MEET DONAE...

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Donae Swanson is a spirited and passionate actor and theatre-maker from Glenn Heights, Texas! 

She graduated from San Diego State University with a B.A. in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in Performance in 2025. Donae’s most recent credits include Chrissy/Michelle/Laniece in Jaja's African Hair Braiding (La Jolla Playhouse), Rosalind in As You Like It (Prague Shakespeare Company), Maria in Twelfth Night of the Living Dead (Loud Fridge Theatre Group), and Hermia in Midsummer Night’s Dream (Coronado Playhouse). She has also been involved in educational theatre productions at San Diego State University, including Hamlet/Gertrude in Hamlet, Ruth in A Raisin In The Sun, and Katherine in Love’s Labor’s Lost. 

With a strong foundation in classical and contemporary performance, Donae’s training includes work with artists such as Lisa Wolpe, Dawn Stern, and Guy Roberts, as well as specialized voice training with Sonny Rios and Linda Gates. 

She's also dedicated to empowering the next generation of performers by working at local theatre camps and creating spaces for black voices and storytelling with her organization Black Renaissance Theatre.

When she is not on stage, Donae can be found doing puzzles, playing tennis, volleyball, ax throwing, and completing coloring books!