While the series addresses a serious health topic, Hajduk and Doran\u2019s goal is to make viewers laugh as their characters try outlandish remedies, including seeing a life coach, practicing yoga and trying tabooed hormone replacement therapy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would share some of the things we each tried to get relief and we were just laughing. And we still are,\u201d said Hajduk, who graduated from Wright State in 1989 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting<\/a>.<\/p>\n Doran and Jane Hajduk describe the 12-episode series as irreverent, fast-paced and heartwarming. They created two characters that many women will find relatable and who can help some people better understand what women go through during menopause.<\/p>\n \u201cWe both were in menopause and still are,\u201d said Doran, who graduated from Wright State in 1988 with a B.F.A in acting. \u201cIt\u2019s never-ending. What\u2019s funnier than menopause?\u201d<\/p>\n The series is also about two women\u2019s friendship, something that was easy for Doran and Hajduk, who are friends in real life, to explore.<\/p>\n \u201cThee Third Act\u201d debuts on Monday, Jan. 29, on YouTube at youtube.com\/@theethirdact<\/a>.<\/p>\n Future episodes will be released weekly on Mondays.<\/p>\n Each episode is two to five minutes long, which Doran and Hajduk say will make it easily watchable for all generations of entertainment. One of their goals is to reach 400,000 YouTube subscribers so they can begin monetizing their channel.<\/p>\n Wright State acting alumna Shari Doran, left, and Jane Hajduk teamed up to create \u201cThee Third Act,\u201d a new short-form comedy series about menopause and friendship available on YouTube. (Photos by Aaron Farrier)<\/p><\/div>\n Doran and Hajduk, both of whom live in Los Angeles, have had discussions with production companies about expanding the \u201cThee Third Act\u201d into 30-minute episodes.<\/p>\n They are already halfway through writing a second season and, for now, are focused on getting the most out of the project\u2019s current short-form format.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re having so much fun with how it is now we\u2019re not even worried about that,\u201d Doran said. \u201cWe\u2019re just worried about getting it out there and letting the audience have fun with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Although Doran and Hajduk are officially the writers, producers and stars of \u201cThee Third Act,\u201d they are involved in every aspect of the project.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are everything,\u201d Hajduk said. \u201cWe are producers, we are casting directors, we are makeup artists, we are set decorators. We did this for not a lot of money. We got a lot of friends to come in to do this for not a lot of money.\u201d<\/p>\n Through their new production company, Third Act Productions, they also hope to pursue other projects.<\/p>\n As acting students at Wright State, they lived together on campus for three years.<\/p>\n At Wright State, Hajduk played the lead role in \u201cTo Jillian on her 37th Birthday,\u201d while Doran played Juliet in \u201cRomeo and Juliet\u201d and Our Lady of the Spa in the musical \u201cNine.\u201d They also performed in several productions in the Herbst Theatre and frequently worked with motion picture students on their film projects.<\/p>\n They also performed together in the musical \u201cEvita.\u201d As the understudy for Eva Peron, Doran had to perform during one performance when the lead actress passed out and could not finish the show.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember that so well,\u201d Hajduk said. \u201cShe went on and was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was so cohesive,\u201d Doran said. \u201cEverybody in the cast was pulling for me.\u201d<\/p>\n They both moved to Los Angeles after graduating from Wright State.<\/p>\n They credit Wright State\u2019s theatre program for providing the structure and preparation to succeed professionally.<\/p>\n \u201cWright State was a great experience for both of us,\u201d Doran said. \u201cIt really did propel me to work in the business. I\u2019ve been out here for 30 years and am still working \u2014 that\u2019s a testament to Wright State.\u201d<\/p>\n Doran is a producer, writer and actor who has worked with Wayne Brady\u2019s Making It Up Productions, Warner Brothers, ABC, Universal Studios and Princess Cruise Lines. Most recently, she wrote and produced \u201cHistory Speaks: Diary of a Generation,\u201d a World War II document available on Amazon Prime<\/a>.<\/p>\n Her one-woman show \u201cAnne,\u201d based on the life writings of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, has toured both coasts. She created the show as a student at Wright State. She also co-wrote and produced \u201cThe Basement,\u201d an original play that premiered in California.<\/p>\n Hajduk has worked in film, television and theater. In addition to Third Act Productions, she works with Inspire to produce faith-based projects and raise money for charitable organizations. Through her company VEW Productions, she has produced and starred in many short films and theatre projects.<\/p>\n Jane Hajduk and Shari Doran lived together for three years while studying acting at Wright State and play best friends in \u201cThee Third Act.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n Hajduk and Doran previously worked together on several other projects including \u201cThe Watch\u201d a short-form series about a mystical pocket watch and people\u2019s need for time.<\/p>\n Doran and Hajduk started working on \u201cThee Third Act\u201d less than a year ago and it quickly came together. After \u201cbrain dumping,\u201d as Doran calls it, possible story ideas, they each wrote six scripts and met regularly over Zoom to revise each episode. Filming took place over four days.<\/p>\n The two friends have challenged each other creatively as they worked on the show.<\/p>\n Hajduk had never written a script before, but with Doran\u2019s encouragement and guidance, she now considers herself a writer.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can learn the technical part of writing,\u201d Doran said. \u201cYou can\u2019t learn creativity or a storyline that an audience will engage with. That comes instinctually, and Jane is really good at it, and she\u2019s been around comedy for so long.\u201d<\/p>\n Although Doran stopped acting to focus on writing and producing, Hajduk insisted they star together in \u201cThee Third Act.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJane dragged me into it,\u201d Doran said. \u201cShe wouldn\u2019t do it unless I acted in it.\u201d<\/p>\n For Doran and Hajduk, \u201cThee Third Act\u201d has grown into a special project that is all theirs.<\/p>\n \u201cI still want to audition, and I still want to get cast,\u201d Doran said. \u201cBut I feel like I have this thing that is our own.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf there was anything good that came out of menopause it was that we were thriving creatively in our third act,\u201d Doran said. \u201cI feel like we\u2019re soaring more than we have. Maybe it\u2019s that irreverence that gives you a freedom that I haven\u2019t had before, and I don\u2019t think Jane has had before.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Shari Doran and Jane Hajduk, who roomed together as acting students at Wright State in the 1980s, have created \u201cThee Third Act,\u201d a new short-form comedy series about menopause and friendship available on YouTube. Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/files\/2024\/01\/TheeThirdAct-1-508x370.jpg\")
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