"Embrace the Constrictive Criticism That You Receive." Chatting with Reagan Minnette!
Reagan Minnette is the type of young artist you truly want to see go so far. She has the perfect attitude. To have a presence that she has on stage at her age is beyond words to me. Reagan is currently performing in the ensemble of Hello, Dolly! at Myers Dinner Theatre directed by Sarah Philabaum. You may recognize Reagan from my 2020 edition of "Five Young Performers in this Country You Should Know". Reagan recently wrapped up her freshman year at Millikin University where she is majoring in Musical Theatre. Some of her favorite past shows include Shrek and The Addams Family (Wednesday). I still stand by the fact that Reagan's talent and energy will draw you to her when you see her perform on stage, and I can strongly attest that whether she is ensemble or the title role, Reagan will always succeed and give you 1000% in her performance.
"Reagan is one of the most disciplined young people I have met recently. She has been working hard at her craft from the moment she could walk. She has an extremely bright future!"Says Myers Dinner Theatre Artistic Director Jeremy Littlejohn.
Reagan is truly meant to be on stage. I am so happy to have the chance to feature this talented young lady.
How old were you when you knew you wanted to be a performer?
I never had the AHA moment of "this is what I want to do with my life", it just was! I did my first professional show when I was nine, and from then on, it became my passion and life path. Theatre became a part of who I am and will always live in my heart.
Are there any teachers or mentors in your life who truly helped you become the great performer you are today?
I am so thankful for every person who has put time and energy into helping me grow as a performer, but I am especially grateful to John Blair. He was my voice teacher and theatre mentor for 9 years! He always believed me and pushed me to places I never knew I could reach! He was always on my team, and I will forever and always be a John Blair student.
Congratulations on Hello Dolly! Sarah Philabaum and Jeremy Littlejohn are absolute joys! What are you most excited about with this show?
Thank you! I am so excited to do live theatre again! Hello, Dolly! is such a fun classic, and a feel-good show like this one is needed right now! I'm very excited to work will old and new friends!
Are there any roles, shows, or moments in your career that stick out and will always be near and dear to your heart?
I will never forget when my dad and I were lucky enough to get to play Gomez and Wednesday on stage inAddams Family! He was the best Father on and off stage. We would always get misty singing "Happy Sad". For my wedding (way in the future), I plan on us singing that duet instead of a Daddy Daughter Dance. I will never forget that awesome show.
You are such a talented young artist with a bright future ahead of you. What advice would you give any young performer who wants to attend school for theatre?
Thank you so much! My biggest advice would be to embrace the constrictive criticism that you receive. This is a hard skill to master because it is very hard not to take things personally! It is a personal art form! Just know that every person out there is putting their time and energy into YOU to make YOU the best you can be! It is not what you are doing wrong, but how you can grow into something even better! There is so much to learn about theatre, and the journey is never ending! Always be open to absorbing as much as you can to be the best version of yourself as an artist and person.
Hello Dolly will be opening on June 4th and will be running until the 27th. To learn more, please visit - https://myersdt.com/hello%2C-dolly