Ava Frances

Ava Nicole Frances, a joyful fifteen year-old singer and performer, lives with her two dads and studies musical theatre at the prestigious Ruth Asawa School of the Arts in San Francisco. She studies dance at the ODC Dance Commons. Already a cabaret veteran, Ava has performed three autobiographical shows to sold-out audiences at Feinstein's at the Nikko & Society Cabaret in San Francisco, Don't Tell Mama in New York, and Vitello's in Los Angeles. These cabarets shared the story of Ava's adoption by two fathers, and championed equality - all told through song selections from the great American songbook. She has also celebrated her love of her favorite icons, Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli, with a cabaret show dedicated to their songs, as well as a CD honoring those legends. Cabaret Scenes magazine has noted Ava possesses, "a powerful belt and an extraordinary top range, plus an outsized personality and an abundance of self confidence." She has also been featured as a vocalist at benefit concerts for Project Angel Food in LA. In between, Ava's "life" is the Young Actor's Theatre Camp, where she gets to live and breathe acting, singing, and filmmaking. Two of the films in which she appeared were nominees for Best Emerging Filmmakers award at the American Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival. Ava is recording vocals for a full-feature film soundtrack, and will co-star with Charlo Crossley in an exciting new cabaret show. As a younger performer, Ava has played a variety of local children's theater roles, from Tracy in Hairspray to Harold Hill in The Music Man. She appeared in dramatic roles in Don Quixote, playing the dual parts of Aldonza and Dona Quixote. Ava's passion for the performing arts extends to photographic character studies of iconic women's roles in theatre and film, in replica costumes exquisitely recreated by her dad. Mark A. Vieira has photographed her in signature costumes from Evita, Sunset Boulevard, Casablanca, Cabaret, Gone With the Wind, Cleopatra, Funny Lady, Victor/Victoria, and Hello Dolly, as well as Cher, Rita Hayworth, and others. The photographs have been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, and Ava and dad plan to publish these images as a book. Empowered by these women's legacies, Ava proudly nurtures her own way to the Broadway stage and screen. Ava loves to celebrate the joy in life and is dedicated to helping others find their joy by fighting for equality for all.