Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Vickie L Evans. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Vickie L, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
The first time I saw my stage play, “A Change Is Gonna Come” on stage, I knew that I was destined for a life-long career in theater. To see the thoughts that I had put on paper in the form of a script come to life on stage, with actors, lights, and songs that I had written, ignited a flame in my soul that validated that I was a wonderful writer with an excellent creative mind. I created this rhyme to define myself, “Spiritually Divine, with an innovative mind.” In 2008, The Lincoln Theatre, a prestigious edifice, located in what is described as the historic “U Street Corridor” in downtown Washington, DC, a historical theatre where greats such as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Count Basie have appeared, had just been renovated. I was the first event to appear after the renovation. The floors were black and shiny, the lights were full spectrum and bright, and the theatre was beautifully aligned with red crushed-velvet seats. It was the best backdrop for a very gifted cast of fifteen to present a heart-wrenching storyline about a woman’s agonizing journey of domestic abuse. At first, I was apprehensive about how this powerful depiction would be received, but the audience of 800 patrons changed all that. They eagerly filled the theater with enthusiasm in anticipation of a story well-written with passion, that foretold a message of redemption, and delivered a call-to-action for advocacy and intervention. This was one of the greatest night of theater that I had experienced and I have used it as a blueprint for every performance I have had since then. Sixteen years later, I am still writing and producing theater. My evolution has earned me several awards including “Best Play”, “Best Director” and in 2023, I was awarded “Theatre Person Of The Year”. I love theatre and it is fulfilling a purposeful dream filled with thrilling achievements and has allowed me to tell stories that are informative, impactive, and have touch the lives of many. I am proud of my journey.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Vickie L. Evans is a multi-award-winning playwright/director/producer with over 30 years of experience. In 2023, Metrolina Theatre Association bestowed her the honor of “Theatre Person Of The Year”. On two separate occasions, Broadway World awarded her the prestigious Best Director And Best Play awards. Vickie is the chief executive officer of the nonprofit organization, Performing Arts and Literary Society (PALS), whose mission is to produce world-class productions that uplift and inspire families and communities. She is the founder of The African American Playwrights Group (AAPG), a collaborative of playwrights whose mission is to write, direct, and produce excellence theater that is reflective of the African-American diaspora. Vickie co-founded/co-hosted, along with Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts, the very first-of-its-kind BIPOC Playwrights Festival that produce original works of playwrights of color. Vickie was an inductee in the ninth edition of the national publication, “Who’s Who In Black Charlotte, in which she was described as “corporate brass”. In 2020, Clinton College, awarded Vickie the prestigious “Community Leader Of The Year” award for her consistent advocacy to end domestic violence. She has written four books, which includes her Amazon.com bestseller, “Know Your Worth” and she is a co-author in an anthology entitled, “Gracefully Broken, (also available on Amazon.com) which she wrote with three other distinguished authors. Her greatest accomplishment is being the mother of three adult children, Kyeisha, Richie, and Jonathan. Visit her website: http://www.vickielevans.com for more detailed information.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Diversity, equity, and inclusion has always been my mission for underserved individuals and communities. The Arts is an integral part of everyday life – we all have stories to convey in one way or another. Unfortunately, not all sectors of people are given the same opportunity to tell their stories or to display their talents. I recognized this as a problem when I decided to produce my first stage play. The opportunities for funding were limited for playwrights of color and the opportunities to perform on mainstage were limited for actors of color. To rectify this problem, in 2005, I started my own independent theatre company entitled Soaring High Productions which have since evolved into my current nonprofit organization, Performing Arts and Literary Society (PALS). At an early age, I provided theatrical instructions to young, underserved actors providing them with the tools and platform to display their talents. In the wake of the George Floyd racial disparity, I again made an attempt to establish diversity, equity, and inclusion by establishing a playwrights’ festival, entitled BIPOC Playwrights Festival, for people of color collaborating with a mainstream theatre company, Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts. For three consecutive years, we produced an original work production (free of charge) written by a playwright of color. This gave the playwrights the opportunity to showcase their talents to a multiculturally diverse audience. I believe and live by the mantra that “All people are created equal” and make it my business to prove that through my creativity and position in The Arts. We all have stories to tell and deserve to be granted equal opportunities to “tell our stories”.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Social media marketing is mainly about consistency of communication. Through consistent content posting, an algorithm is established and therefore constant strolling on timeline feeds. I have over 6,000 Facebook “friends”. On a daily basis, I post content throughout the day to include a “good morning greeting”. Therefore, when I am planning and producing a theatrical production, I don’t have to start from scratch building an audience, I already have an established fan-base to market flyers, postcards, etc. In addition, social media has an opportunity to set up an event page dedicated to an particular event. The event page invites “friends” to confirm attendance and for content creator to update potential attendees on changes in the event. My advice to those starting to build a social media presence is to again be “consistent”. Consistency shows commitment and interest to establish a lasting relationship with “friends”. Strategic marketing on social media can be useful to actively create traffic to events and could result in filling seats.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.vickielevans.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vivacious_vickie/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vickie.l.evans
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vickielevans/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@VickieEvans
- Other: https://linktr.ee/vickielevans
Image Credits
Photo Courtesy Of Maria De Jesus Photography
Photo Courtesy Of Vickie L. Evans