We were lucky to catch up with Melanie Queponds recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Melanie, thanks for joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

My first memory of my life is being carried by my dad through a mall department store, most likely JCPenney, wearing a red velvet dress with white lace on the collar and on the skirt. This was after taking those classic 90s glamour shots for Christmas photos. Based on the photos I have seen, I was three years old. I remember feeling so content after what most toddlers would have dread or despair towards – having a stranger tell you what to do, when to smile, flashing lights, uncomfortable clothes and tight shoes, and so on. My mom tells this story remembering the photographer was so impressed with just how happy I was to be there and to smile for the camera. You think that I would be a model or an actor now after this story, but not necessarily. For me, this memory shows how much my parents encouraged me to be my full authentic self since birth. Even if it was out of the norm, they would always be there to catch me.

My second memory is my mom teaching me how to draw anything with a pen and blank paper, and how to color with crayons in the hues I wanted. My third memory is my dad carrying me across his arms, dressed in a Halloween costume as Esmeralda, recreating the scene of Quasimodo saving her in Disney’s animated adaptation of ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’. (“Sanctuary!”) I would watch the film on VHS over and over, days on end, while wearing said costume, and re-enact the entire movie as Esmeralda in our little apartment living room in Orange County, barely knowing how to talk, but copying all the running, jumping, dancing, and the dialogue as closely as I could with my small, uncoordinated body. I would direct my father to play Quasimodo and would give him notes in my baby Spanish, and ever the willing actor, he would do as I asked.

My love for art and performing all began from these moments with my parents. They didn’t tell me to stop watching ‘Hunchback’. They let me boss them around as if I was already a real artist. They let me listen to Selena’s music over and over so I could spin and spin without stopping. They paid what they could so I could take classes from my brilliant neighbor across the street who built a dance studio in her garage, so I could fulfill my Kindergarten dream of becoming a ballerina. My parents continued to support me in my dancing through elementary and middle school, then in colorguard and drama club in high school, willingly driving me to all the countless dance practices, dress rehearsals, and marching band competitions. They cheered me on every step of the way, letting me know in so little words that I could, and should, follow my dreams.

Melanie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a theatre director, dramaturg, and educator. The “educator” part is fairly new to me. I began guest directing productions at universities starting in January 2023. Then, I got the opportunity to guest lecture at my alma mater, UC Riverside. They needed someone to teach their undergraduate directing course. I now teach full-time at Mt. San Jacinto Community College, Menifee, as chair of the theatre department. I am grateful for the opportunity to teach and direct in my hometown, where my family has been since 2005. I am a first-generation Chicana and college student. I am a proud product of the California Community College system.

I was always an admirer of the arts since I was very young. I mean, how does a kid who had never seen a professional play just go and decide to do theatre for a living? I think I knew, even if I didn’t always trust my gut. I have also always loved school and learning – apart from theatre, it was one of those places where I always felt like I belonged. As a young person, I wanted to be an art teacher, but then I wanted to be an interior designer. Then, I wanted to make music videos – which I realize now, that instinct was my young self wanting to direct. I went through all the possibilities and ideas for my future. Finally, in my final year of high school, I settled on becoming a drama teacher. I knew it was what I wanted to do at that moment, as it married two of my favorite places: theatre and school.

My mentor while I was in undergrad at UC Riverside, Dr. Tiffany Ana Lopez, was the one who told me, “Well, if you’re going to teach theatre, you should learn how to direct.” After leading the UCR Latinx Play Project, directing and producing many play readings and two musical productions, I fell in love with directing and new play development, which then led me to applying and getting into graduate school for my MFA in Directing at The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago. Then, I fell into dramaturgy, which for me means helping playwrights write their new plays – I am sort of a script midwife, as a mentor once described my work.

I say “fell” because it always felt like things were falling into my lap and I just went with it – theatre, directing, grad school, dramaturgy, even teaching now. While I have been intentional with my choices, I go with the flow of what is for me and what aligns with my mission.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

As a dramaturg and director, I help up-and-coming Latinx writers develop their voice and tell their own stories so their work can be seen by the world. As a director and educator, I teach and tell stories about people who don’t “belong” but actually do belong. Then we can all remember we are not alone in this world.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The reason I love teaching is the reason I love directing and dramaturgy – we get to work together, we get to collaborate. We make something out of nothing in theatre. We begin where each student is on their own individual learning journey and grow from there, together. Students from my first semester at the community college reached out to me at the end of our time together. They let me know that they auditioned for our musical on a whim, thinking this would be a one-and-done kind of deal. They weren’t expecting to have the experience they did: a process that was positive, where they felt heard and respected, where they saw their own ideas come to life on our small stage. These students want to come back and audition for next semester’s show. They remind me of why I always felt that I belonged in a theatre – because an educator saw me and said, “we see you, we hear you, we need you here.” That’s all I want to do for my actors, my collaborators, and my students.

Contact Info:

• Website: melanieclaireq.com
• Instagram: @melanieclaireq
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-queponds
• Youtube: @melanieclaireq
• Other: Reach Melanie directly at [email protected].

Image Credits
Headshot by Irais Cardenas ‘Little Red’ production photo by Cade Paredez ‘Tomás and The Library Lady’ production photo by Irais Cardenas ‘Mariachi Girl’ production photo by Gluck Fellows Program of the Arts at UCR ‘The Widow of Valencia’ production photo by Aronne Chan ‘El Nogalar’ production photo by Chelsea Renee Sutton ‘Fur’ production photo by Kyle Bajor Young Melanie as Esmeralda photo by Queponds Family