Q & A
Broadway Bound
Deanna Thomas joins the ranks of teens who’ ve shined at Paper Mill Playhouse
WRITTEN BY BABEE GARCIA
Deanna Thomas, 17, is an ordinary teenager: She is ajunior at Wayne Valley High School, where she is amember of the Chamber Choir— an audition-only group— and plays the flute in the marching band.
But this summer, her talents as aperformer won her acoveted spot in Paper Mill Playhouse’ s highly-regarded Summer Musical Theater Conservatory, directed and choreographed by the Millburn institution’ s professional artistic staff.( Conservatory alumni include Anne Hathaway, Laura Benanti and Julia Knitel.) The five-week program culminated in an original concert entitled“ New Voices of2018: From Sea to Shining Sea.” Thomas performed asolo and played guitar in the concert, which was presented three times inlate July at Montclair State University.
Thomas has been performing ever since fifth grade, when she was inspired by her older sister’ s performance inThe Little Mermaid. Her resume grew with asolo performance in alocal YMCA’ s production of School of Rock, which led to more roles in its summer shows. During the summers of 2016 and 2017, she participated in the Young Artist Summer Intensive, amusical theater program run by NJPAC.
THOMAS HEADSHOT: COURTESY OF SUSAN COOK; PERFORMING: BABEE GARCIA
26 FALL 2018 WAYNE MAGAZINE