Vanetta Powell: Grateful to Be On Stage

Vanetta Powell was in her first year of college when she auditioned and was cast as Sally in Pack of Lies at the Racine Theatre Guild in 1992. Norm McPhee was her director and she learned much from him throughout the rehearsal process.

“I was glad my first experience was with him,” Vanetta shared. “He coached me and challenged me with learning another dialect. He was pretty a good spotter and it was wonderful to see that he thought I could do that. He gave me a cassette tape to take home and study too.”

She still remembers some of her lines. Then, her life went in another direction and started ministering for her church, also teaching theatre in Christian organizations for over 25 years, working with children.

“I often thought about coming back to the theatre because that’s really where my heart is at. My siblings would always say growing up ‘Mom! Vanetta’s doing her acting! Something’s wrong with her.’ She’d say ‘No, she’s okay. She’s just acting.’ She wasn’t surprised at all when I decided to go into theatre. I’m back to where my heart is at.”

She began performing in other shows in the area including Macbeth, Laughing Stock, To Kill A Mockingbird, Romeo and Juliet, and later productions of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, A Raisin in the Sun, and Steal Away.

Mary Poppins brought her back to RTG in 2016 as Mrs. Corry. She remembers how great of an experience it was to be back, before also joining the ensemble A Christmas Carol: The Musical as a charity worker in both 2017 and 2018.

“I really enjoyed working with Doug and all the people in the shows.”

She then joined the cast of Akeelah and the Bee in 2022 as Ruth, the neighborhood mentor for the kids.

“My very first job in church was working with the youth across three generations. So, I was at home in that character very much.”

With preparations for And in this Corner: Cassius Clay underway, she is a part of the ensemble, adding to scenes throughout the show.

The play has also brought back memories of her family and a match being on the television.

“My dad, my brothers, my uncles – we couldn’t touch the TV. I know about George Foreman. I know about Sugar Ray. I know about them all. And Muhammad Ali really taught most of them all and he was a talker. He danced in the ring. Being such a good boxer, he always had to win. He was going to lock them down and go all the rounds with them.”

Vanetta also appreciates the playwright’s approach to some of the more painful moments of history, working to inform people while still showing the realities. She feels incredibly connected to creating the story and sharing it with audiences.

“It is something we still need to acknowledge that happened so we understand where we are today. I’m glad and honored to be a part of it. I’m going to do my best to bring it to life.”