5 Questions with LOVE LIFE at Encores Vishal Vaidya!
Kevin Ray Johnson
It is my honor to introduce you to Vishal Vaidya. Mr. Vaidya will be performing in Love Life at Encores starring Kate Baldwin and Brian Stokes Mitchell and will be directed by Victoria Clark. Vishal made his Broadway debut playing Larry in Groundhog Day. He has also appeared in 1776 at Encores and will be seen in the upcoming concert of Cinderella with The National Asian Artists Project on March 2nd! Regionally he has performed with companies such as The Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, and Ford Theater among many others.
His voice truly knocks me out and it is always a joy and privilege to watch him perform. I am really happy to have the chance to interview this amazing person and performer!
1.) How old were you when you knew you wanted to be a performer?
Hindus are born performing, in a way. The prayer is beautiful and riffy and there is a lot of dance. I'm Gujarati (from the state of Gujarat in India) and we have two folk dances, raas and garba, that I started doing when I was three. That was my exposure to performing long before I knew I wanted to do it full time. I sort of proclaimed performing when I transferred to Blake High School in Silver Spring, MD my sophomore year. That was where I fell in love with the craft and community.
2.) Where did you study? Are there any mentors that truly helped make you the performer you are today?
Blake HS was a public performing arts school that gave me exposure to musical theater, choir, dance, acting. It was a brilliant place and my theater teacher Patrick Yuran was such a mentor. He believed in me and pushed me to grow. That early growth instilled perseverance in me, which is the thing you need most of all in this career path. I then attended American University in DC and was very lucky to have Doug Bowles as my voice teacher. I carry his passion into my performing and voice coaching work. My acting professor Cara Gabriel gave me permission to make strong and wrong choices, which is really the only way to find out what works.
3.) Congratulations on Love Life! You have had the chance to do some pretty awesome shows in the past several years On and Off-Broadway. What can you say you are most excited about when it comes to this run at Encores?
There is so much to be excited about with Love Life. Victoria Clark is directing! Kate Baldwin has one of my favorite voices in the entire world. Stokes is a legend and is very sweet. And any time I get to work at Encores I consider myself lucky. It's always joyful and celebratory.
4.) Are there any other shows that you have done in your career that will always be near and dear to your heart?
I try to cherish every show but there are a few that have taught me a lot. Playing Barfee in Spelling Bee at Ford Theater got me out of my head. A Man of No Importance at the June Havoc Theater taught me to dig deep and lead with love. And a new show I've been helping with the development of, Bhangin' It, reminded me that dance is in my blood and my history even if I'm not an elite dancer by western "standards".
5.) What advice would you give young performers who want a career in this business?
The business is tough but what will make it bearable is integrity, curiosity, kindness, and constant introspection. Also, community is everything. I have endured because of people who have seen my potential, lifted me up, and given me space to shine, to err, and to share.
Love Life will be performing at Encores from March 18th - 22nd, 2020. For more information make sure you visit - https://www.nycitycenter.org/pdps/2019-2020/love-life/ and to learn more about Vishal make sure you visit his official website at - http://www.vishal-vaidya.com