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	story Heather Brissenden    photography Ari Mintz   To many, the incredible life of musical theatre performer Tanya Birl Torres is a dream come true. It’s the stuff of fairytales - complete with pixie dust, a handsome Dominican prince and a fairytale ending. But for Mississauga’s star triple threat, life on Broadway is challenging, real and as busy as ever. It’s a hectic Wednesday morning when GoodLife Magazine catches up with Birl via phone interview from her Washington Heights apartment. “I just got a new puppy, I’m waiting for the closing of my new home and I’ve got two shows today!” exclaims Birl. Currently performing in the Broadway production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying starring Daniel Radcliffe (of Harry Potter fame), it’s safe to say Birl has hit the big time. Having recently taken centre stage as understudy to perform the lead role of Smitty, Birl’s been turning heads. Industry heavyweights are taking note. Truth be told, Birl is a homegrown gal. The Mississauga-born and raised dancer, singer and actor spent her formative years perfecting her craft at Meadowvale’s Dance Factory and at Cawthra Park Secondary School where she majored in dance under the tutelage of Fanny Ghoreb and Jill Hollingsworth. As a hard-working youth, Birl spent thousands of hours performing at dance competitions, youth showcases and numerous community events. Watching the striking performer grace the stage, it’s easy to see the hard work has paid off. Birl explains, “It’s so exciting to perform on Broadway. It’s what I’ve worked towards my whole life. I’m not going to lie. It’s hard to keep up with the demands of doing eight shows a week. It is taxing on your body and at the end of the day you are exhausted…but performing on Broadway is my passion and it’s what I dreamt about all of my life.” So what’s it like working with Radcliffe? “He’s really cool,” says Birl. “His first day at rehearsal he came to the theatre with every cast member’s name memorized. He loves performing on Broadway and is only doing it for the love of it. He’s never missed a show!” Leading choreographer, Rob Ashford, selected Birl for her strength as a “triple threat”  - a talented dancer, singer and actor. Ashford explains, “It was very important when casting the women of How To Succeed to make sure we had strong actors as well as great dancers and singers. "Tanya is an actor as well as a brilliant dancer. It is crucial to a musical set in the '60s that the women have a parallel journey to the men as they climb the corporate ladder. She approaches the work from all three disciplines. Those kind of performers are rare.” Having performed professionally for over 10 years, Birl has an incredible resume for a young artist. She has graced the stages of cruise ships and theatres across Europe and North America with numerous productions. On Broadway, Birl originally made her debut in Finian’s Rainbow in late ’09 and went on to perform in the celebrated production of Memphis. The show was so well received on Broadway, it was turned into a full-fledged feature film, released this year. This past spring, Birl could be seen dancing and singing up a storm in theatres around the globe. In addition to her foray in the film world, other memorable off-Broadway shows include Anyone Can Whistle, On the Town, The Wiz and a European tour of West Side Story. To make life even sweeter for Birl, she managed to meet the man of her dreams, Wilson Torres while on tour with The Lion King. When Birl was barely into her 20s she was handpicked to perform with the first national touring company of the show. It was during The Lion King’s stop in Louisville Kentucky when Birl was introduced to her future husband. A striking artist of Dominican descent, Torres is a Julliard educated and leading percussionist in his own right. “My husband is so supportive,” says Birl. “It’s totally amazing to have a husband involved in the arts. Wilson will soon be playing on stage in a new show called Lysistrada Jones. I can’t wait to watch him perform.” So what has been the most memorable moment for Birl thus far? “The moment when it all hit me was when I made my Broadway debut in Finian’s Rainbow. I remember walking up to the theatre where I was performing and looking up in awe at the marquee. I remember having a moment where I just said to myself  ‘wow this is real and I’m doing it!’ Another great memory was performing in The Wiz on the day Michael Jackson died (Michael was famous for playing the role of the scarecrow in the film). That day, in his honour, the choreographer let all of us dancers freestyle - to showcase our favourite Michael Jackson moves.” With a red-hot career that shows no signs of slowing down, what’s next for Birl? “I’m definitely in a period of figuring out the next step and moving forward. One big goal of mine was to understudy a Broadway role and I accomplished that. It felt great to tick it off my list. A new goal of mine would be to perform a lead in a dance show like Fosse. I’m also getting more involved in choreography and am starting to work in production.”  As our phone conversation comes to an end, Birl expresses her deep gratitude for her incredible life. “I’m grateful for all the opportunities that have come my way and for being able to take advantage of them all. I’m so lucky to have someone so understanding of what I do.”  GL	Daniel Radcliffe in the Broadway Musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Some of the male dancers in rehearsal photos by Ari Mintz