This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
Stepping into a leading role on Broadway is a dream come true for any performer. But as Georgia native McKenzie Kurtz descends to the “Wicked” stage in Glinda’s iconic bubble night after night, she is fulfilling a truly personal dream.
From her seat at the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway years ago when she saw the blockbuster musical as a pre-teen, Kurtz told herself, “I have to do this with my life.” Of course, at that moment, her childhood dream was simply about acting professionally — little did she know she would get to perform on the Gershwin stage itself years later.
Credit: Courtesy of McKenzie Kurtz
Credit: Courtesy of McKenzie Kurtz
Now, a few months into playing Glinda, the seasoned performer takes us back to where it all began: Alliance Theatre summer camps, Milton High School musicals, Shuler Hensley Awards and performing at the Fox Theatre.
Q: What is your Atlanta connection?
A: I was born and raised in Milton, Georgia, a little bit outside of Atlanta. I grew up doing community theater, and then I went to Milton High School, where I was lucky enough to have an amazing theater program. We had two full-time directors and a technical director, and we did things like going to the Georgia Thespian Conference and competing in the Shuler Hensley Awards and state one-act competitions.
My high school theater experience growing up was everything I could have ever asked for and more. It really solidified the idea in me that this is what I wanted to pursue as a career. But even [before then] at age 8 or 9 was when I really got into theater. I started at Off Broadway Children’s Theatre in Crabapple, and then as I grew up, I did camps at the Alliance.
Last summer, I was actually in a show at the Alliance: “Trading Places.” That just happened to be a total coincidence. We workshopped it here in New York City, and then they were saying that we were going to do the [pre-Broadway] out-of-town tryout in Atlanta. And I thought, “Great! My whole family can come!” So that worked out really well.
The Atlanta theater scene is just so incredible. I always bragged about it to people when I went away to [the University of Michigan]. I feel so lucky to have grown up in a city where theater is everywhere, and they place importance on it in school. I can’t stress that enough.
Credit: Greg Mooney
Credit: Greg Mooney
Q: We love that you went from being in the Alliance’s summer camps to being in “Trading Places” last year. Is that the only show you’ve done professionally in Atlanta?
A: That is definitely the most recent. When I was young, I did work at the Fox Theatre. Funny enough, I was in “The Wizard of Oz” there. So that was my first professional show, I guess you could say. I must have been 9 or 10. I was a munchkin and an Ozian. I also did “Annie” at the Fox, too, after “The Wizard of Oz.” We had a great time. I think I was a trumpeter when Dorothy was marching around in Munchkinland, and I would do high kicks behind her with a fake plastic trumpet. I was really proud of that.
Q: And now you’re in “The Wizard of Oz” prequel on Broadway. What was the process of getting cast in “Wicked” like?
A: I think I sent in [an audition] tape for the show for the first time in 2019, right after I graduated college. And I never even heard anything back. I just sent it in and crossed my fingers! Then, when I moved to New York City in the fall of 2019, I went [to an audition] for the part, and that was just singing a few songs and doing a couple scenes.
I ended up booking [the role of Anna] in “Frozen” on Broadway, so everything stopped in regards to Glinda. Then, after I moved back to the city in 2021, I got called back in to be seen for Glinda twice. [February 2022] was the last time I had done anything associated with “Wicked.” So when I got this call in November of last year, it was months later! I was not expecting it at all. It was the best call of my life.
Credit: hpousner
Credit: hpousner
Q: What were some of your favorite memories from doing theater when you were in Atlanta?
A: So many good memories! I really can’t say enough how much I loved my theater experience at high school. The Shuler Awards were one of them. I was nominated for best actress all four years.
Q: Did you win?
A: I won twice. I won my sophomore year playing The Lady of the Lake in “Spamalot” and my senior year playing Mary Poppins, and I got to go to the [national] Jimmy Awards both of those years. My first year at the Jimmys, I won a scholarship for the Carnegie Mellon pre-college program, which is a six-week program where high schoolers go to prep for college auditions. So that was an amazing experience that I never would have had if I hadn’t done the Shulers or the Jimmys.
Credit: Courtesy of McKenzie Kurtz
Credit: Courtesy of McKenzie Kurtz
Q: What parts of your high school experience made it special to you?
A: The friends I made in high school and how late we would stay at the theater! It was just absurd. Painting and building these elaborate sets — our high school theater teacher, Renee Denney, was the biggest fan of these insane sets and of course confetti cannons at the end of all the big production numbers. She’s so awesome. She’s like a second parent to me, and she [came] to see me debut in “Wicked.”
::
Sally Henry Fuller is a theater nerd and performing arts journalist with a passion for telling people’s stories. When she’s not interviewing artists, you can find her at a local coffee shop or on an evening stroll with her husband and baby girl.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
MEET OUR PARTNER
ArtsATL (www.artsatl.org), is a nonprofit organization that plays a critical role in educating and informing audiences about metro Atlanta’s arts and culture. Founded in 2009, ArtsATL’s goal is to help build a sustainable arts community contributing to the economic and cultural health of the city.
If you have any questions about this partnership or others, please contact Senior Manager of Partnerships Nicole Williams at nicole.williams@ajc.com.
