“Be the best version of yourself!” - 5 Questions with Mean Girl’s DeShawn Bowens!
Kevin Ray Johnson
I would like to introduce you to DeShawn Bowens. Mr. Bowens will be making his Touring debut pretty soon in the upcoming National Tour of Mean Girls performing in the ensemble. I first met DeShawn several years back when we performed in a production of Guys and Dolls together at The Asolo Repertory Theatre. After that I DeShawn was kind of enough to share his talents in a play, I wrote titled A (Funny) Imagination! DeShawn has also performed for very well-respected regional companies across the country including: The Marriott Theatre, The Fulton Theatre, The Asolo Repertory Theatre, Virgnia Musical Theatre as well as for Norwegian Cruise Lines.
DeShawn is an amazing dancer and a true triple threat and I strongly feel that Mean Girls is just the beginning of all the amazing things that are going to come in DeShawn’s career! I am very thankful to have had the chance to interview him for On Stage Blog!
1.) How old were you when you knew you wanted to be a performer?
11-years old.
2.) Where did you study? Are there any mentors that truly helped make you the performer you are today?
Went to Governor School for the Arts and and alumni of Honey In the Rock Dance Theatre both based out of Norfolk, VA! Alumni of Elon University BFA Music Theatre program! There are two mentors that I would def say that helped make me the performer I am today! Chip Gallagher is the dept head of the musical Theatre program at my arts high school, he is a wonderful man and introduced me to the world of musical theatre and taught me so much early on in life about musical theatre before I even went to college! So grateful for him! Lynne Kurdziel Formato, was one of my professors of Dance for the musical stage in college and she is truly a remarkable woman! I had to the privilege to study with her in college and learned so much about my craft and she was always very encouraging and would always teach us to work hard, love the craft and do our best! She is a treasure!
3.) Congratulations on The National Tour of Mean Girls! How fetch! What are you most excited for when it comes to hitting the road with such a fun show?
Thank you so much Kevin! So thankful to God for this opportunity! I think I’m most excited to be able to bring this show to people across the country who may not get the chance often to see shows in NYC, but we get to get to bring Broadway to them! How exciting!
4.) Are there any shows that you have done in your career that will always be near and dear to your heart?
In College, in my senior year, the seniors always put up a musical, to help raise money to bring in casting directors and agents for the Spring. The musical that we did my senior year was “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” I played the role of Neville Landless! If you’ve ever seen or have done the show you know how much fun it is! I had a blast and absolute blast playing that character and doing that show! I would love to do it again someday!
5.) What advice would you give young performers who want a career in this business?
The advice I would give to young performers is! Everyone has their own journey, never ever compare yourself to others! Be the best version of yourself. Never feel like you have to be anything else, but yourself! Truly Believe in yourself! If something is truly meant for you it will not pass you by! Also, train, train train! Take as many classes as you can to keep up with your craft! In this business the more well-rounded you are the more you are able to do!
To learn more about DeShawn and the upcoming National Tour of Mean Girls make sure to visit – www.meangirlsonbroadway.com