FINDING PURPOSE By Lauren Speirs
How life’s winding path has always pointed this local leading lady back to theatre.
Y
ou might recognize Alyssa Haney as one of Gulfshore Business’ “40 under 40,” or maybe as The Greater Naples Chamber “Young Professional of the Year.” A successful Marketing Specialist for First Florida Integrity Bank, Alyssa is also a board member for The Naples Players (TNP), President of the United Arts Council board of directors, Secretary of FNBGC Charitable Foundation, and a proud graduate of Leadership Collier. As if Alyssa didn’t have enough to keep her busy with work and volunteering, she is also a talented actress who enjoys performing with TNP. Looking forward to her performances as Julia Sullivan in the upcoming production of The Wedding Singer, she reflects on how she was not always so put together and how her relationship with acting runs parallel to her changing course in life.
Both Alyssa and her parents were born in Miami and, growing up, she went to school in Naples but spent summers and weekends on the east coast. Her first encounter with TNP was when she went with her grandmother to see Grease in the late 90’s. “My grandmother really introduced me to theatre - she made a point to bring me to performances.”
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TNP BACKSTAGE
Alyssa had a talent for music in school and played the bassoon. She played in the orchestra pit for her school’s band, and provided music for the school productions of Pirates of Penzance and Into the Woods. When Alyssa graduated high school in 2005, she was thrilled to get her first job on 5th Avenue as an orchestra musician with TNP. Following the path to become a professional musician, Alyssa went to school to continue studying music. Trouble started soon after. Because she was already getting paid jobs as a musician, she lost the motivation to finish her degree and dropped out of school. Spending all of her time in the music and restaurant industries and losing a sense of purpose, Alyssa started down a slippery slope of substance misuse.
“For a while, I turned to unhealthy things in an attempt to fill an emptiness inside of me. However, the more I spent time at TNP, onstage or behind the scenes, I kept finding new opportunities to fill those voids with purpose and meaning.”
THE WEDDING SINGER
