Who's That Doll?

    Hair of sunshine, big, bright, brown eyes and a smile that will melt any heart…    This buxom beauty carries the spunk and fun of a “blonde” but has as well a sense of grace, glamor and style unparalleled by most her age today.   Jeannine Elizabeth Yoder bears a strong heart, disciplined mind, ambition and purity in spirit, that is hard to conceive considering her beginnings.

    As a child, Jeannine always loved to perform.  You would have found her doing anything from rigorously practicing scenes from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, acting out routines she choreographed when her father would play his Billy Joel Albums or lip syncing full Metallica rock concerts for anyone she could get to watch.  Give her any sort of material to work with and there would be a Jeannine Elizabeth original performance following.

    A child, surrounded by a long line of anger and addictions within her family, it was her grandmother who took initiative give the child an outlet.  She soon got Jeannine into regular dance lessons, tap, jazz, ballet, and gymnastics and would seek out opportunities for Jeannine to express herself on stage.  Jeannine soon found herself at an audition for “Your a Good Man, Charlie Brown” with the local community theatre and was cast with “one whole line”( a very big deal for her at the time).  The very first of over 51 musicals Jeannine would perform in California throughout her childhood and teenage years.

    This began what would be a consistent avenue for Jeannine’s talent and passions to perform, entertain and express herself in ways she could not in a normal setting.  She began in ensemble and soon, recognized for her comedic humor, strong belt, character voices and truthful heart she quickly progressed to lead roles.  Every show had different directors and performers, normally a daunting thing to many, to Jeannine, it meant a strong lesson in adaptation and exposure to different styles.   
    Amidst the Youth theater she participated within her Junior High Honor Choir which consistently brought home awards from competitions around the U.S. She was personally honored with an award for Most outstanding vocalist of the year!  At this time with no vocal training other then her singing roles in theatre.

    In high school, she not only continued with the youth theater, but participated in the Fullerton SRO program at the Junior College and as many local theaters as she could fit along side her school studies.  SRO provided a competitive experience as most, if not all, who participated were studying at much higher levels than she, BUT Jeannine still held her own, finding herself being casted for lead roles within the college’s productions and highly established directors Gary Krinke and John Vaughn. 

    Jeannine moved on with her studies toward an AA in Junior college, leading roles with the local theaters and traveled with award winning group BRAVO!  In addition to mastering harmonies in this group she took on private vocal training. She began winning more recognition in reputation and awards for her work, such as her performances as Adelaide in “Guys and Dolls” and Audrey in “Little Shop of Horrors”.  Jeannine was granted a scholarship from her community for her noted talent and performances, in addition to her volunteer work in assistant directing the younger children in the youth theatre.

    Even though everything seemed to be going well, Jeannine soon found herself with doubt, consumed with the age old conflict of the seemingly idealistic notion of pursuing a career in a the artistic field versus setting the dream aside to ground herself in reality and pursue what many may consider a “real” profession.  So she backed up her dreams of theatre with a job in real-estate and went to school for certification as a masonry inspector (yes that would mean hard hats and construction sites).

    Believe it or not, Jeannine, began to do quite well in the profession.  She provided for herself a comfortable living to accommodate a place to live,, car, and was quite “stable” like so many insist is vital.  As time went on, she could no longer stand devoting her mind and heart to anything but the theatre and found herself miserable without the stage.  Now the conundrum yet again presented itself and this time Jeannine said yes to the dream.

    And so she began the rigorous feet of collecting all the essential pieces to propel her toward a career in entertainment.  She sought to train with The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York and thus prepared herself for the demanding audition process.  It paid off as she was thereafter accepted and soon found herself heart beating fast at the airport with one suitcase and a one-way ticket to New York City.

    Jeannine put her eye on the prize and began a very aggressive and intense measure of studies which allowed no time beyond school and craft.  As strenuous as AMDA would become emotionally, mentally and physically,  our starlet had come to the Big Apple to do something, something BIG.  It was this very attitude and bright spirit that kept her afloat - even gaining the attention of some leading figures in the institution and field.

    From a child, left to find her own way and the familiar tale of a young heart, with nothing but it’s own drive, roaming the streets of New York City, Jeannine has found her way.  A graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy actively pursuing her dream with determination and persistence.  A true talent always striving to grow in spirit and performance.  Though much like the seasons of fair New York, Jeannine sees her share of grey days, but the sun always finds its way back high in the sky.

-FIN-