through senior years of high school attending classes at PTHS in the morning then precollege classes at Pittsburgh Musical Theater in the afternoon , where she studied acting , singing , voice and speech , all forms of dance , lighting , stage management , history of musical theater and more . With her day at PMT ending around 5 p . m ., depending on the schedule , she would then head to her evening classes at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre .
After learning that she enjoyed theater more , Terza stopped going to Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and began to focus solely on musical theater . “ Ms . Deliere , my PT cheerleading coach and Spanish teacher , was so supportive of me and my busy schedule from the get-go ,” says Terza . “ She was always an understanding , positive energy that I looked up to .”
Terza graduated from both PTHS and PMT and continued on to Point Park University for one year , where she majored in musical theater , was given a scholarship and made the Dean ’ s List . After her first year of college , Terza decided to take some time off to take the “ big plunge ” and moved to New York City to pursue a career in theater . “ I made my own kind of college while in NYC by going to daily dance classes , auditions and singing lessons ,” she says .
However , Terza actually credits her first “ big break ” to her hometown . “ I feel like the first goal I achieved in my theater career was as a freshman at Point Park when I booked my first season with the Pittsburgh CLO ,” she says . “ It ’ s a fantastic company , amazing learning experience and highly regarded all over the United States . It was there that I got my equity card and became part of the actors ’ union , which is not always easy — meaning I was officially a professional actor at the age of 19 .”
From there , Terza ’ s gone on to perform in the Broadway National Tour of “ West Side Story ,” NBC ’ s “ Peter Pan Live !,” Broadway ’ s “ On the Town ,” and most recently in Broadway ’ s “ Aladdin .” She ’ s worked with some of the biggest names in the industry including playwright , stage director and screenwriter Arthur Laurents , director / choreographer Rob Ashford , Allison Williams , Christopher Walken , Christian Borle , director John Rando and choreographer Josh Bergasse to name a few .
Terza performed as part of the 2016 Tony Awards as a member of “ On the Town ,” which was nominated for best revival of a musical , best choreography , best direction and best leading male role . “ Aladdin ” was Tony-nominated for best new musical , best book , best original score , best choreography and won for best featured actor . “ On the Town ” also took Terza to perform on “ The Today Show .”
“ I obviously owe a huge thank-you and credit my success to my parents , Linda and Ray , who drove me to dance classes , singing lessons , auditions , rehearsals , paid for everything and were there every time I thought I wasn ’ t good enough ,” says Terza . “ They let me pursue and supported me through a dream that is one of the hardest careers to manage .”
When it comes to advice for aspiring artists , Terza has a lot to say . “ Have a great support system , whatever that means to you ,” she says . “ Take any job no matter how big or small , because that ’ s how you make connections . Go to every single audition no matter if you ’ re right for it or not and don ’ t lose your work ethic ! Success is what you view as success , not someone else ’ s view .”
According to Terza , success in her industry is being able to live solely on the income of a performer , which she hopes to continue to do throughout her upcoming endeavors . “ I get to dance around and play dress-up for a living ,” she laughs . “ Nearly every day after I get dressed for ‘ Arabian Nights ’ and I ’ m putting my earrings on , I smile to myself and say , ‘ This is work ?’ Sometimes , I can ’ t believe I ’ m so lucky to make money doing what I love .” n PHOTO BY TED ELY PHOTOGRAPHY
Terza strikes a pose in her " Coney Island " costume from " On The Town ."
Peters Township | February / March 2017 | icmags . com 39