We recently connected with Vasthy Mompoint and have shared our conversation below.

Vasthy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

When I saw the movie Tap with Gregory Hines, Savion Glover, and Sammy Davis Jr. So may black legends. I couldn’t wait to move to New York. There was also Annie. In regards to LA movies like ET, The Neverending Story, and The Color Purple made me want to move to LA one day which I did.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Of course! My name is pronounced VAH-STEEt (she/her) and I am a stage, screen & voiceover actress, singer/songwriter, dancer, director, and choreographer.

I am the daughter of Haitian immigrants and was raised in Charlotte, North Carolina and Hoover, Alabama.

I received my education at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. After graduating I started working in theaters around the world and landed my first Broadway show. I went on to do 7 more after that and I have earned the honor of wearing The Legacy Robe (an award for the cast member with the most Broadway ensemble credits) twice, in both Soul Doctor & The Prom. And recently made her debut as a Broadway producer for the play, Pass Over.

I moved to Los Angeles to do the CBS Sketch comedy showcase and was given a holding deal by the network.

Since then I have gotten to work on some cool projects such as The Prom, High School Musical: the Musical: the Series, The Bold and the Beautiful, NCIS, Voicing the first Haitian accent, “Briny” the Whale on Baby Shark’s Big Show! on Nick Jr. I have also served as choreographer for films WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story, The Prom, and Cursed Friends Forever on Comedy Central, along with an episode of Miracle Workers on TBS.

Currently, I am on a house team at Upright Citizens Brigade called “Quick and Funny Musicals” Along with Leanne Gaddow, I am the producer of my own children’s music band called “Vasthy & Friends” where we released our original children’s music album called: “Sing, Dance, Play” available on all music streaming platforms.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

No goal is worth your mental and physical health. No goal is worth losing touch with you family or friends. It is important to find a way to accomplish your dreams without sacrificing a life.

I learned this the hard way. I overworked myself, and in return my body and brain completely shut down. I ran away form my depression, by filling it with goals. I practice everyday to not let society or social media drive mt to that place again.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

My ADHD.

We have not figured out a way to teach art to neurodivergents, and so many artists are.
I was diagnosed way too late and when I was, I mourned the girl who had to mask her difficulties in school and in her career.
When you think about it, everything you need to do to be successful in business completely triggers the neurodivergent brain.
Rejection sensitivity, no se schedule, pressure to learn fast and specifically and at the same pace as those around you, issues memorizing and understanding text, sensitivity to loud nosies or lights, and trouble communicating with those around you, and difficulty paying attention.

My dream is to bring attention to these issues so we can respect the many ways our brains work. I often wonder how many people quit the business or doing art because they could not take the above or they masked for so long to fit in that their anxiety took over and won.

Contact Info:

• Website: vasthyandfriends.com
• Instagram: frostyvasthy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vasthy.mompoint/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/VasthysFriends

Image Credits
Emma Mead