Broadway star heads new musical at Valencia

Actor and singer Elisabeth Withers-Mendes will bring a bit of Broadway to Valencia College this week with a show titled “The Soul of a Woman.”

Withers-Mendes, a new professor at Valencia, was Tony-nominated for playing sassy Shug Avery in the original Broadway cast of “The Color Purple” back in 2006. Withers-Mendes played the role for more than two years.

Her experience in the fiercely competitive world of Broadway gives her an edge in helping students prepare for careers in performing, she says.

“As a professional with degrees and stage experience, I will teach students what it really takes to make it in the arts, beginning with time management and endurance,” says Withers-Mendes, who graduated from Berklee School of Music and earned a master’s degree in music education from New York University.

Beyond Broadway, Withers-Mendes recorded several albums, wrote the women’s anthem “No Regrets” and sang in concerts.

“You do the math and it tells you just how many performances that I had to deliver and be excellent at it every day, whether I was singing back up for Luther [Vandross] or performing on ‘[Jay] Leno,’” she says. “Learning about the theory and technique behind the art is important. But, I really want them to master the discipline and followthrough that is needed to give your best every day to be successful and survive in this industry. That’s something you can only learn from a person who has done it.”

In “The Soul of a Woman,” seven successful women with different ages, backgrounds and ethnicities share their life experiences through song. In the Orlando Eye on Talent production, they describe how their personal trials and triumphs put them on the right path. Withers-Mendes stars with Shalah Collins, Deona Flowers, Marilyn Richardson, Evonne Hurst, Christina Samanie, WKMG newscaster Sachelle Saunders, Kamila Wright and Valencia College students.

“It is an honor for us to partner with Elisabeth Withers-Mendes and her husband, Damon, on ‘The Soul of a Woman,’” says Wendy Givoglu, Valencia’s dean of the School of Arts & Entertainment.

“The Soul of a Woman” will be staged at 8 p.m. Sept. 20 and 21 at the Valencia College Performing Arts Center, 701 N. Econlockhatchee Trail, Orlando. Tickets start at $10, and a percentage of the proceeds will support Valencia College student scholarships. For more information, go to Eventbrite.com and search for “The Soul of a Woman.”