So, how did you get from Texas to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts?
As a teenager, I felt a little lost. I made these two friends who were just as dorky as I was, and through them, I got involved in the drama club at high school. It was something I found I could do well—I didn’t know I could sing until I opened my mouth! When I was 16, I got my first summer stock job as one of the screaming teenagers in Bye Bye Birdie at this theater called Casa Manana, and it was the happiest I had ever felt. I try to remember that feeling whenever I’m discouraged or disgruntled. What was the highlight of your experience in the original cast of Spring Awakening? One of the most amazing moments was when we performed on the Tonys. We had come from the safety of that smaller theater [at Atlantic], then we moved to the Broadway house, and all of a sudden, we were standing on this massive stage [at Radio City] before a massive crowd. Seeing the curtain come up and singing with my friends and castmates was one of most special moments I’m sure there will ever be in my entire
