Meet Niki Badua

Today we’d like to introduce you to Niki Badua.

Niki, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. I started singing and dancing as early as I can remember but I knew it was more than a hobby when I would watch shows as a kid and leave the theater upset. My mom would ask me what was wrong and I would say “I just want to be on stage too!”. Then when it was finally my turn to be on stage, I knew that it was where I belonged. I loved making people smile or cry or laugh through song and art. I loved taking people on journeys through performance. I became addicted to storytelling.

I spent so much of my earlier youth in countless dance classes, voice lessons, and auditioning for every musical on the island. 27 days after I graduated High School, I moved to New York City to start auditioning and trying to pursue a career in theatre. You can imagine the fear that my parents had when I told them that I wanted to move to the other end of the county & take time off from school to pursue my art. It wasn’t easy to get them on board with this idea. Especially being first generation in America, the idea of not going to college was jarring. But I was burning with passion and drive that I needed to act on it. So I made a deal with parents. The deal was that I would go to NY and try my hand at it. Then if I don’t get anything within a year, I’d HAVE to go to school. DEAL.

I moved to NY in June 2012. I was 18. Homesick beyond belief. I auditioned for everything that I could (which wasn’t a lot because the summer is really slow). Two months later, I booked my first show. An ensemble role in the musical In The Heights.

From there, I kept that momentum going. Auditioning every time I got back in to the city. Working some survival job in between shows/gigs. Then I booked my first big show. In 2015, I got cast in the ensemble of the MAMMA MIA! National Tour where I got to travel 48/50 states and perform in over 50+ cities.

In August 2016, I was asked to perform my dream role of Kim in Miss Saigon at Serenbe Playhouse. Little did I know that that was the summer that would change my life–I fell in love with Atlanta. The people, the theatre, the culture and the art left inspired and overall, I felt joy in this city. Something that sometimes New York can take away from you.

So I spent the second year of touring with MAMMA MIA saving up to uproot my life from the Big City to ATL.

In August 2017, I moved to Atlanta. I have been here for two years now with my fiance and my little puppy. Since being here, I have been so lucky to find my way to the stage almost year-round. And I am happy to report that I still feel just as, if not more, inspired and joyful than I was when I first came here. 🙂

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I know that before moving to Atlanta, I struggled with seeing myself outside of my race. By that I mean, I would sometimes stop myself from going to auditions because the roles they were looking for were never played by an Asian American women before so why would they ever look at me for it? I was always looked at as the token Asian in a cast or only looked at roles that were written for Asian women. This is one of the main reasons why I moved to Atlanta in the first place. I have been looked at and played so many roles that a girl like me would only dream about. Since moving here, I have the opportunity to play roles like Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz & other lead roles like Lucy Harris in Jekyll and Hyde.

I want to inspire other girls who look like me that this dream isn’t out of reach. In fact, it’s a lot closer than we think. I’ve struggled with representation in this industry and I only hope to be a light that leads a little bit of the way for people like me.

What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
For me, this ties in with my struggles/obstacles.

I think what I am the most proud of is that I have finally stopped looking at the color of my skin as an obstacle but as an advantage and because of this, I have gotten to play the roles that I have. I always make sure that if nothing else, I am always my truest self in front of a casting table because that is what I am selling at the end of the day. There isn’t anybody else like me so why not be the best me? I love this profession because I love sharing stories. I love looking at new material and really putting myself in those shoes. I love seeing the world through their lens and then also seeing what parts of Niki can bring to that story as well? That’s what makes my “business” or craft different than others because I really do bring myself into these characters that I get to play.

It’s also nice when my work gets recognized too. Haha! I am super proud of the Suzi Bass Award that I won in 2015 for best Leading Actress in a Musical for Miss Saigon.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I could do something differently, I think I would have done more training. I think you can never get enough training. I also would have wanted to tell myself to act on my fears about being the only person of color in the room. I wish I could have gotten to that place earlier in my life. But truthfully, I think that everything that has happened to me at this point has happened for a reason. I learned the lessons that I learned when I needed to.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.NikiBadua.com
• Email: nikibadua@gmail.com
• Instagram: nikibadua
• Twitter: nikibadua

Image Credit:
Patrick Marcigliano, BreeAnne Clowdus, Jake Pearce, Greg Mooney

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