Acting teacher Stella Adler is credited with a sentiment that’s shared widely and often ironically by theater professionals, parents and those who love performers: If you can do anything else besides acting, then do that.
Watch for these seven up-and-coming young actors onstage in the Twin Cities
The theater performers, who have already demonstrated their skills with power and passion, unleash more this fall.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
September 13, 2024 at 11:20AM
No matter, the profession continues to draw smart, beautiful storytellers who hold their own on Twin Cities stages. Here’s a bouquet of these promising bloomers.
Will Dusek
He has a beautiful voice, dramatic range and something that can’t easily be bought or taught: star power. A Cretin-Derham Hall graduate who studied musical theater at Illinois Wesleyan University, Dusek won the triple threat award in Hennepin Arts’ Spotlight program in 2018. And lately, he has been living up to expectations, exploding on the scene even as he continues to hone his craft.
Where you have seen him: Dusek played heartthrob Frankie Valli in “Jersey Boys” at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, finding the singer’s vulnerable falsetto and edgy charm on songs such as “Beggin’” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” Dusek also was affecting as strike leader Jack in “Newsies” at Artistry, imbuing the restive newsboy with pathos and a dreamy grandeur.
Upcoming: “Scotland, PA” at Theater Latté Da.
Audrey Parker
An elfin ingenue who belts high notes effortlessly, Parker commits fully to her roles. She comes by her gifts by natal immersion and study. Her mother, voiceover artist Teri Parker Brown, is a veteran Twin Cities singer, actor and dancer while her father, Vin Parker, is a musician and actor. Parker cut short her studies at Marymount Manhattan College to work.
Where you have seen her: Her Ann Miller in History Theatre’s “Blended 和 (Harmony): The Kim Loo Sisters” exuded glamour and a winning empathy. In Artistry’s “Newsies,” where she played sassy reporter and love interest Katherine, Parker invested her musical and dance numbers with lots of character that made Katherine smartly engaging.
Upcoming: “A Christmas Carol” at the Guthrie Theater.
Nambi Mwassa
A graduate of White Bear Lake High School and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles, the singer, actor and dancer has talent for days. She injects heart into her dramatic characters and draws viewers in with emotive, deeply felt singing.
Where you have seen her: Mwassa imbued Nettie, Celie’s younger sister in “The Color Purple,” with deep empathy and a sweet innocence. She traveled with the Theater Latté Da production when it transferred to New York’s Geva Theatre.
Upcoming: “Cinderella” at Theater Latté Da.
Audrey Mojica
A richly talented spitfire, Mojica has practically grown up onstage. As she completes her studies at the St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, we have watched her build her skills and expand her range from cute-as-a-button child roles to tart-tongued ingenue.
Where you’ve seen her: She alternated the lead role of “Matilda” at the Children’s Theatre Company, where also, she has played lead roles in “Annie” and “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” Her other CTC credits include the title character in “Alice in Wonderland.” At Theater Latte Da, she was the disaffected daughter in “Next to Normal” and she brought glee and levity to the role of youngest sister Bubbles in “Blended 和 (Harmony).”
Upcoming: “A Christmas Carol” at the Guthrie.
Daysha Ramsey
Fresh out of the University of Minnesota Duluth BFA program, the East Grand Forks, Minn., native landed a role at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. She has been dancing and singing in studios for over two decades — practically all her life — and all that training has made her a natural onstage.
What you have seen her in: Ramsey played popular cheerleader Shelby in “The Prom,” the Nurse in “Jersey Boys” and pop singer Janelle Woods in “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” all at Chanhassen, where she also has been in the ensembles of “The Music Man” and “Footloose.” In other words, she has become a reliable staple at the nation’s largest professional dinner theater. “Without theater or dance I would have no heartbeat,” she has said.
Upcoming: Her sixth consecutive show, “White Christmas,” at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres.
John Jamison II
Onstage, some actors reach to fill roles. Jamison sometimes feels like he’s trying really hard to behave. With his tremendous stage presence and powerful voice, he’s probably a rock star who thinks he should be an actor.
Recent: He played the Drifters lead singer in Chanhassen’s “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” and Jesus in “Godspell” at Artistry, bringing a quaking soulfulness to these parts.
Upcoming: “Helen” at Ten Thousand Things Theater.
Tyson Insixiengmai
Light radiates from this Bloomington native who dances, acts and sings with freshness and eye-catching exuberance. A multitalented artist, Insixiengmai also choreographs and teaches.
Where you have seen them: Insixiengmai played Jeter in “Footloose” and also was in the harmonizing ensembles of “The Prom” and “Jersey Boys” — all at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. They also played Crutchie in “Newsies” at Artistry, bringing oodles of sunshine to “Santa Fe” and “Letter from the Refuge.”
Upcoming: Assistant choreographer on Children’s Theatre Company’s “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
The company has been unable to “keep pace with the cost of living,” and it’s the second Twin Cities dance company this year to announce it will shut down.
