Pursuing her dream and Broadway’s bright lights

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Shelbi Berry fell into musical theater by accident.

Berry, a Purdue Global alumna from Indianapolis and a graduate of Perry Meridian High School and Marian University, was taking voice lessons at Marian when she was invited to audition for “The Addams Family.”

She took a leap of faith, auditioned and, thanks to her talent and jet-black hair, landed the role of Wednesday Addams — and she’s never looked back.

“I think it was more the stage fright that kept me from really committing, which made me think I wasn’t good enough for years,” Berry said. “I really enjoyed the role of Wednesday.”

Following several more years of appearing in plays and musicals across central Indiana, Berry packed her bags and set her sights on Broadway and the New York City theater scene.

Performing arts with a twist

After graduating from Marian with a bachelor’s degree in music education and philosophy and a minor in psychology, she kept working on her craft, improving and getting calls for shows.

“I’m a musician. I’m a visual artist, an actor and a vocalist. I’ve been a visual artist my entire life,” she said.

Berry also wanted a master’s degree in psychology, and through a conversation with her mom she discovered Purdue Global.

She enrolled and started classes, and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“I got to finish my master’s over the pandemic while shows were closed,” she said. “I could only focus on my classes.”

The pandemic also meant that there was no in-person commencement ceremony in 2021. Berry was selected to sing the national anthem for the May commencement, which was recorded and placed into the ceremony.

The family went to Purdue University’s main campus and took photos in her cap and gown, and with her younger sister, Carli, who graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science from Purdue Polytechnic Institute.

Berry enjoyed several aspects of her Purdue Global experience, including having access to resources, faculty and classmates.

“The coursework was great. I liked the way the classes were taught. You could see someone speaking to you. Everyone was involved in the class,” she said. “In my undergraduate classes, I didn’t like statistics because I didn’t understand it. But in my grad program, I loved it. I loved doing research in my program.”

But she knew she wanted more.

Setting out

Berry moved from Indianapolis to New York City in October 2023.

“My No. 1 passion in life, in general, is understanding human beings, why they do the things the way they do, why they think the way they do, which is why I love philosophy so much, but I don’t think philosophy can stand alone. I picked psychology because it’s more scientifically tested. You can see, you can test why people do things the way they do,” she said.

Berry utilizes her Purdue Global psychology degree, background and expertise when it comes to character and story development and analysis, assisting her as she explores what a character thinks, feels and experiences, and how they could interact with others.

Shortly after arriving in New York, she secured an agent and then began building her network of contacts and resources in person and on social media.

“I’m an extrovert, but I’ve had to become more extroverted. I’ve had to get better at communicating with people on social media because that’s how people here communicate,” she said. “Everything moves so fast. You have to keep up with people and keep the networking fields open because you never know when one thing will lead you to another thing.”

Berry feels very supported by the community and network she has built over a short time, including finding resources to help with various issues. Her three roommates are all actors who support and cheer for those in the creative art space.

Like many actors starting out, she has held several jobs including a simulated patient, bartender, Pilates studio manager and chess tutor for children.

“At one point I became overwhelmed. I learned to look at the city differently and how to ask for help from others. I reached out to a lot of people and confronted the moment,” Berry said.

She’s had several callbacks and is still submitting and applying for auditions. She’s honing her craft with classes, workshops and practices.

“I’ve been told by a lot of people it’s a numbers game. Everyone who moves to New York are the top best three people in their city; we’re all here,” Berry said. “It’s about being in the right place at the right time, knowing the right people — a lot of work behind the scenes. The only thing you have control of is being prepared.”

About Purdue Global

Purdue Global is Purdue’s online university for working adults who have life experience and often some college credits. It offers flexible paths for students to earn an associate, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree, based on their work experience, military service and previous college credits, no matter where they are in their life journey. Purdue Global is a nonprofit, public university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and backed by Purdue University. For more information, visit https://www.purdueglobal.edu.