Vanaya Henderson

Vanaya Nicole Henderson is an actor, singer, and performer from Durham, North Carolina. She got her start in the Justice Theater Project drama camps at the Emily K. Center in downtown Durham. From that performance, Vanaya studied choral music and musical theatre in her high school under the direction of Jill Boliek. In 2016, Vanaya was a finalist in Durham Performing Arts Center’s Triangle Rising Star Competition.

Vanaya attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro before transferring to North Carolina A&T State University in 2018.  She made her debut as the titular character at Paul Robeson Theatre in the 2018 production of Dot by Coleman Domingo directed by Miller Lucky, Jr. You may have seen her in other A&T productions including, This One Girl’s Story directed by Donna Bradby and A Soulful Christmas directed by Gregory Horton.

When she is not on stage, Vanaya enjoys singing, writing music, and cooking! Vanaya has always had a passion for the arts. She hopes to use her acting to create safe spaces for black art and content.