Vanessa Shealy

Originally from Oklahoma City, Vanessa Shealy completed her MFA in Theater Performance from the University of Georgia before landing in New York City, where she currently lives with her husband and partner, Rick Younger.

As a playwright, Vanessa’s full length plays include Tea in the Afternoon, (OnTheRoad Rep at Theater Row, 2016); One, Two, Whatever you do...(FringeNYC, 2011); and An American Drum Circle (UP Theater, 2016). Her short plays include A Captive Audience (Emerging Artists Theater), Cataracts (Project Y), Let Me Take Care of You (ESPA Detention) and a short solo play, Naked, (Emerging Artists Theatre/Project Y). Her work has been developed or produced by OnTheRoad Rep, The Abingdon Theater, Vital Theater, The Actors Studio, Emerging Artists Theater, Estrogenius Festival, Queens Theater in the Park, South Street Theater, FringeNYC, Project Y, Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA), and UP Theater.

Vanessa is also the creator of a new comic book series called Couri Vine. Her other writing credits include the original comedic short film, Whistle and Snap, and a series of online sketches, Post Racial Shorts.

As an actor, Vanessa has appeared onstage in professional productions, in independent films, on television and in national commercials. She is a winner of the Kennedy Center ACTF Classical Acting Award and a proud member of Actors Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.

Vanessa and her husband Rick founded Younger Child Productions in 2006. In additional to two FringeNYC productions, Younger Child Productions credits include the feature length documentary film, Souled Out Comedy, winner of the Audience Choice Award at The Friar's Club Comedy Film Festival; The Rick Younger Show, an ongoing live music and comedy show; and Post Racial Shorts, a comedic series of web sketches about race in America. Together, Vanessa and Rick will share stories from inside a mixed race marriage at the 2016 New York International Fringe Festival in their new original storytelling show, Inside Information.