Meet Deanna Myers

eanna is one of Chicago's most accomplished Asian American actresses. She acts in "The Scene" at Writers Theatre, on stage until April 2, 2017. "The Scene" is written by Theresa Rebeck and directed by Kimberly Senior.  What starts off with an amusing exchange at a hip Manhattan party quickly turns into something more complex. When close friends Charlie and Lewis meet Clea, a determined young woman making her mark on the New York scene, it sets them off on an emotional roller coaster. This provocative comedy-drama explores the dark edges of commitment and the struggles of balancing authenticity with ambition. Tickets and more info can be found here.

What's your personal story?
I grew up in Michigan and came to Chicago 10 years ago (time flies!) My intention was to double major in theatre and biology, and eventually become a surgeon with an interesting double major, but I saw my first cadaver in my second semester. It wasn’t so much that I was traumatized, but that I couldn’t stop wondering where this person had come from, who she was, and how she ended up there on the table in front of me. I realized then that I was a story-teller more than anything else, and that my empathy was best expressed on stage rather than in an OR.

What's your character's story in "The Scene”?
Clea is a small town girl who moves to New York. At the beginning of the play, she is a recent transplant who is finding her footing in a world that is very new to her.

What challenges does your character face in "The Scene”?
I think that Clea faces the same challenges as most young women of her generation, who are trying to figure out how to succeed in a world that is both constantly underestimating them, and asking them to adhere to a number of impossible standards at once.

How does she overcome these challenges?
She’s smart and adaptable in ways that the people around her don’t always see. She has learned how to take advantage of the specific brand of underestimation that older generations tend to apply to millennials, and she is willing to use every one of her faculties to thrive in her new environment. 

Any other comments?
I’ve been very lucky this past season to get to work on projects with incredible women. Particularly in “The Scene” where I get to portray a woman who gets to be so many things at once is a challenge that I have relished, and it is so refreshing and such a privilege to get to spend my time with Kimberly and Theresa during this process.  I’ve been such a fan of both women for a long time, and I am so excited to be working on a smart, thoughtful and witty female driven project like this.