An award-winning and established actor, Vanessa Sears began her formal training in Directing in 2020 when she was selected as a recipient of the Kathleen C. Freeman Development Fund. Vanessa was a Directing Apprentice in the Musical Stage Company's 2020 RBC Apprentice program in Toronto, where she co-directed the Banks Prize Cabaret Baapii Roho in High Park. She has since gone on to direct for The Grand Theatre, Theatre Sheridan, Talk is Free Theatre, and the Stratford Festival Meighen Forum. Vanessa's current training includes the 2022 ThisGen Directing Cohort with Why Not Theatre and a mentorship with the Lincoln Center Theater's resident director, Lileana Blain-Cruz.

Vanessa is the recipient of Dora, Toronto Theatre Critics, Broadway World and Critic’s Pick awards and recently she made her Broadway debut in the original cast of New York, New York. She currently serves as the vice-chair of the board for the Canadian Green Alliance, a non-profit which aims to bridge the gap between theatre and sustainability.

Vanessa is thrilled to have been chosen for the 2023/24 Independent Study in Directing and looks forward to connecting with the community at the National Theatre School while completing her residency.