#44 - Vasthy Mompoint: Find Your Treehouse

“I think there needs to be a new wave of producers who lead from
the heart. Producing can be an artistic, beautiful process if you
choose to make it that way.” Vasthy Mompoint has frequented
Broadway in shows such as The Prom, Spongebob, Mary Poppins, and
more. Most recently, Vasthy played Tameka in the Ryan Murphy
Netflix film version of The Prom. She is also the creator of
Vasthy’s Friends, a children’s show born out of the realization
that there is a disconnect in the education system regarding racism
and equality, which promotes activism in kids.  To Vasthy, a
multi-hyphenate is using all parts of the artistic brain without
the limits put on you by the industry. It’s breaking the handcuffs
of all the technicalities and allowing for artistic freedom. 
Vasthy produces, she performs, she plays the guitar, she writes…
“And it’s not because I’m brilliant at them,” she says, “I just
genuinely enjoy doing those.” A little over two years before we
recorded this episode, Vasthy became very sick - and because she
was sick she wasn’t able to do many of the things she loved.
Instead, she started writing which came out freely. After writing
and producing a show for 54 Below and then submitting her writing
to CBS, Vasthy found a whole new voice as a writer and producer.
Out of illness came a new identity.  “Producing your own show
doesn’t have to be imitating something someone else did, or looking
at the way it’s all been done… it’s literally bringing who you are,
your authentic self, how you feel, how you want to tell your story
because it’s you - you get to control everything.” Vasthy wants to
see real people and stories on stage - so going from Spongebob to
The Prom on Broadway was incredibly special as she was able to
connect with audiences of a younger age who were able to see
themselves on stage. Vasthy also keys us into the incredible way
she fights the system, by producing Vashty’s Friends which provides
young children to not only see themselves on screen, but also to
learn compassion and empathy about others. “It’s easier to teach a
kid to love, than to teach an adult how to not hate.” Vashty says.
And she’s completely correct.  Vasthy Mompoint is an Actress,
Dancer, Singer, by way of Alabama, North Carolina, and Haiti.
On-screen Vasthy has appeared in Nora from Queens (Daniel Kwan and
Daniel Scheinert), The Prom Movie (dir Ryan Murphy), Dick Johnson
is dead (Kirsten Johnson) The Mysteries of Laura (Norman Buckley),
The Detour (Jason Jones) and The Cartoon show, The Winx Club. On
stage, Vasthy has appeared on numerous stages from Broadway to
Egypt including Prom The Musical, Spongebob Squarepants, Mary
Poppins, The Taming of the Shrew, Rocky, Ghost, The Legend of
Georgia McBride, Aida, Hair, 42nd Street, and Ragtime. As a
dancer, Vasthy has performed with James Corden, Yolanda Adams,
Brian McKnight, Michael Jackson, Marc Anthony, Gloria Gaynor and
more. And Vasthy has also created Vasthy’s Friends, a video
platform for Broadway performers to write, choreograph, and and
compose original kid-friendly programming. Connect with Michael:
@themichaelkushner (IG and TikTok)
@dearmultihyphenate (IG) www.michaelkushneronline.com Produced
by Alan Seales and the Broadway Podcast Network.
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