[2] A straight-A student and head majorette of the marching band,[3] she appeared in numerous high school stage productions, already using the nickname "Mitzi".

[4] After high school, Hoag attended Shimer College, then located in Mount Carroll, Illinois, completing her degree in two years under the radically flexible University of Chicago curriculum of Robert Maynard Hutchins.

[6] She earned a bachelor of arts in general education,[7] and became a certified teacher, but her experiences with drama at Shimer turned her towards an acting career.

[8] After leaving Shimer, Hoag studied drama at the graduate level at Case Western Reserve University for two years.

[10] The play, which won considerable critical acclaim, was produced primarily by erstwhile actors and staffers of Case Western's Eldred Theatre.

[14] Originally scheduled for September 1974, the show did not air until March 1975, in a time slot facing Chico and the Man, one of NBC's most popular programs.