Janelle Hasina Heatley is a 20 year old artist hailing from the South Bronx. She is an aspiring actress attending Suny Purchase College Conservatory of Theatre Arts & Film as well as a Associate Producer, Spoken Word Poet, Vocalist, Singer, Writer, and Dancer. As multi-talented as she is, somehow she finds the time to fit all of these talents into her life in order to progress and achieve her goals.
At the age of 8, Janelle was introduced to En Vogue and became in awe of their wonderful talents as female vocalists. Her older sister would dress her up and make her sing songs about women empowerment. She then knew that the world better make way for her to enter because she was a force to be reckoned with. Janelle starred in numerous school Catholic plays in elementary school and went on to highschool to get more involved with the theatre aspect. She went to see For Colored Girls.....(Notozake Shange) a play, and fell in love with the idea of telling a story through poetry. She enrolled in the Harlem School of the Arts where she studied in the College Prep Program, studying Advanced Acting, Commedia' Del Arte, Modern Dance & Movement, Voice & Diction, as well as Shakespeare. By this time, Janelle had broadened her knowledge of the performance world and got involved in plays such as The Black Nativity (4years), Little Shop of Horrors (The Doctor), Ascension Day, Macbeth (Servant), Black Girl (Norma Jean), Once on This Island (Asaka), Pinocchio (The Clown), The Colored Museum (Model) and various other plays.
While at The Harlem School of the Arts, Janelle worked with a neighboring theater group (Classical Theater of Harlem) and had the privelege to work with and be taught by Alfred Preisser & Christopher McEleron. She had the opportunity as a young student in high school to work as an assistant stage manager on Macbeth, Medea, and Trojan Woman.
Janelle has worked with the New Heritage Theater Group as their Administrative Assistant as well as Associate Producer for such staged readings as Almost September, Ressurection, Urgess, & others. She has done much volunteer work in churches to feed the homeless and sort out professional shoes for homeless woman and single mothers who are going on job interviews. In the midst of all this, Janelle has a love for music and is a DJ. She has DJ' at Suny Purchase and small events in the city involving poetry and mixers. Janelle has had the opportunity to expand her creative writing skills and get invloved into poetry as a spoken word artist. She has a DVD, entitled "Black Poets Turn Their Backs" and has produced open-mic's, slams, and showcases at her college. She has performed in New York City in The Harlem Tea Room, Uptown Renaissance Restuarant, Nu'yorican Poets Cafe, Suny Purchase College, Nubian Heritage and KIPP Academy a charter school.
Janelle Heatley now attends Suny Purchase College Acting Conservatory for Theatre Arts & Film as a junior in the Acting Program and has done staged productions of Our Town (Joe/Si Crowell), Celebrity, a devised piece, Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage (Mayme), and now The Odyssey by Derek Walcott and directed by Woodie King, Jr. She has been asked to attend and perform poetry in Edinburgh Scotland for their Fringe Festival as well as perfrom in Indiana & Africa.
She has been blessed by the strong, powerful, and driving force of God to continue to keep her head up in all her endeavors and is ready for the challenges and triumphs the world will bring.