Meet Vanessa Evans | Musical Theatre Performer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vanessa Evans and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vanessa, why did you pursue a creative career?
I chose a creative career because I never been scared of a challenge and I honestly feel it was what I was put on this earth to do. I feel so at home on a stage and in a theatre. It brings so much joy and peace in my life. I even love the “boring nerdy” side of researching a character, and taking apart a script or a song. I geek out over that stuff. Character analysis is my jam. Its a feeling unlike any other to fully immerse my into a character especially one so different from myself. I honestly could see myself doing many things but I could never see my self not performing.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

I know it sounds kind of silly but musical theatre chose me or at least we chose each other. Something like that! Yup, that’s what were going with. Growing up, I didn’t even know what a musical was. Let alone, that it was something I can do as career. It was my Senior year of high school, when we took a trip to San Francisco to see “The Lion King Musical” where my life changed forever.

The moment when Rafiki came out and sang “Nants ingonyama bagithi baba” I couldn’t contained my excitement. I was leaping for joy. Literally, jumping up and down, catching air, leaving my seat. Everyone was cracking up around me. We still talk about it at high school get to gathers. It was such a memorable moment in more ways than one. It was that moment, I knew I was going to be a musical theatre performer. The stage was calling and I was going to answer it somehow. But man, that -ish was not easy,

I didn’t start my musical theatre training until my first year of college. Freshman year, I was knee deep in dancing, singing and acting classes. I was lucky enough, that I did sports and drama in high school. So, that athleticism and acting experience transferred well to dance and drama. The only thing, I felt behind in was singing which is a huge part of musical theatre. Go figure! Fortunately, I was also a band geek in high school. Go Clarinets! So, I was musical has hell.

During, this time in my life, I never though I was good or bad. I just thought I had ton of untapped potential. I believe this way of thinking is what really set me apart from others and what really helped me to stick with my training. Because, let me tell you, people were mean! Teachers and classmates. You’d think a bunch of people who sing and dance all day would be a lot nicer. Look, I don’t want to play into any stereotypes but even at my Podunk community college level, people were cutthroat and ruthless. I ‘m glad I could always see my potential because if I had thought I was bad I wouldn’t be performing anymore and if I thought I was good I would have probably been as mean as those other people. Also, I wouldn’t be performing anymore. Sometimes, when you too good you stop learning. This is where I also developed some golden rules for myself as a performer. 1.) I wanted to change the nature of this business and make it less cut throat. 2.) I wanted to created opportunities for performers of all shapes, sizes and most importantly colors. Especially, at the learning levels. 3.) I wanted to introduce musical theatre to less privileged schools.

Sometime, I just do things to see if I can. After a whole two years of musical theatre training I audition for a New York Conservatory. No, not Julliard! Are you kidding me. AMDA -The American Musical and Dramatics Academy to be exact. Oh man, I was holding on to my potential with a hope and prayer. If I had listened to all the negativity around me I would have never audition. Whelp, I got in! Not only, did I get in but I also received a partial scholarship. Someone else had finally seen my potential and I was off to NYC.

This conservatory was a gamechanger. Think “Fame,” you know “I’m going to Live Forever” except not like that at all. You guys, I went from my Podunk community college classes to a New York City conservatory. I had two years of dancing/singing experience and I was going up against people who have been singing and dancing since they were four years old. In a nut shell, the first day we all had dance class together. So, we can be tested and divided by dance levels. It was tap, jazz, and ballet. All styles, I had no experience in what so ever. Still holding on to my potential I thought I’d be place in level 2 or 3 dance class. NOPE! I was placed in level 1 for all my dance classes. I could have died. You can take that experience, copy and paste it over for basically every other class as well. I was officially bad! Little did I know, there was a little bit of potential left under all that badness that I would spend the next two years trying to find.

My conservatory class started at 100 people. By the time we graduated two years later it was down to about 40 people. Tough was an understatement. It was very easy to see if this career was for you or not. People were dropping out like flies. People with way better voices and who could dance circles around me. As for me, it was crazy tough living in the city but I was also having so much fun. I was rushing tickets to seeing musicals almost every week. I was singing, dancing, acting, and going on adventures in the big apple. The whole time I just wish I was better. Even if I didn’t recognize it, I was slowly but surely improving, I was belting out of the stratosphere and I had moved up to Jazz 2. Woah! I also began to lean into acting more which I was excelling in more than singing and dancing. I loved to taking apart a script and developing a character. With my slow yet consistent progress and with our student body quickly dropping out. Things began to even out, I graduated AMDA, and I was able to find my potential yet again as an actor, singer, mover.

I say theater found me because for something I didn’t even know existed, theatre has presented so many opportunities to me. Some great! Others not so great! But, no matter what it is I feel like there’s always another opportunity waiting for me. I couldn’t escape it even if I wanted to. I feel like a theatre is a second home to me. My energy changes working in any aspect of the performing arts. The belief in my own potential as led down a non-stop journey of continuous training and learning. And… I still don’t know if I am good yet. I guess that’s defined differently for everyone.

I just know that I have had the honor of performing in some amazing roles such as Motormouth Mabel in Hairspray, Ms. Hannigan in Annie, and Magdalena in Nine. I served as Senior Musical Theatre Director and Theatre Coordinator for the Arts and Learning Conservatory of Orange County. Where I was able to introduced underprivileged students to musical theatre. My directing and choreography Credits include Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Peter and the Star Catcher, Shrek the Musical and Hairspray. Yeah, I know. I’ve been paid to choreograph musicals. Me! The Jazz 2 mover. I can hardly believe it either! Oh yeah, and remember how sometimes I do things just to see if I can? Well, I also wrote a book called “What the Bleep!?! I’m Directing a Children’s Musical.” A how-to guide to directing children’s theatre. I also led the way as writer, director and lead actress of Green Girl Diaries. Green Girl Diaries is a modern-day parody web series of the musical Wicked that focuses on titular green girl and one day wicked witch Elphaba’s time at Shiz University. In all of this, I have done my absolute best trying to make theatre a “Safe Space” hopefully producing nicer performers along the way. I become known for my out of the box thinking especially when it comes to casting creating more opportunities for all performers. I guess it doesn’t matter if I am good or not. I see my potential and that all that really matters. Define what success means to you, believe in your potential, and enjoy the ride.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Okay, I’m going to stay on brand here. I love a place that is over the top and has a good theme. I’m going to list this out because who doesn’t love a good list.

1.) Burnt Umber Coffee -Goth Victorian Coffee Shop in Garden Grove CA
2.) Requiem- Nerdy Game House and Coffee Shop in Downtown Anaheim
3.) Rodeo 39- Trendy Public Market with amazing food options.
4.) Anaheim Packing District-Another Trendy Public Market with amazing food options.
5.) Strong Water Anaheim-Pirate Themed Restaurant and Bar. Awesome Dranks!!!
6.) Villain’s Brewing Company-Villainous drinking tavern in Anaheim.

Enjoy!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to give a shout to the Page to Stage Playwrights. I have been invited back to direct in this festival for the second time. They really take care and provide opportunities for female and female identifying artist.

The purpose of the Page to Stage Playwrights Festival is to nurture new plays and new playwrights by
working with local burgeoning writers and to showcase their works for audiences in our community.
Selected plays will be presented as staged readings on the Curtis Theatre stage as part of the 2023
Season. The Curtis Theatre will also use the festival to find and develop material for future seasons.
Authors whose manuscripts are selected will receive an honorarium, a written critique from a
professional dramaturge, a DVD of the staged reading, and participation in a post-show audience
discussion.

The 2023 festival is produced in partnership with Project La Femme. Project La Femme is committed to
creating art that challenges dialogue while promoting and amplifying artists who produce socially
engaging art projects. Their mission is to create and explore images and definitions of women through
diversity, inclusiveness, and honesty.

Website: https://www.vanessamarievans.com/

Instagram: instagram.com/greengirldiaries?igshid=MzNlNGNkZWQ4Mg==

Facebook: facebook.com/vanessa.evans.165

Youtube: youtube.com/@gargoylemedia8906

Other: Instagram: @vanessamarievans

Image Credits
Morgan Holcomb