Business & Tech
Meet A Member Of The Cast Of "Spring Awakening"
Kings Park's Jenna Zito is among the stellar players in SCPA's production of the controversial musical.
Spring Awakening, which debuted on Broadway in 2006 and garnered eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, is currently being presented at the Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts. Several hundred young actors from Long Island and Manhattan auditioned for the Long Island Professional Première of this award-winning musical which runs through August 20.
Patch recently caught up with Jenna Zito who is among the stellar cast of players who depict the inner turmoil of young people as they experience the first, confusing stirrings of sexual desire in Germany in the early part of the 20th century. The show has generated considerable controversy because it confronts issues of adolescent sexuality, child abuse, teen suicide, and abortion head-on, without flinching.
Zito, 20, is about to enter her junior year at the Hartt School of Music in Connecticut, where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in musical theater. She has appeared at SCPA in Ragtime and Into the Woods. Her favorite roles include Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Fantine in Les Misérables. She plays the young teen Anna in Spring Awakening.
Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.
PATCH: How were you familiar with the show?
ZITO: I saw the show on Broadway with the original cast.
Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.
PATCH: What do you like about Anna, the character you play?
ZITO: She’s very snooty and a little promiscuous. She knows more than Thea. She’s very opinionated. I enjoy playing a character who’s very different from me.
PATCH: What were the challenges of appearing in this show?
ZITO: Everyone came in with high expectations. We had our own interpretation of the show. It was a challenge to please the audience but I think that we pulled it off. We do the show three times a week. It’s physically and emotionally draining. I am honored to be in a show with such a talented cast, amazing band and set.
PATCH: What lessons did you take away with you from the show?
ZITO: You never know what someone is going through. Everyone has their own struggles. The show puts life and the importance of education into perspective. I’m lucky to have such a supportive family.
