Janeece Freeman Clark

Janeece Freeman Clark is a director, producer 和 skilled vocal technician all rolled into one. She is the founding Artistic Director of Vanguard Theater Company, 一个蒙特克莱尔, NJ based regional theater where she has spent the last seven years reimagining musicals through color-conscious lenses, as well as developing original musicals told from the perspective of underrepresented voices. Through her work, Janeece explores how theatre can challenge participants, both theatre-makers 和 audiences, to think critically 和 increase empathy 和 underst和ing for others, therefore becoming 更多的 responsible members of our democracy. Vanguard is funded in part by TeeRico by Lin Manuel, has been the recipient of numerous grants awarded to theater-makers committed to “changing the narrative.”

Janeece received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan with both a Voice Performance 和 Musical Theater emphasis, her masters degree in Vocal Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College (Rider University.)

Janeece’s directing experience alongside her vocal expertise gives her a unique approach to training singers. Her process encourages students to engage their full bodies as well as their full hearts – with the goal of not only being technically sound singers, but artists who are always fully present, expressive 和 communicative. Janeece’s students 和 mentees have appeared on Broadway in: West Side Story, Rent, Tarzan, The Color Purple, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, Tina, Ain’t Too Proud, 和 更多的. 

Prior to becoming a full-time director 和 vocal coach – As an actress, Janeece appeared on Broadway, 非百老汇戏剧界, 在电视, on too many regional stages 和 national commercials to count.

Janeece is an adjunct professor of theater at Seton Hall University where she teaches acting 和 frequently directs main stage productions – most recently: Oklahoma, Twenty-Six Pebbles, 和 The Revolutionists. Janeece serves as special Advisor to Seton Hall’s Arts Council 和 sits on several boards within the tristate area, including the NJ Theater Alliance Board of Directors where she serves on the Equity 和 Access Committee.

A member of The Stage Directors 和 Choreographers Society, Janeece has had the pleasure of directing regional (和 summer stock) productions of: 接近正常, Songs for a New World, 孟菲斯, 小妇人, Spring Awakening, 走进森林, Two Gentlemen of Verona, 音乐的人, 凯莉, 石南花 – 和 the original productions of Walk In My Gravity, A Portrait of Ray, Everything is Fine Until It’s Not – the latter two also having successful NYC runs. Janeece directed the first 和 second National tour of the TYA favorite – Showtime with Shakespeare 和 her Off Broadway production of Everything Is Fine Until It’s Not won both the “Fringe Fave” award at the NYC Fringe Festival, as well as the “United Solo Backstage Audience Award.”