Devanne Fredette

Actress Extraordinaire. Writer. Multimedia Artist.

Devanne Fredette joined Master Mystery Productions for her first production as Phoebe Walliscroft in The Last Garden Party, performed in July 2016. It was her first major role in a major production, which has since blossomed into a storied theatrical career filled with well-deserved accolades and honors. Her journey through Master Mystery Productions has allowed her to stretch her abilities as an actress, a writer, and an artist in numerous media from digital art to paint to music and beyond.

In 2017, Devanne returned to perform as Zoe Fox in Bury Me in Paris that spring followed by a performance as Caroline Shaw in July 2017’s sold-out production of Ode to Agatha. Her biggest accomplishment of that season came in C. R. Rowenson’s The Silent City performed in September, where she delivered a stellar and startling vocal performance as the tragic Kyra Ganley and volunteered in numerous ways behind the scenes as a scenic painter and a visual artist, creating original cast portraits for the show. Her work earned her her first award from the company: The Skeleton Key Award for Service Above and Beyond.

2018 became a landmark season for Devanne. While performing as a Chorus member in our first musical, Exit Prima Donna, Devanne also became a composer, writing an original piece of music, titled “Mia Bambina,” to pair with a character’s monologue, which then became a theme woven throughout the show. Devanne became the first true composer for Master Mystery Productions. She continued to spread her wings in July 2018’s Famous Last Words in the role of Chloe Landis and as a scenic painter when she designed and painted the falling bust for the show. She then was a member of the Ensemble in What Happens at Sundown.

Her biggest triumph came in Mutiny on the Sea Witch in November 2018, where she played the lead of Captain Cutlass Kate to perfection and served as Assistant Director. Her unstoppable performance as Cutlass Kate won her the coveted Diamond Mask Award for Excellence in Performance, her work during the show garnered her the Blood, Sweat, and Tears Award from Ridgecrest Community Theatre Troupe, and her exemplary service across the entire season earned her the Founder’s Award for a Year of Outstanding Service for 2018, the highest honor at Master Mystery Productions.

With her wins during Mutiny, Devanne became the first person to win three different awards during a single production, a title that no one has beat to this date. And with Mutiny on the Sea Witch, Devanne earned another honor: the longest-performing actor in Master Mystery Productions with her then eight career shows with the company.

2019 became an important anniversary season for her as she extended her reign as longest-running performer with the roles of Madame du Pommade in Eat Cake in Spring 2019 and the title role of Lenore in Lenore Nevermore in October 2019. With her appearance in Lenore Nevermore, Devanne became the first performer to reach the milestone of ten productions with the company, which she accomplished on the landmark 25^th Master Mystery Production. It was a milestone we couldn’t ignore, and we inducted her into the MMP Hall of Fame for her staggering work with Master Mystery Productions.

Following her induction into the MMP Hall of Fame, Devanne has continued to spearhead excellence in the company with standout performances as a guest voice artist in Regions Beyond, our paranormal found footage mystery series on YouTube, and as the sassy schoolgirl Sarah Green in Mum’s the Word. For Mum’s the Word, she contributed her legion artistic talents to draw the show’s logo, and her dedicated work in live streaming the premieres of Regions Beyond episodes in 2020, along with special animated art she made for these streams, earned her the Skeleton Key Award for Service Above and Beyond for the production. Devanne has become the first person to win the Skeleton Key for a digital production, and the first to win the award twice.

She returned to acting with MMP playing in two Reader’s Theatre productions in 2022. First, she played the sweet yet overwhelmed drinks girl Witness the Fifth in Unlucky Seven, followed by taking the role of April Abbot in the 2022 revival of Monica Dwyer’s Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind. She contributed to the visual art of Tête-à-Tête by creating the sketches seen in the sketchbook used by the bohemian artists onstage.

Devanne’s artistry, dedication, and persistence with her theatrical career is a model for all members of Master Mystery Productions. Devanne’s career may not have received the immediate laurels of some of her contemporaries, but she has never given up and never pursued theatre for anything but the love of the experience. Devanne is a model of growth as an actress, dedicating herself to acres of research and planning and work to embody the characters she portrays, and she has become one of the most versatile and formidable performers we have ever produced. From humble beginnings as the sweet and likeable Phoebe Walliscroft, Devanne has become a standout member of the company, a shining star performer, and a dear friend to everyone in Master Mystery Productions. She has proven that hard work, patience, and persistence will open so many doors and make dreams come true. We congratulate her and thank her for all her years of service.