From performing in community musical theatre productions, small-town born and raised Canadian actress with Guyanese and Jamaican roots, Vanessa Sears, 30, has made her Broadway debut in the new musical “New York, New York”. For her, it’s a dream come true.
“When you think of the biggest job you can get as a musical theatre artist most people would agree that Broadway is one of the first things that come to mind. I had auditioned for a few shows before and was in the top three but I never booked it. I had made peace with that. I told myself, ‘Well if it doesn’t happen, that’s okay. I am happy and successful in Toronto,’” Sears recently told Stabroek Weekend.
Although she had accepted that there was much outside of Broadway she could do, when she received the offer to be standby for the lead role in “New York, New York” directed by five-time Tony award winner Susan Stroman, Sears said, “It was a dream come true. I had to take it, if only not to have regrets. I started making frantic arrangements to move to New York. The whole experience has been phenomenal. To top it off I got to make my Broadway debut just a few weeks ago. This experience has exceeded my expectations in every way.”