What are the most romantic classes you can think of? Maybe French, the language of love? Or did drama come to mind, because what’s the theater without a love story or two? Well, if you’ve had the pleasure of meeting Amanda Hilson, better known to her students as Madame Hilson, or Michael Place, a drama teacher and the director of the musical every year (including this year’s rendition of Anything Goes), you may understand what happens when the two come together. Appreciate bits and pieces of their beautiful love story from selected questions of Tatler’s exclusive interview with them!
Responses have been edited for clarity and concision.
How did you two meet?
Michael Place (MP): We met doing a workshop with our mentors [in 2013]… they teach a movement methodology for actors. I began studying with them in 2002, and now I’m the artistic producer of their company … And Amanda was getting her master’s degree at the University of Washington. I was home from New York for this workshop … and one of her professors suggested that she do this workshop in the summer … [but] even if she wanted to, there was no space in the workshop for her to do it. And on Sunday night — the workshop started Monday — she’s at home, about to purchase her plane ticket to Michigan. And as soon as she’s about to click purchase, she hears a notification in her inbox, and it was from [her professor] saying that a student had dropped, and a spot had opened up in the workshop that started tomorrow … And that was kind of a magical moment, because Amanda usually is not somebody who’s married to her email in that way, but yet, the fact that she chose to check it is sort of fortuitous … So then the next day, we’re at the University of Washington in the studio. You know, there are 40 people in this workshop … [But when] I saw Amanda walk in the room, I felt like I knew her already. When I saw her, I recognized her, which was striking, and I took note of that, and I went up to her …
Amanda Hilson (AH): And I had trained in New York with an acting coach who set up a very clear work ethic for her students in terms of socializing with the actors that you were working with. Like, whether you’re training or rehearsing, it’s not social time … so when he came up … [I thought,] oh no, you’re gonna be a huge distraction because I think you’re really cute! Oh no!
MP: So after the workshop, there was this big social energy after the work, and so we all went out, everyone in the workshop. There were like 35 people [who] went out, and Amanda and I sat next to each other that night, and we just talked for the whole evening … After that, we sort of just started dating. It was pretty quick. And we had all these overlaps and interests. We were both artists. Amanda had lived in New York. I was currently living in New York. Amanda had worked for the French government, was fluent in French, and had lived in France. And I’m a first-generation French American, I’m a French citizen, my whole family’s French … and it was wonderful and really exciting … We just knew that there was some bigger something in play, and we just decided to find out.
Do you remember your first official date?
MP: For artists, it’s a little different. Because for artists, or at least theater artists, you’re working together every day … [but] our first one-on-one, we went to a sushi restaurant before training one night, and they were so slow, and we ran out of time, and it was so expensive, and we just shoved sushi into our faces and went to training too full. It was kind of a disaster.
AH: Terrible thing to do before you go to physical training!
MP: But if I were to think about a date early in our relationship, one that really stands out to me is when we went to that boxcar. What’s it called? It’s under the Williamsburg Bridge.
AH: Oh, The Diner!
MP: The Diner in Williamsburg, New York. It’s an old train car, and they carved out one side to be a bar; there are two tops, and you can sit at the bar. I remember we sat at the bar, and the lighting was gorgeous. And I just like, vividly remember sharing that evening with you there. That was really special.
Do you have a funniest or most memorable moment of your relationship?
MP: … I remember one evening. Amanda had just finished graduate school, and we were living together, subletting from some friends on Capitol Hill before heading back to New York. And this was my friend’s old apartment … but we walked into this apartment that I had lots of fond memories of being in with one of my best friends, and it was really kind of a bummer vibe. We walked in, and there were two dudes playing Nintendo, but without any enthusiasm or energy, just like they were sinking into the couch … And my friend was going to Dungeon Master a D&D night.
AH: So you had those plans. But I had plans to go see some friends in a show, but [that didn’t happen.]
MP: So I was like, ‘Amanda, I’m not playing D&D, let’s get on my scooter.’ And we got on my scooter, and we drove through the city and went to Seward Park, and then drove along the waterfront. And it was the most epic sunset ever, and I remember just feeling so grateful that we were choosing each other that evening instead of whatever other nonsense we could be doing …
How old are your kids?
AH: Our son Olivier is 10, and Audrey-Simone is 7.
MP: … It’s been very cool to have the kids grow up watching rehearsals and watching musicals and being with us here together. They really identify with this place…
What are your favorite qualities about each other?
MP: … I just really deeply love and appreciate how centered, patient, and sophisticated Amanda’s presence is. Amanda has this incredible ability to be present without needing to be the center of attention in any way. She is incredibly generous with her energy, without expectation of getting anything out of it. And so I just found that to be very magical when I first met her … it felt sort of regal to me … I also deeply value Amanda’s artistry … And I think she’s a wonderful parent and partner. One very specific thing about that is whenever there’s a creative opportunity that might make her life harder, she insists that I do it. So her investment in us, keeping our creative practice alive and flourishing, is a foundational value for her, and I love that it is worth the costs to manifest that life for both of us. Among many other things. And she’s beautiful!
AH: There are so many things to say about Micky that I love about him … Socially, I love how the energy that he brings into a room is incredibly engaging, generous, and dynamic. And I love … his big heart in general. Heart for people, heart for connecting people, and in his creative work, just a big heart for investing in people while setting a really high bar for excellence. And a deep investment in humanity and finding the richness in every moment. He has such an incredible genius in the way in which he approaches his work … Whether he’s directing, producing, acting … you’re so personable, and you’re able to discuss your ideas and get everyone engaged, on the same page, having a really enjoyable, satisfying, rich time. … All encompassing is just a big heart.
Do you see each other often during the school day?
MP: No, but when we do, it’s awesome. It’s amazing how celebratory it feels when our paths bump us into one another … I really sparkle when I see her, which is sort of like when you run into a friend out in the world that you don’t expect to see … But every once in a while, we’ll take a track walk … those moments are precious …
When you do get free time, what’s your favorite thing to do together?
MP: Our favorite thing is probably to host other families that we love … and the most obvious thing, which is us being in France together, which is just where things feel most at peace. Our agenda is just to be with family and each other and with good food and a beautiful environment … We also love seeing and making art together when we’re able to do that. And raising our little rascals!
AH: And being on the water!
MP: Oh yeah! In the pandemic, we bought a boat, and being on the water is a place where our family is just always happy to be … in the summertime, when it’s nice, we’ll be out cruising on Lake Union and Lake Washington.
What’s something you admire about the other person, or a quality that you hope to emulate?
MP: … We met doing this work [in which] there’s a lot of distillation of the present moment and a lot of slow, sustained movements … [And] it was torturous for me to slow down to the point of 2% tempo … because my brain was so fast and I had so much energy in my body that it was really a challenge for me to decentralize my thoughts into something very distilled and meditative and still theatrical … Amanda meets this work from the opposite end: it feels like she’s spending time with an old friend when she goes into slow tempo … I deeply admire Amanda’s ability to be still and receptive and patient. And in her ability to do that, she’s able to receive the big picture and have a greater context …It feels like a really sophisticated understanding of what is valuable in this life. And we see that most clearly when we’re doing our creative work together, but that is true all the time.
AH: … Micky has always had a practice of, regardless of how you’re feeling … When an opportunity presents itself, whether it be big or small, to be with other people, to do something, I aspire to choose to say yes to that … Like just always being open to the experience with others. And, again, just that big heart for being with others and having rich experiences with others comes from that very simple choice … Choosing a little discomfort, if it’s for a greater experience rather than staying with the comfortable choice.
Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day?
MP: Nope! Famously, no. I think we resented the formalization of romance.
AH: For one day!
MP: … We just never really subscribed to it. And we don’t need the excuse to celebrate one another.
AH: And this is also getting back to another thing I love about Micky, which is his incredible ability to make every moment special … So we don’t need a specific day on the calendar to make sure we do that. We’re fortunate enough to have a lot of those.
