Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Vincent Victoria. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Vincent, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I was always a very quiet and shy kid growing up early on and I can remember being asked to perform an Easter speech at church.when I was about 4 years old.I learned the speech, but it when it came time for me to perform, I could not get up there and do it even though I knew the speech cold, My fear of an audience was bigger than my fear of the Easter Bunny at that age but I remember the warm applause that the other kids received after their recitations. I wanted that too. Flash forward a few years to the fourth grade. I had gotten over my fear of an audience somewhat and I remember a classmate of mine was asked to play Booker T. Washington in a school play and I was crushed because I was not.. I didn’t even really know who Booker T. Washington was but I wanted to play the part. Lucky for me my classmate did not want to play the role and I boldly told my teacher I that I could to it and she gave me that part. I think I flubbed a line but I smiled real big and got a huge round of applause. I was hooked .After that I read all sort of biographies on famous actors and actresses and watched all of the entertainment awards shows. I didn’t want do do anything else but be onstage. I remember telling a friend in high school that I would have my own production company, I guess I was speaking it into existence as I founded Vincent Victoria Presents years later.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My first love is performing whether it be acting or singing and I was on a mission in my twenties to become a great “thespian”.I performed in plays and musicals all throughout college and I acted professionally for several years but it became frustrating creatively when I wasn’t getting all the roles that I wanted or auditioned for. At that point I made the decision to become a playwright and write and produce my own plays. Being a playwright and a producer has allowed me to create works that speak to and serve the African American community in a positive way. It has also allowed me to give other actors opportunites and practical experience that they might not otherwise get when they are starting out or returning to performing after an extended absence..My focus as a playwright has been specifically writing about historical figures from the past and recreating the world that they lived.in accurately, I think I have created my own niche by focusing on writing well received and award winning plays about entertainers such as Lena Horne and Eartha Kitt. and civil rights leader Booker T. Washington. What I am proud of most are two things: 1.I have a team of creatives that believe in the work that I do and have stuck with me even though the pay is not great sometimes.2.I am proud that I have continued to consistently write and produce quality work through the pademic and with shoestring budgets with out missing a beat

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The goal that drives my creative journey is for me to leave something lasting as an artist whether through a play that I;ve written or a character that I have portrayed that can insprire or encourage future generations of creatives like artists from the past inspired me when I was growing up. Artists that were long since retired or dead before I was born like Rudolph Valentino, Bette Davis, and Hattie Mc Daniel were major influences on me growing up because of their style, charisma and talent even though they were no longer around themselves. But their work,their ART, their uniqueness was still there for me to admire and learn from..

Have you ever had to pivot?

A major pivot point in my career came during the beginning of the pandemic. Theaters were shut down, plays and movies weren’t being produced and naysayers were predicting the end of the performing arts. I didn’t believe that, I quickly started thinking of ways to still create while sitting at home.ZOOM technology quickly became my creative partner, During that “dark period”,my company Vincent Victoria Presents produced seven virtual plays from March of 2020 to December of that year. Even though the platform was new, I still insisted that whatever we did, it should be done with integrity and respect just as it would if we were in front of a live audience.Many of my company of actors were more than willing to participate in the virtual works as it still gave them a chance express themselves creatively while waiting out pandemic at home. While many creative people that I know became depressed during covid, I became energized and it allowed me to learn a new way of presenting my work and an opportunity to reach a new audience.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vincentvictoriapresents.com
• Instagram: @vincentvictoriapresents
• Facebook: @vincentvictoriapresents

Image Credits
Vincent Victoria, Rudy Mui,Vernica Bolen,Demetrus Singleton, Wes Kreitz,Antonio Vines, Wykesha King,Tamara Brown, Todd Greenfield, Terrie Donald, Dirk Richardson,Drew Johnson,Ansonia Jones