Vianna Isbister

Meet Vianna Isbister

Sophomore, Theatre and Dance

This week, Vianna Isbister returns to the ETSU Theatre and Dance stage for her third performance since she arrived on campus.  As the Stranger in “Dead Man’s Cell Phone,” Vianna says this is a role she has been looking forward to stepping into for a long time.

The Stranger…who is she, and why is this a type of role you have wanted to play?

I have been in a lot of plays through the years and, so often, I have been cast as the young, sweet mom or sister. Those roles are fun, but I have always dreamed of playing the mysterious femme fatale character.  “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” has given me that opportunity and I am over the moon.  My character is a strong, independent woman who dares to be labeled “sexy.”   

What other shows have you done at ETSU?

In addition to performing with the Patchwork Players, which is our student theater group, I appeared in “Charlotte’s Web” last year, and this past fall I was cast as Miep Gies in “The Diary of Anne Frank.”

Was theater your intended major when you began looking for colleges?

Yes, somewhat.  My interest in theater really grew when I was a high school.  I spent my senior year at Elizabethton High School and both my drama teacher and the librarian encouraged me to go to ETSU to study theater.  There are so many things I have gotten to do already as a sophomore, and I can’t imagine the opportunities I will have in the future because I chose to come here.  I am very grateful to the faculty for all they have done to support me.  I was also very fortunate to be accepted into the Honors-in-Discipline program in the Honors College.

Are you a native of this area?

Actually, no. I was born in Long Island, New York, and we moved when I was 12 years old.  Before moving to East Tennessee, we lived in Mitchell County, North Carolina.  Being a part of ETSU Theatre and Dance is a blessing.

Note: “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” will be performed in Campus Center Building Studio 205 Wednesday-Saturday, Feb. 21-24, at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, visit http://bit.ly/2EYAiWB .

Below: Isbister (second from left) as Miep Gies in ETSU’s 2017 production of “The Diary of Anne Frank,” pictured with (l-r) Levi Bradford, Erin Teaster and Kaleb Stone.