Vanessa Healey

Vanessa Healey (she/her) is the Production Manager for the Department of Theatre Arts & Dance at the University of Minnesota. Originally from central New York, she holds a B.A. in Theatre with a concentration in Production from the University at Albany–SUNY and has made the Twin Cities her home since 2007.

Her career spans more than 20 years of work in theatre, live events, and interdisciplinary performance, moving fluidly between intimate studio projects, large-scale theatrical productions, and complex event environments. Prior to joining the University, Vanessa spent nearly twelve years at Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, where she served in multiple leadership capacities including Performing Arts Department Manager, Production Manager, and Stage Manager. There, she helped shape and sustain a rigorous, inclusive creative practice across productions, visual arts exhibitions, and grant-funded initiatives, often managing teams of 70+ artists, staff, and collaborators.

In the Twin Cities and beyond, she has worked in stage management and production with companies including the Children’s Theatre Company, Guthrie Theater, Yellow Tree Theatre, Open Eye Figure Theatre, Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project, and LightHouse Productions, as well as regional companies such as Goodspeed Musicals, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Hangar Theatre, and Mill Mountain Theatre.

At the University of Minnesota, Vanessa oversees the coordination of the department’s full production season, managing budgets, schedules, facilities, and logistics while facilitating communication across design, directing, stage management, and production teams. Her approach emphasizes clarity, collaboration, and systems that support creative risk-taking and allow artists and technicians to do their most focused and imaginative work within complex, fast-moving production environments.