Hank Fincken: A National Theatre Company of One

Hank did a WONDERFUL job playing John Appleseed for our Cub Scout troop! He was energetic, funny, informative and incredibly entertaining. It's not easy to keep a group of young Scouts engaged, but Hank truly has a gift for keeping kids (and parents!) interested! We thank him for his incredible talent, his time and his dedication to his characters and his craft.

Hank is a Broadway quality actor for hire at a fraction of the cost. I booked him for a short video and he went above and beyond to ensure we got the best footage possible. I highly recommend Hank and will definitely be hiring him again.

I have had the pleasure of welcoming Hank Fincken as a guest performer and teacher for my students here at the Youth Services Center, several times over the past few years. He has presented lessons and performances for characters such as: Thomas Edison, Christopher Columbus, W.C. Fields, and Johnny Appleseed. Our youth range in age from 10-18 and come from all different types of backgrounds and social classes. My students typically struggle in a traditional school setting and are at our facility because they have been in trouble with the law. Because of their situation and past experiences….my class isn’t exactly the easiest audience to win-over. Hank and his characters ALWAYS seem to have my students focused, engaged, laughing, and asking questions within the first ten minutes.

I continue to work to get Hank back here to perform because of the way he connects themes from history to my students’ present day lives. Hank has proven with his performances that he is considerate and attentive to maintaining the integrity and historical accuracy of the characters he portrays. He shows great awareness of the skill levels and personalities of the audience, and is very willing to adapt to his surroundings. I will continue to ask Mr. Fincken to visit my students and highly recommend him as a teacher and performer for both young people and adults.

I have observed Hank Fincken's performances for several years and have always been in awe of his depth of knowledge and total immersion in the characters, whether it's Thomas Edison, Christopher Columbus, Johnny Appleseed, Henry Ford, and others. He is an amazing actor and can engage his audiences whether they are senior citizens or 2nd graders. He can entertain, educate, and give his audiences something to think about. I would highly recommend Hank Fincken - you will not be disappointed!

Hank Fincken is a character, in fact, he is many characters.

In Warren Ohio, Hank has portrayed several historical characters such as J.G. Bruff, Thomas Edison, Johnny Appleseed and Christopher Columbus. I have personally witnessed those portrayals. He was so well received by the community that he was asked to return to portray U. S. Attorney Richard Crowley at our popular Women's History luncheon. He received rave reviews and a standing ovation from a large crowd that was well informed on the women's suffrage movement as it was based in Warren for a period of time, at the home of Harriet Taylor Upton.

Hank has been named “Master Artist,” “Outstanding Performer” and won the Pinnacle Award, all impressive awards given by professionals in respected arts and theatre organizations. What impresses the large audiences that attend his performances are his character portrayals. They are a complete package. Hank mesmerizes the audience with a monologue in character. He is engaging, animated, pensive and connects with an audience of both children and/or adults in a significant way. He makes them think, entertains, and then inspires them to dig deeper and learn more. He stays in character, masterfully answering questions. Afterward he answers audience-posed questions as a scholar, out of character.

Hank can be found even an hour after a performance has ended, surrounded by people who are captivated by discussions on the character he has just portrayed. Hank is approachable, humorous, supremely professional, but not a stuffy historian. He is able to discuss a wide variety of historical topics and brings a wealth of his own life experiences to the conversation.

Hank has also spent time out of the United States performing in Central and South America and is bilingual, which adds to his diversity.

Our community gives the highest recommendation to Hank Fincken and encourages other communities, schools and civic organizations to bring Hank to their community.