Macbeth school tour with the Atlanta Shakespeare Company, and a year later I was performing on their mainstage. Since then, I’ve continued working in TYA with Woodstock and Discovery Stage, plays/ musicals, understudying, and building my film career with representation. The fact that my first gig here was Shakespeare is completely full circle to me, especially because I’m named Olivia based on Twelfth Night. The Bard has been there for me from the beginning, and apparently still is in the place I now call home.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I originally thought I was headed for a life in musical theatre and Broadway. That shifted in undergrad when I fell in love with straight acting. Then I imagined joining a resident company at an Equity house, but mentors encouraged me to explore film instead. The pandemic obviously rerouted that plan, and I leaned more into sketch and physical comedy — which, honestly, isn’t that far from Shakespeare. Somehow, no matter what direction I think I’m heading, I keep getting pulled back to the Bard.
The biggest challenge of my career so far, though, has been physical. During one of the final runs before tech for my first Main Stage show at the Shakespeare Tavern, I completely ruptured my Achilles tendon with only three pages left in the run. I finished the performance, did the entire month-long run of the show on it, and had surgery as soon as I could. Three weeks after surgery, I started rehearsals for another production there on a scooter and crutches because I still couldn’t put weight on my foot.
Recovery became its own full-time job with nine months of physical therapy, nine hours a week. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through. I had always relied on my physicality as a performer, so being forced to slow down and rebuild from the ground up changed me, not just physically but artistically. It taught me patience, precision, and a deeper respect for what my body can do.
I’m still regaining full strength — standing fully on my toes is a work in progress — but I’m getting stronger every day. I’m back to running, back to dancing, and carrying a new awareness into my work that I didn’t have before.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’d say I’m known for being a playful, specific, and expressive actor. I love working in rooms where collaboration and imagination are at the forefront, and I tend to bring a lot of curiosity and willingness to try things. I like to explore, adjust, and build moments with the ensemble.
Specificity is really important to me in my work. Whether I’m doing classical text or Theatre for Young Audiences, I focus on making clear, intentional choices that help the story land for the audience. I care a lot about clarity and connection, especially in heightened or physical storytelling.
Expressiveness is probably where my athletic and movement background shows up the most. I naturally approach character through the body as much as the voice, which has led me to a lot of multi-role, physical, and ensemble-driven work. I love projects that ask actors to help create the world of the play, not just exist inside it.
I’m often cast in physical or comedic roles, but what I think people respond to is the heart underneath that. I care a lot about making characters feel human and accessible, especially in heightened or imaginative worlds.
What I’m most proud of is the range of work I’ve gotten to do while staying rooted in collaboration, curiosity, and play. I think what sets me apart is that blend of physical storytelling, emotional grounding, and a genuine love for the process. I want work that feels alive, generous, and shared, and I try to bring that energy into every room I walk into.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
What I love most about the city is that I can go to a concert almost any night of the week. I grew up with a punk rock drummer for a dad, so live music has always felt like home to me. Being in a crowd at a show reminds me I’m not alone. It’s really grounding and energizing.

What I like least is honestly also what makes the city rad: there’s so much to do. I want to see everything, support everything, and be everywhere at once, and sometimes that can feel a little overwhelming. It’s a good problem to have, merely a double edged sword of living in a rad city, I guess.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/oliviaschaperjohn

Image Credits
Casey Gardner Ford
Nicole Adkins
Jeff Watkins
Libby Williams