MEET DEWANDA

As a child, I was always being told to stop running, sit down, stop showing off. I was born to be on stage and I started acting at an early age. All I ever wanted was to be an actor. My parents had other plans for me, college. My Dad would say, “I’ll pay for you to go to any school you want. But I won’t pay for you to go play. You can play on the weekends.” So, I graduated high school. I packed my “Best Thespian” award away and went off to college to earn a degree in business. 

My professional resume includes, IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility) consultant, organizational development and training executive, actress, director, playwright and theatre board member. Additionally, the framework of my Cultural Competency Consulting work is supported by a master’s degree in diversity psychology, human behavior, and my research thesis, Using Theater as a Diversity Intervention©.

Whether I am analyzing script text for cultural authenticity, researching the Zeitgeist of the play for cultural norms, on the phone at 11pm talking with an actor who was mistreated during tech rehearsal by another actor in the ensemble, talking organizational culture change with an artistic director, or facilitating an audience talk back, I am always…”in their shoes…walking the path with them”.  At the heart of my work is a determination to build spaces that keep humans happy, healthy and whole so they can do their best work.

When I am not immersed in a show, traveling on the road or in the sky, I’m playing my other life roles. Mom to three kids “Yes, I still call them kids”. Cat G-Ma to Rocky (short haired Black cat), Meemaw to (5) grandchildren, Sister to (2), girlfriend to a special group of wild women, and a Badass Business Woman. I try to walk or ride my bike at least 30-miles a week. Eat healthy. Don’t take myself too seriously and when I do…drink wine. Manage my energy to the highest positive frequency possible. Oh, and go to the beach!

DeWanda Smith Soeder, (she/her/we)