Ris
Bland

Ris Bland is a Filipino-American actor, singer, sound designer and scenic artist who is pursuing her BFA in Musical Theatre at Taylor University. She recently performed in Taylor Theatre’s production of The Madwoman of Chaillot as he title character Countess Aurelia. She played Julia in Taylor Theatre's production of Conor McPherson's The Birds, and has been in Everybody as Somebody, and Percy Talbott in The Spitfire Grill. Other previous performances include Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Disney's Newsies, and as the Amy/Beth Swing in Mindi Dickenstein’s Little Women. She is a two-time NATS 1st Place Finalist in her division and a KCACTF Region 3 Vocal and Dance Finalist as well as an Irene Ryan's Semi-Finalist. This is her second year of sound designing for Taylor University's show season, with her most recent show being Working: The Musical for Lyric Theatre.

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Ris grew up in Manila, Philippines as part of a missionary family, and has had extensive international travel experience in South-East Asia. Stemming from this upbringing, she has a passion for international, intercultural, and ethnically diverse stories, which she aims to bring into her work, both on stage and in her writing projects. She believes that diverse stories can both provide underrepresented people a space to see their own stories in a respected and celebratory light, and also enlighten and cultivate compassion in fellow artists and audiences.