Written by Stephanie Gordon
The performing arts captivated Caitlyn Grace (Hubbard), ’12, at a young age. That captivation took Caitlyn around the world, performing stunts and writing independent film scripts. It’s her humble beginning in small-town Hillsdale that paved the way for her successful career and unforgettable experiences, ultimately bringing her back home to Hillsdale to share her wisdom with others in our community.
According to Caitlyn, her path to Hillsdale College was quite direct. “I was a dual-enrolled Hillsdale Academy student,” said Caitlyn. “My older sister had already attended Hillsdale College, so I was very familiar with it. I knew the quality of the education, and I had already built relationships with many of the professors there.”
By the time Caitlyn was a sophomore at the College, she had acquired enough credits for a theatre minor. With two more years remaining, she decided to complete the theatre major. She also obtained an economics major.
“After Hillsdale, the adventure really began,” said Caitlyn. “I didn’t know what to do with my degrees. My folks came across an article in Wired magazine about the United Stuntmen’s Association, which had a stunt school in Seattle, Washington. As a graduation present, we went halfsies on tuition.”
She spent the summer after graduation in Seattle, training for high falls, precision driving, full-body fire burns, and various martial fighting forms. Caitlyn went one step further and drained her bank account to attend a wire workshop within the same stuntmen’s school. Caitlyn said she found her “tribe” in this work, and knew this is what she wanted to do.
After meeting fellow peers with connections in Chicago, Illinois, Caitlyn moved to the Windy City and landed a full-body fire burn role in an independent film within three months. She also found a part-time job at a steakhouse to help pay her rent. Her independent film work landed her an audition with Mirage Entertainment. They cast her as the female lead in “Countdown to Ruin,” which at the time was the world’s largest live action stunt show. She played the heroine and villainess over a year-long contract in Guangzhou, China.
Caitlyn returned to the United States after her year with Mirage and attended the National Stage Combat workshop with the Society of American Fight Directors. She became certified in all eight weapons including broad sword, rapier + dagger, quarterstaff, and knife and then went on to obtain her firearms certification.
After gaining plenty of experience, Caitlyn was ready to get some acting chops. She ventured to Atlanta, Georgia, which she described as the “up-and-coming Hollywood.” Caitlyn was cast as Nebula from the Guardians of the Galaxy in Feld Entertainment’s “Marvel Universe Live: Age of Heroes.” She toured with Feld Entertainment for 14 months before moving to Los Angeles, California. There, she taught “Intimacy and Violence” at the Stella Adler Academy of Acting on Hollywood Boulevard. Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she became a professional wrestler known as “The Amazing Grace,” with the W.O.W. Women of Wrestling, and called it the “pinnacle” of her career.
Caitlyn and her husband, Drew, ’12, became interested in becoming more self-sufficient. They had built a tiny house together for off-grid living, and decided to attend a regenerative agriculture and permaculture program in South Dakota. Caitlyn and Drew felt like it was the right next step, all while having the added benefit of being pandemic proof.
“Ultimately, I was tired of being told I was ‘inessential’ in L.A.,” said Caitlyn. “It never seemed like the right time to move back to L.A., so I started teaching my own P.E. curriculum called ‘Play Education’ at a K-12 501(c)(3), A.C.E. (Accurate and Conscious Education) Academy. It included theatre exercises, somatic work, and emotional regulation techniques, as well as personal fitness training.”
The performing arts still captivate Caitlyn. She trained with Ela Thier’s Independent Film School to learn more about the technical side of filmmaking, while developing her own script ideas. In June of 2024, Caitlyn returned home to Hillsdale with her husband and new baby to operate the family business, Rough Draft. She also accepted an adjunct faculty position with the College’s Theatre Department.
“I hope to bring my decade’s worth of experience as film talent and a stunt performer to bear in a stage and film combat class, as well as acting for and directing the camera,” said Caitlyn.
For Caitlyn and her family, Hillsdale has always been the people.
“We foster genuine community here, and I think that’s why several alumni have recently returned,” concluded Caitlyn. “We want a piece of the camaraderie we found and to share it with the next generation. We’ve gained wisdom and the treasure of experience, and it’s time to share them with the community that invested in us in the first place.”
Stephanie Gordon, a lifelong Hillsdale native, is the managing editor of Virtue and Valor: The Official Blog of Hillsdale College. She is married to chiropractor, Dr. Matt Gordon, and has three children – Eloise, Flora, and Jack. When she has a spare moment, she enjoys paleo baking, floating on Baw Beese Lake, and breaking a sweat at the gym.
Published in July 2024
