Genea Wolf does not believe in glass ceilings and never has, and for as long as she can remember she has wanted to be famous. If her name is not yet up there in Hollywood lights, it doesn?t matter. The harnessing of her multiple artistic talents and her unswerving desire to succeed are the driving forces in the busy and interesting life she has led and continues to lead.

Born and raised here, the years Mrs. Wolf spent living in England and the professional successes she enjoyed there, have filled her with a passion to inspire young Bermudians to raise their sense of self-worth, broaden their horizons and reach for the stars.

Since returning home she has been amazed at the defeatist attitude so many of them have with regard to developing their talents, upward mobility, and the opportunities available to them.

?I find that a lot of teens watch TV, but because they believe the people they see are phenomenal, they can never imagine themselves as phenomenal.You have to imagine yourself as a phenomenal being, and all the other things fall into place. That is the secret of life. It astounds me that so many talented Bermudians think, ?I?m just Bermudian? whereas I say that is their lift-off point.?

Based on her own experience, Mrs. Wolf sees the performing arts as a perfect vehicle to help the young achieve higher goals, and she is formulating plans to help young Bermudians develop their creative talents, and through them the self-confidence to forge a brighter future.

?I really believe in drama ? in fact, in all of the performing arts disciplines ? but there are no drama schools here where you can go and learn the trade,? she says. ?Acting gets to the core of who you are. I think that is what is missing here, so the resources the young people have are very low. My best friend and I are thinking of opening a drama school to teach young people how to perform ? acting, poetry, stage presence, just doing plays. In acting they can find their self-esteem.?

Mrs. Wolf also believes that adults must play a positive role in raising young people?s self-esteem.

?It would be helpful if the older Bermudians changed their opinion of how far you can reach as well. We need to guide our children upward, not sideways,? she says. ?Ask them, ?What do you want to do?? and when they answer, say: ?What is above that?? and to that answer ask again: ?And what is above that?? It is about reaching for the stars. If reaching for the moon is the goal that?s fine too.?

Aware of the huge pool of local talent which either lies fallow or is seriously under-developed and utilised here, Mrs. Wolf feels Government should put more into developing and financing the arts.

?Can you tell me why our biggest resource is not being used?? she asks.

Straight-talking Mrs. Wolf makes it clear she is not what she calls ?a typical Bermudian?, but long ago accepted that she was a multi-talented artist (?I paint, I write, I sing, but I don?t cook and I don?t do windows?) and then went about capitalising on those talents.

Married with two children and a third on the way, she makes no bones about her mission in life.

?I am not just a housewife and mother,? she says. ?My main job is to be an artist. Confidence and self-belief are what propel me. I don?t put myself above anyone else, but you must have a sense of self-importance. You can?t go around thinking, ?I?m just a little black girl?. I am an orphan. My mother died when I was one, and I never knew who my father was. I just said, ?OK, it was awful? but then I use that positively. I believe there is a reason for everything.?

This does not mean, however, that her children are neglected. Far from it.

?You don?t have children for them to take over your life,? she says. ?The better your life is, the better theirs will be. If you are happy doing what you know you should be doing, your children will be happy too. My children are very well rounded.?

Born and raised in Bermuda, Mrs. Wolf remained here until she was 30. Married with a daughter, her relationship ended in divorce when she resolved her personal identity crisis.

At the time she was a lead singer in the show ?Broadway in Bermuda?, and considered herself to be at the top of her game. However, during the final performance her voice suddenly let her down.

In typical fashion, however, she saw that as a reality check.

?I thought, ?This shows me how much work I still have to do. Bermuda is not the top of everything. I need to get out of here?,? Mrs. Wolf remembers.

So, the former Warwick Secondary School graduate packed up her belongings and her daughter, and successfully applied to Britain?s University of Middlesex to study performing arts. The fact that she had no money was no obstacle, of course. She simply applied for and won a $20,000 scholarship.

Three months into her studies her music teacher invited her to start a band with him. Thus, she became the lead singer of Rafiki, which was soon offered a recording contract with an independent label. Three years later, when the band members started to have ?a Bermudian mentality?, the woman who likens her voice to ?India Arie, although some people say I?m like a more energetic Tracy Chapman? cut her own deal as a solo singer, writing and performing her own material.

While in London Mrs. Wolf was also cast as the angel of death in a play about Marcus Garvey. In addition, she auditioned for the role of Rafiki in the ?Lion King?, sang in a BBC commercial, and had a regular gig at London?s Oxo tower singing gospel.

When her arrangement with the record company ended, Mrs. Wolf decided to focus on her art for a while, had a son, and wrote her first book, ?Who wants to be me?? in which the British Adoption and Fostering Agency initially showed great interest but later decided it deserved to be a general publication rather than one of their own. It is now up to Mrs. Wolf to take it further. Meanwhile, the author began writing a novel based, in part, on her own life, and tentatively entitled ?Night Train and Morning Glory?.

?The novel is helping me to deal with the psychological side of me,? the author says. ?Once you get that out of the way you need to focus on what?s left ? and there is something left. Most people (who are) abused or raped think that is all they are, but that is nowhere near what you are. It is something that happened to you. I think it is better for people to move with society and find out who you really are, and that is what I am doing.?

It was when her German husband received an offer of a partnership in a bakery in Bermuda that the family decided to return to the Island, and prior to their arrival Mrs. Wolf imagined she would finish her novel, have her third child, and chill out. Some chance.

Today, she is a member of Government?s Performing Arts Committee, and has renewed her theatrical association with Dusty Hind, as a result of which plans are well underway to revive the Jabulani Company (formerly Jabulani Repertory Company) and stage several high-quality productions a year. The first, the musical ?Smokey Joe?s Caf? , is planned for next April.

?We held open auditions and are choosing a lot of local talent. We want the production to be top-notch,? Mrs. Wolf says. ?This is our way of showing Bermudians that you don?t have to settle for any old thing. We are setting somewhat higher levels of performance here. Those who are unsuccessful for one production or role, however, will have their talents noted for another. We are a small country and we can?t be exclusive. We need to use everything we have, and if anyone else is interested in auditioning, they can contact me at 232-6367 or 747-0999.?

As if all these activities are not enough, the busy wife and mother is also a performing arts research consultant for the Ministry of Education.

?I think Bermuda needs a bit of fire, and I am a firecracker,? Mrs. Wolf says. ?A lot of people talk and there is no action. We have to really, really grow our arts scene in Bermuda. I am a doer. People say, ?Easy, easy? but I say, ?No. We need a more prevalent arts scene in Bermuda so let?s provide it. We have the talent, we have the resources. Put them together and just do it.?