Shaina Vencel

Shaina Vencel, a Warren native and 2002 graduate of Lakeview High School, is making her dream come true doing what she loves: acting.

She has been performing in various venues all over the world, including off Broadway, cruise ships and various theaters across the United States. She will return to her hometown next week as a member of America’s Sweethearts for a Warren Civic Music Association concert on Thursday at Packard Music Hall.

She said she fell in love with acting when she played the lead in her school play in second grade at Garfield Elementary. When she was 9, her parents took her to New York City to visit family, where she saw her first Broadway musical: “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast on Broadway” with the original cast.

“The theater bug had bitten, and Shaina was dressing up as Belle (and the candlestick and the wardrobe) running around the house singing and dreaming of a future where she could live in New York City, and one day get to sing and act for a living,” her mother, Mary Ellen Vencel said.

Vencel spent her teenage years performing with the Lakeview High School Drama Club under the direction of Tom Hitmar, singing in madrigals under the direction of Jane Page, spending Fridays as a voice major at Arts / EXCEL, and taking voice lessons with Rosemary Raridon at the Dana School of Music.

Free time and summers were spent performing in productions with Kent Trumbull Summer Stock, Trumbull New Theatre, the Youngstown Playhouse and honing her craft at the Dana Vocal Performance Clinic.

Vencel graduated from Kent State University with a degree in music and a minor in theater with several professional theatre productions under her belt. She spent two summers working at the Huron Playhouse in Huron, playing several lead roles, and was able to spend four months in Cleveland after graduation, performing at the Beck Center.

Soon after, Vencel moved to New York City. Her first job came four months after moving there — as a mainstage singer with Disney Cruise Line, playing Belle, and wearing the iconic Broadway-style gold gown that she had pored over pictures of as a child.

In 2021, she won the Broadway World Regional award for Best Performer in a Musical for her portrayal of Audrey in “Little Shop of Horrors.” Other favorite roles include Fantine in a regional premiere of “Les Miserables.” Sara in the one-act rock musical “Murder Ballad,” and as a fin-donning Mersister in the New York regional premiere of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” with original Broadway cast member John Treacy Egan as Ursula.

Her latest roles from 2022 include Rosina in “A Bronx Tale” at the Engeman Theatre in New York, and Daisy Buchanan in a stage adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” at Ozark Actors Theatre.

COMING HOME

She’s looking forward to coming home for America’s Sweethearts, a singing group that specializes in performing the songs of the Andrews Sisters.

“I hoped one day to come back to a Ohio with a tour or this singing group, and it’s finally happening,” she said. “A lot of friends and family are coming who are not able to travel to see the things I’ve done elsewhere. These women are incredibly talented, and I know the area will really like it.”

It won’t be her first time on the Packard stage. Vencel had dance recitals there as a child and about 15 years ago she got to perform “Miracle of Miracles” from “Fiddler on the Roof” with Broadway veteran and Warren native Austin Pendleton when he came home for a concert with the Warren Philharmonic Orchestra. Pendleton played Motel the tailor in the original Broadway production.

“‘Miracle of Miracles’ was so special,” Vencel said. “I always loved him because he was the original Motel and he was in ‘The Muppet Movie.’ To get up there in my own hometown was incredible. I was glowing,” Vencel said.

PERSONAL FACTS

Vencel is the daughter of Mark and Mary Ellen Vencel, who she said have been very supportive of her acting career. Her brother, Brenden Vencel, who is four years younger, also participated in theater at Kent Trumbull.

“He’s a percussionist, but currently makes his living as a software engineer,” Vencel said.

Vencel met her husband, Marc Van-Hengst, who is from the Netherlands, while they were both working on a cruise ship.

“Marc was in hospitality and I was doing a show,” Vencel said.

She said she enjoys working on cruise ships because of meeting so many people from different countries.

“People from every continent work on board,” she said.

She and Van-Hengst married in 2018 and have one dog, a mini Aussie named Loki, and a cat named Puck.

Although she sometimes has to supplement her income with waitressing jobs, she is mostly able to focus on her acting gigs now. Van-Hengst is now a Porsche salesman.

Vencel also is a self-proclaimed foodie.

“We love food, so we love to go out to eat. For a while, we tried to go to a new restaurant every two weeks. Being Italian, I love Italian food, like pizza and pasta,” she said.

To suggest a Saturday profile, contact Features Editor Burton Cole at bcole@tribtoday.com or Metro Editor Marly Reichert at mreichert@tribtoday.com.