Today we’d like to introduce you to VonDexter Montegut II.
VonDexter, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started acting when I was in high school. At the time, the inspiration was more out of sheer boredom than it was out of genuine interest in the art. My friends and I would always ride the bus home together and would laugh and joke along the way. One day, in an effort to delay going home, we signed up to audition for the school musical. Not only did we get callbacks, but each of us found a unique niche within the cast. I was one of the principal dancers. I thought it was just a fun time but had no idea the theater bug had bitten me.
I continued to sign up for the musicals each year, thinking nothing of it, but it wasn’t until college where I started to take it seriously. I was a Math major at Temple University and still found myself desperately clinging to theater. I would go see each show the Theater department would put on, and in the Spring semester of my sophomore year, I signed up for an acting class. That was the release I needed. I felt fulfilled and excited about my studies in a way that I hadn’t experienced in any of my math courses.
That Fall, I officially changed my major to Theater and fully immersed myself in all of the classes and styles Temple U offered. Not feeling completely ready for the professional acting world, I started seeking out graduate acting programs. I was looking for a specific program in Southern California, but those plans fell through in a major way. The school was going to be in New York for a weekend, auditioning prospective students. The week before the auditions would post, the school informed everyone that they were delaying admission to refine the program.
Feeling completely dejected and a little lost, I looked around at other schools auditioning. I stumbled onto a school known as the Birmingham School of Acting. As I greeted the faculty, I noticed their accents were a far cry from Alabama. I was auditioning for a school in the UK! To date, it remains one of the smoothest, most natural auditions I’ve had. They made me an offer and that fall, I moved across the pond to live in England. The school, now known as the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, gave me invaluable tools that prepared me for acting in the professional market.
After my studies in the UK, I was offered a showcase in New York, followed by a showcase in Los Angeles. Knowing my heart was pulling me west, I moved to Los Angeles and hadn’t looked back since. Since moving to Los Angeles, I’ve found my talents and abilities stretching beyond stage acting, and I have come to realize that ‘Actor’ doesn’t accurately convey what it is I do. Having since gained skills in TV and Film and multimedia and a myriad of other talents, I typically introduce myself as a storyteller.
Since moving to Los Angeles, I have had the pleasure of telling stories on stage, improvise, devise and breathe life into scripts adapted for new media.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It definitely has not been easy. One of the biggest hurdles I’ve encountered is a common one for artists – support. One of the hardest moments I had to face was calling my mom from school and letting her know how unhappy I was with my Math studies and my desires to change my focus of study at school. Getting her to a comfortable space where she could see my perspective and offer her support in my endeavors was an uphill battle.
Her concerns were completely valid – what parent wouldn’t want absolute security and safety for their child? Another major challenge I faced was confronting my relationship with my father. He and I were estranged most of my life and reconnected when we both happened to move to Los Angeles around the same time. After a year of reconnection and healing and intentional steps towards a healthy relationship, he died of a sudden heart attack. The loss of a loved one is never easy, but it was especially difficult when we finally had a chance to make things right and shortly after that he’s gone from this world.
Aside from those major struggles, there is still the ever-present desire for results that society tends to place on artists. I regularly encounter people who ask/expect me to be on Broadway or the star of the next major film. I always remind them that no one looks at young business graduates early in their career expecting a Fortune 500 company; we don’t look at young science graduates expecting the cure for cancer. Why, then, is it okay to put so much pressure to perform/deliver on graduates of the arts?
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
At my core, I am a storyteller. Primarily, that reveals itself in the form of acting.
Specifically, I have a rich background in physical theater. While in school, I had a chance to study the Lecoq and Chekhov techniques. These techniques afford me a myriad of characters and unique perspectives that are quickly available through psychophysical gestures. The Lecoq technique also granted me access to the red nose clown, a wildly unique and engaging form of theater and connection.
In general, I’m known for my ability to connect to others and have an open heart. I am most proud of the fact that in everything that I’ve done, there has always been someone that has shared their connection with the body of work. I am creating work and delivering performances that allow others to identify themselves in my work. That is, perhaps, the most rewarding part of my art.
I am able to connect people to perspective and spark conversation across all kinds of identities – race, gender, orientation, beliefs and everything in-between.
What were you like growing up?
As a kid, I was a major nerd! I was into insects, dinosaurs, video games, and comic book characters. I had a lot of toys, and every day I would make up a new adventure for my toys to go on. New affiliations, double agents, you name the twist and plot, I played it out with my toys.
Like most kids, I loved playing outside, and I loved laughing. I was also very sensitive. I remember crying a lot, over the smallest things. A sad song would make me cry, someone yelling or getting angry would scare me and make me cry, in some cases watching someone cry would make me cry.
Those moments didn’t last long, but I remember being teased by other kids or being told by adults to ‘man up.’ That never seemed fair to me. People should be allowed to experience their emotions. In a lot of ways, those moments were the catalyst for my art.w
Contact Info:
- Website: vondexterm.com
- Email: vondexterm@gmail.com
Image Credit:
Chris Bartolucci, Nekia Renee Martin, Harell Street Films
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