Melanie
Apex resident Melanie Prince lives a life of devotion…devotion to her family, her craft and to the community. The common thread that ties these together is her unbridled passion and love of theater, of acting, of song and of dance. It is no surprise that her talented children—Payton, 24; Bryant, 21; Neely, 11 and Ava Gail, 9—share her profound passion for the performing arts. It’s important to point out, though, that Melanie is no stage mom.
“I don’t live through them. I live for them,” she said.
Her passion for the performing arts never waned despite the twists and turns that life throws at you. She met her husband, Spencer, while attending college in Northern California. They married while still in college and welcomed Payton before graduating.
During this time, Melanie was collaborating with a colleague on a country music album. Her foray into the country music scene compelled them to move to Nashville, TN. But Melanie’s recording partner didn’t make the trip. Upon further reflection, Melanie knew her true passion lay in acting. They returned to California where she enrolled in the performing arts program offered at California State University, Sacramento (CSUS).
By this time, the family was growing as she had Payton and Bryant to care for in addition to pursuing her dream. Melanie’s most important role was, of course, being a mother but she was serious about acting and figured out a way to combine the two. She remembers Payton and Bryant tagging along with her to campus, sometimes backstage and sometimes on the stage. It was always a family affair.
Because Melanie wanted to perform, she chose plays that her children could perform in with her. She was in school full time learning the craft and they would do shows together. It was a win-win.
“I worked part time and was a class mom. Spencer coached youth sports teams,” she shared.
One of those part-time gigs was as acting coach and teacher at a local California charter school. It’s difficult to discern where Melanie’s ultimate passion lies as her interest in teaching the craft seems equal to being on stage. Suffice it to say she found a way to tap into both passions, realizing success both personally and professionally.
In 2007, Spencer received a job offer too good to pass up. The Prince family was moving to North Carolina. As they settled into their new Apex home, Melanie was delighted to find out that Raleigh has a thriving theater community. She reached out to Ira David Wood, founder and director of Theater in the Park. In 2008, she auditioned and was added to the cast of “A Christmas Carol.” The following year, young Payton and Bryant (pictured left with Melanie) joined the cast and they all performed in the annual holiday production. Their time there lasted four years and included traveling with the cast and crew to France during the 35th Anniversary tour in 2011. Melanie shared that she had always wanted to travel around the world and do musical theater.
“It’s funny how it all comes back around. Every aspiration that I had, I realized. I’m so fortunate,” she said.
Melanie never aspired to be famous or a celebrity. Rather, it has always been about teaching and performing.
“There is something wonderful about being able to pretend to be someone else and connect both with your castmates and to reach an audience. I love it. I still love it,” she said.
During this time, Payton and Bryant connected with friends who were also involved in the local theater community. This eventually led them to being represented by KU Talent out of Raleigh.
Because of Melanie’s background in theater and acting, it was a really smooth transition from coaching/directing for stage to doing the same for the screen. She taught at Estes Tarver’s Moonlight Stage Company in Raleigh (a premier acting studio for film and television actors) for three years. Tarver is an award-winning actor, director, writer and producer.
“I learned so much. I cut my teeth on these big kids, coaching them for their auditions. And I got pulled into that world because of my kids. Estes was my kids’ first film coach,” she fondly recalled.
She also recalled submitting an audition tape where the producer wanted a real family for a commercial. Although they didn’t book that work, Terri Dollar at KU saw the tape and reached out to add Melanie. It truly was a family affair.
From there, it’s no surprise that Melanie would eventually open the Apex-based Carolina Academy of the Performing Arts, or CAPA as it’s more commonly known around town. There are so many reasons CAPA exists but at its core the main focus has always been to build a theater in Apex where students are loved, feel secure, safe and are nurtured.
“I didn’t intend on opening up an acting school. It is blood, sweat and tears. We are trying to build a theater house where we do away with the sharp elbows that can be in this industry. We are each other’s biggest fans. We celebrate every win, and everyone brings an important piece to this puzzle,” she noted.
Melanie volunteers as the theater’s artistic director, and a roster of instructors across multiple disciplines like acting, improvisation, dance and singing now includes her own children. And while she finds the theater to be tremendously satisfying, her children are her four greatest blessings, giving Melanie her most challenging and fulfilling role yet.
“We do have an intentional philosophy with our children. What would happen if we opened every door we could for our kids? And it has been astounding. All that they have done has been so powerful. Our efforts have been to open doors for them. If you can dream it, you can do it. It has been a privilege to be part of this,” she said, gesturing to her children seated around the table for this interview.
Payton
Payton, age 24, grew up around performance. But, as college approached, Payton was sure she was going to be a doctor. Accepted at UNC-Chapel Hill, Payton would attend there to lay the foundation for her eventual transition to medical school. Late in her senior year, she had a change of heart, or, as she put it, she made a hard left turn back to acting.
“There is something so special and almost divine about creation. Every person, when you are making something, you are tapping into the Universe or God, if you believe in that, and it feels like a purpose. And I just missed that,” she shared.
She auditioned for BYU’s performance arts programs of which they have a few including a musical theater and an acting program. She was accepted in their acting program and will graduate in April 2023 with a BFA in acting. She traveled with BYU’s Young Ambassadors, a select group of 10 men and 10 women who travel around the US and internationally to perform.
Payton also had the lead in Baz Luhrman’s “Strictly Ballroom: The Musical” which premiered in Utah. Given her proximity to the Sundance Film Festival and a robust indie film community nearby, she also did some independent film work. This experience solidified her interest in film.
“The Young Ambassadors and “Strictly Ballroom” are some of my favorite recent memories. Utah has been awesome; I’m excited to come back east, though,” she shared.
During the summer months, Payton re-joined CAPA as both a teacher and lead choreographer for their summer camp productions. She loves coming back. “The children there are amazing; it’s wonderful how kind they are to each other and to us. I cry at least once whenever I’m there just because of how much I love them,” she said.
With talent agents in New York and North Carolina, Payton continues to audition. She is likely to move to Atlanta (a hotbed for film production) after she graduates. Payton is also collaborating on a screenplay with her mom. Filming begins this fall, on location at their home and the surrounding property in New Hill. She and her sister, Neely, will be starring in this family collaboration.
Bryant
Bryant, 21, recalls toggling between Tennessee and California as a very young boy and then making the permanent move to North Carolina when he was six. Of course, when you are six years old, doing what your mother says is a requirement, but Bryant wanted to dispel the idea that his mother pushed them to act/to perform.
“We had to beg on our hands and knees to pursue an acting career,” he said.
Payton chimed in and said she used to make PowerPoint decks to convince their mother that their interest in pursuing acting opportunities was sincere and came from a place of genuine passion.
“Mom did not make us do this. We wanted this,” Payton echoed.
Bryant recounted playing Tiny Tim in the aforementioned “A Christmas Carol” before he aged out of the role. He shared how grateful he was for this early experience which connected him to a very polished and professional theater community. He was exposed to the myriad moving parts that happen off-stage and backstage.
He took up with his acting coach and mentor, Estes Tarver. With the invaluable tutelage from Tarver, Bryant soon realized some immediate success, first being cast in the television series, “Under the Dome” (2013) followed by roles in two major motion pictures, “The Lone Ranger” (2013) which filmed for nine months and then “Terminator Genisys” (2015) which filmed for about three months. He calls all of these amazing experiences with some of his memories a bit fuzzy given his age at the time, but underscores what a blessing it was to have such supportive parents the whole way.
“My dad is not in the business, but he would drop everything to be on set with me,” he said.
He said his father is refreshingly nonplussed by fame. Bryant recalled a day on set at a table read for “The Lone Ranger,” when he noticed his dad talking to someone about life. That someone was legendary Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
Another moment that stands out to Bryant was a visit home between shooting dates when a seemingly benign visit to the woods behind his Apex home resulted in a minor chigger detour. (For the uninitiated, chiggers are tiny mites that live in wooded areas. If the get on your skin, their bites can look like chicken pox.) Out of concern for the cast and crew, film production was suspended until they got the all-clear. Bryant brought a little bit of Apex with him that day.
Despite being on a successful professional streak, Bryant was tired and craved down time. This middle school boy needed a break. He wasn’t enjoying the work.
His mom and dad listened and were ultra-supportive. Melanie joked that Bryant got to be a real boy that school year. He is an extrovert and being home schooled on film sets was not conducive to his happiness. During high school, Bryant enjoyed sports, performing in the school musical and lending his help and experience to CAPA. Rather than giving up on him (as some talent agents are wont to do), Bryant’s agents supported his decision. Instead of dropping him, they became his friends.
In the recent past, Bryant has had roles in several Hallmark films and on the Fox medical drama “The Resident.” But, after sharing his acting credentials, Bryant felt compelled to offer up a critical distinction.
“These are things I’ve done and are not who I am. We are the things we love and the people we love,” he implored.
Lastly, he gushed about his family, calling it one of the most talented families ever.
“I am obviously biased. I don’t have the training my sisters have. I’m not going to school for the performing arts. I’ve been living in this world since a young age. But they are triple threats [referring to their acting, singing and dancing prowess]. Mom gave up her career for all of us. They just want us to have what they didn’t have,” he said.
Bryant is currently an undergraduate at UNC-Charlotte and when he graduates, he will fill his time between acting roles working with his father at the company his dad founded, The Provident Retirement Group. Performing remains front and center for Bryant.
Neely
Neely, 11, is a sixth grader at Apex Middle School. She has been in love with musical theater her entire life. Heck, she shared Raleigh’s Memorial Auditorium stage with her mom during performances of “A Christmas Carol.” (Neely would be born a few months later.)
“It’s been such a blessing. One of my earliest memories is the fairy tale camp at CAPA. Acting, singing and dancing. Seeing my family do this—all of them, my role models in live theater, on TV, in the movies. My siblings are my idols,” she said.
Of all of the Prince children, Neely has the most formal dance training. Payton recalled a “tiny little tot doing amazing things with her body.” She has been a competitive dancer forever and has the awards to prove it. Neely does not lack confidence. She writes her own music and is a proficient player of the ukulele. She can play some guitar and piano, too. She grew up to be a songwriter.
“She was 6 years old and asked me to help her write a song,” Melanie recalled. In some sense, the rest is history. Today, Neely has the lead in this year’s musical, The Addams Family, at Apex Middle school.
“There is nothing like the feeling when I connect with my castmates and with the audience. They become your extended family. It is very satisfying, “ she said.
Ava Gail
Ava Gail, 9, really loves acting and she calls her siblings her greatest role models.
“They have all done it before me,” she said.
Her brother, sisters and mom laughed at this obvious, yet innocently poignant comment. Ava Gail has thrived, surrounded by their love, passion and talent. Her resume, at age 9, is impressive. Her first local play was CAPA’s “Beauty and the Beast.” She was four at the time and played a saltshaker. Laughing, Melanie recalled asking for a costume that had built in ballast so Ava would stay upright. As time went on, Ava continued to gain confidence and experience, this time playing Eponine in “Les Miserables.”
“I have been auditioning since I was 4 or 5. I’ve never been afraid to audition as I just try to have fun with it,” she said matter-of-factly.
Her fun continued with a stint on the Netflix series “Outer Banks” and later on with the Fox sitcom “Welcome to Flatch.” But her most impressive role to date is likely that of Natalie in the Broadway musical “Mrs. Doubtfire.” After submitting an audition tape, she got a callback. This was in the midst of the pandemic.
“This is my big moment. I’m ready to do this,” she shared.
The audition went well as Ava sang and danced for the director. She and her mom flew back to Apex and waited. Not long after, Ava’s agent tried Melanie, but she was busy at the theater. So, she tried Bryant who shared the happy news. Ava was headed to Broadway.
It was an exciting time for Ava Gail, living and working in New York City with her mom. I suppose, no matter when this magical ride ended, tears would flow. But Ava said the sage advice she received from her aunt when “Mrs. Doubtfire” ended its run was of great comfort to her.
“Don’t be sad, Ava Gail. When one door closes, another opens,” she remembered.
Curtain Call
Melanie said she and Spencer intentionally parent their children to be best friends, and it shows. Listening to Payton, Bryant, Neely and Ava Gail share their stories was fascinating. What stood out though was the love and support they have for each other.
As the curtain falls on this story, for Melanie Prince and her talented family there’s clearly, unapologetically and lovingly, no business like show business.
