Sometimes the best part of a story comes in the second act.
For longtime Mount Kisco resident Michele Evans, that second act began after raising two now-adult children (both Fox Lane graduates), when she rekindled a passion for acting that started in childhood and flourished in high school.
Evans, who has lived in Mount Kisco for more than 35 years, will appear Saturday (March 7) at 7 p.m. in “The UnReal Housewives of Hudson Valley – The Reunion Special”, a dinner theater comedy presented by Hanging Cow Productions at Taormina’s Restaurant, 59 Hudson St., in Peekskill. In recent years, she has been active in improv, off-Broadway and film.
Evans said her love for performance began “long before I ever had the language to call it ‘acting’—in elementary school.”
“I was bullied pretty badly as a kid, and after school I would come home and escape into imagination,” recalled Evans, who grew up in Syracuse. “I’d play pretend, often casting myself as the teacher and getting those same kids into trouble. It was my way of processing the world and finding a sense of control—and without realizing it, I was already stepping into characters.”
In her junior and senior years of high school, her ability to get into character started to develop.
“During my senior year, I performed three completely different characters in one production, ‘Harvey,’ and something clicked,” she said. “I loved the challenge of shifting personalities and finding what made each character unique. That experience stayed with me.”
However, the idea of an acting career didn’t seem possible.
“My family wasn’t in a position financially to support theater or formal training, and I was often told it was just a dream—so I put it aside without really questioning it,” Evans said. “After high school, life took me in another direction. I went to college, got married, had children, and fully embraced the role of being a mom. Acting went on the shelf for many years—but it never truly left me.”
That changed about three years ago, when Evans got involved with Ossining’s Westchester Collaborative Theater, where she performed in several productions.
“That experience became my first real acting home in Westchester County and reminded me how much I loved being on stage,” she said. “Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to be cast in two off-Broadway productions, ‘Appropriate Behavior’ and ‘After Life,’ and I also had a small speaking role in the independent film ‘Guy Friends.’”
“Interestingly, every role I’ve taken on so far has come through relationships rather than formal auditions, which I take as a real compliment,” she added. “It tells me that people trust my work, my preparation, and the energy I bring into a rehearsal room. Coming back to acting later in life has been deeply rewarding, and I bring all of those lived experiences with me into every role.”
While she never did get to go to acting school, Evans said her training comes from lived experience—“being on stage, working with other actors, and learning through doing”—and calls live theater her “classroom.”
“It teaches you timing, listening, adaptability, and how to stay present no matter what’s happening around you,” she said, adding that she learned to be “observant, prepared and flexible” with a focus on collaboration.
“Every role has taught me something new, and I bring that knowledge forward each time I step into a new project,” she said. “I respect the process, and I’m always growing—which keeps the work exciting for me.”
Living in Mount Kisco also nurtures her art.
“It’s one of those towns where you grow up knowing the streets, the rhythms, and the people—and that kind of grounding stays with you,” she said. “There’s a real sense of community here, and I’ve always loved how creativity and connection can quietly thrive side by side.”
As for the current show, Evans’ role as Caramel from Carmel in “The UnReal Housewives of Hudson Valley – The Reunion Special” is squarely in her wheelhouse.
“Comedy is definitely my favorite,” Evans said. “I genuinely love making people laugh, and I love being a little silly. There’s something really special about feeling an audience respond in real time.”
Evans said comedy mixed with drama allows her range to come through.
“My favorite roles are the ones that let me explore layers,” she explained. “One of my most meaningful recent roles was playing Nicole in ‘After Life.’ She was such a gift to play because she existed in so many emotional spaces at once. Nicole is reunited with her late husband in the afterlife, but she believes she’s just dreaming—so she’s grieving, excited, flirty, confused, angry, and constantly trying to process what’s happening, all while still being funny throughout the play.
“That kind of role really excites me because it allows comedy and emotion to live side by side. I love characters who can make an audience laugh one moment and feel something deeper the next.”
While she prides herself in knowing and respecting the script, Evans also loves improv, which she began doing seven years ago “because you have to be mentally quick” and there’s no safety net.
“It keeps you sharp and fully present in the moment,” she said. “Improvisation and scripted acting are really two different forms of acting, and I enjoy how each one challenges me in a different way. With improv, there’s no safety net—you’re thinking on your feet, listening closely, and responding honestly in real time. That mental agility has helped me tremendously with scripted work. It’s made me more comfortable trusting my instincts, staying flexible, and reacting naturally rather than feeling locked into a performance.”
As for her role in “The UnReal Housewives of Hudson Valley,” Caramel is “one of the completely over-the-top housewives in the show” and “an absolute blast to play.”
“She’s glamorous, competitive, and fully convinced she’s a wellness guru—despite the fact that her business is definitely a little… bootleg,” Evans said. “Playing her feels like stepping into the sparkliest version of chaos, and I love every second of it.”
Evans called the show—which satirizes a reality TV reunion special—“hilarious and fast-paced” with a big twist.
“The audience is part of the world,” she said. “They’re not just watching us; they actually become members of the Housewives’ community. They might be neighbors, exes, customers, or even unsuspecting professionals who’ve been pulled into the drama. We talk to them, interact with them, sing to them, dance with them, and even give them tasks onstage. No two shows are ever the same, which keeps it exciting for both the cast and the audience.”
Written and directed by Westchester local Elise Maurine Milner, the dinner theater comedy is a fully immersive, audience-interactive parody of reality-TV reunions. Hosted by the ever-charming “Andy CloneIn,” the show follows four fame-thirsty Housewives and one chaotic Houseband as bottomless mimosas, glitter, gossip and confessions push their friendships past the breaking point.
Evans has become a fixture in productions mounted by Milner after first responding to a casting notice posted on the Facebook page “Westchester Community Theater Network.”
“She auditioned for me two years ago, and I’ve been using her in my projects ever since,” Milner said.
After “The UnReal Housewives of Hudson Valley – The Reunion Special,” Evans will next appear April 13 in the Off-Broadway one-act play “The Offer” as part of a festival with Hanging Cow Productions at the American Theater for Actors (ATA) in New York City.
After that?
“Continuing to say yes to projects that challenge me and let me lean into what I love most—comedy with heart,” said Evans, who especially loves playing “the underdog woman, the one people underestimate at first, who surprises everyone, makes them laugh, and ends up getting the hot guy in the end. Those stories are fun, relatable, and filled with the kind of comedy I love doing most.”
She said she’d love to perform with the actors she admires most for combining comedy with heart, including Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Dwayne Johnson and Kevin James.
“At this stage, I feel energized and grateful,” Evans said. “I’m excited to see where that leads next. For me, it’s about continuing to grow, keep laughing, and be part of creative teams that love telling stories people truly enjoy.”
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