Vanessa Sears is one of Canada’s foremost performing artists. Her body of work and achievements defy easy categorization, and span the worlds of musical theatre, straight theatre, and film and television. She has a well-deserved reputation as one of the hardest-working and most collaborative performers in the industry.
Vanessa’s resume speaks for itself. Some of her impressive recent achievements include making her Broadway debut in the original company of New York, New York; playing Juliet in Romeo & Juliet and Olivia in Twelfth Night at the Stratford Festival; and directing Perfect on Paper for Talk Is Free Theatre. She has won two Dora awards for her performances in Caroline, or Change and Queen Goneril. Some of her on-screen appearances include lead roles in the films Fourteen Love Letters and Sappy Holiday, as well as TV shows Suits and Sex/Life.
Vanessa is also a passionate activist who isn’t afraid to roll up her sleeves and work to make the world a better place. She is a board member of the Canadian Green Alliance and has helped with a number of causes supporting environmental, racial, and social justice.
Upcoming for Vanessa is the remount of Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 from Crow’s Theatre at Mirvish, and starring as Juliet in the all-Canadian cast of Mirvish Productions & Juliet.
-Written by her fiancé Richard Lam
***
Which ’hood are you in?
I’m living with my fiancé in the Church-Wellesley area. We moved in together in January of 2024, but I was working in NYC and Montreal, and then moved to Stratford in February to perform in ‘Romeo & Juliet’ and ‘Twelfth Night’ through October. After the season finished, we came back to Toronto, so we’ve been properly back in the city for a few months now. It’s been lovely to settle in, and now that summer is here, I’m getting out to explore the neighbourhood. There are some great restaurants nearby, good shopping and nightlife, and we’re close to several theatres, which is awesome. I’m really looking forward to getting to know our area more and more, and having our friends over to enjoy our beautiful balcony!
What do you do?
Primarily, I am a performer on stage – I act, sing, and dance. I have a bachelor’s degree in musical theatre performance, but since graduating, I’ve also worked in animation, film, television, and more recently, I’ve started directing for the theatre as well. I really love doing all of it, and am very lucky to have been supported by the theatre community while dipping my toes into new genres and artistic practices. I feel extremely lucky that I get paid to do what I love, and that the work is so varied. The cherry on top is that it’s truly fulfilling. I enjoy the continual challenge and consequential growth. One of my favourite things about my job is that I never stop learning!
What are you currently working on?
I’m currently playing Sonya in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. It’s a Crows Theatre production which had a sold-out extended run last year, and Mirvish Productions are presenting it this summer at the Royal Alexandra Theatre downtown. I got to see the original show last year, and I’m so excited I am joining the cast for round two. It’s a beautiful musical adapted from a chunk of Tolstoy’s War and Peace. It has incredible music and some of the best actors in Toronto doing incredible work. I hope you can catch it!
Where can we find your work?
As I mostly work in theatre, most of my work disappears once the run of a show is closed (which is kind of magical in its own way). An audience has to show up and be present to share an experience with a bunch of strangers live on stage – it’s live in every sense of the word. So get your tickets to Great Comet ASAP! I’m also starring as Juliet in the upcoming Mirvish Production of & Juliet, which starts performances this winter, also at the Royal Alex. I have some movies and TV streaming online, which you can find on Netflix, Prime, Crave, etc. And of course, you can always follow along on my everyday adventures over on Instagram and Facebook.
I’m also finally starting to post on TikTok, so hopefully I’ll have more content there soon. But I sincerely hope you can join me in person at the theatre!
