Vanessa Ballam

THIRD-YEAR MFA ACTOR VANESSA BALLAM TO PLAY LADY MACBETH. PERFORMER MAKES RADICAL DEPARTURE FOR MFA THESIS ROLE.

BLOOMINGTON , IN ?The villainous Lady Macbeth lies a long way from the pristine world of the Miss America pageant, but for third-year M.F.A. actor Vanessa Ballam the role represents the next logical step in the development of her acting career. A former Miss Utah , Ballam eagerly awaits the opportunity to stretch her talents to the fullest, taking on one of the most famous female roles in all of Shakespeare. When asked why she wanted to tackle this part for her M.F.A. thesis, she responded, It will be such a challenge for me, because I tend to be cast as the sweet young thing, the ingenue. To be able to play one of the most evil women in all of the Shakespearean canon will be a great challenge, and that's what a thesis should be. Macbeth opens on the stage of the Ruth N. Halls Theatre on Friday, November 11, with performances on November 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19, all at 7:30 PM .

In her two years at Indiana University , Ballam has played a wide variety of roles. In her first year she appeared in two strong ensemble pieces, the musical Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris and the contemporary documentary drama The Laramie Project . Last year she stepped up to the challenge of the iconic Chekhovian character Lyubov Ranevskaya in The Cherry Orchard , and then she shifted radically to the character of Linda Evans in the musical Pal Joey . Being able to work in both musicals and straight plays every year is not something I would have expected, says Ballam, but she has found the experience to be extremely rewarding.

Performing Shakespeare is not a new experience to Ballam, who has spent the last two summers working with the prestigious Utah Shakespearean Festival. Growing up in Utah , attending the Festival was a family tradition. Every summer for about fifteen years my dad would pack us up, and we'd see all the shows. Getting to step onto their stage was a goal, a dream for Ballam. She lists Helen of Troy in Christopher Marlowe's Dr. Faustus and Lady Mortimer in Henry IV, part one as her favorite roles in the past two summers there, and the experience she had working alongside such professional, talented actors and actresses there is sure to inspire her work creating Lady Macbeth.

No story about this talented actress would be complete without discussing her experience as Miss Utah . Ballam never had any intention of participating in the pageant, and only went because my arm was twisted by someone in my hometown. A girl in my hometown twisted her ankle and they called me to take her place at the state competition. Says Ballam, They called me the dark horse because no one saw me comingand I won. She moved on to the national pageant where she finished in the top fifteen, and more significantly was the recipient of the talent award. Ballam says of her experience, It's still paying my grad school fees, and they just bought me a computer.

Looking back on her time at Indiana, Ballam says, I must say that it doesn't seem fair that I should get to come to school every day and focus on this work that I love, all of my classes being focused on this work that I love. Following graduation this spring she hopes to find herself working in New York , or perhaps returning to the stage at Utah Shakes, but she looks ahead with some sadness: I would hate to leave Bloomington , honestly. I love the university and the town. I hope it's not my last stint here. I would love to come back here some day.

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