New World School of the Arts theatre alumna and rising star, Katerina McCrimmon, landed the role of a lifetime when she was cast as the lead in the first national tour of the smash Broadway hit Funny Girl. She returned to South Florida for a run at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts as Vaudeville’s sweetheart, Fanny Brice, an iconic role first made famous on Broadway by Barbra Streisand and most recently, Lea Michele. McCrimmon’s visit to her hometown as a successful artist was also an opportunity to connect with NWSA to support the mission of the institution and inspire current students to pursue their dreams of artistic careers.
“Coming back means everything! It’s where I started, where I learned the most important lessons. It all started right here, so to come back and give back in this way is really special,” said McCrimmon.
Despite her demanding rehearsal and acting schedule, Katerina visited New World School of the Arts to present a master class to theater students. In addition to a lively and candid chat detailing her journey from being a New World School of the Arts high school student to headlining a national tour a few, short years later, Katerina coached two talented students who performed musical numbers for the class.
“It is an invaluable experience for our current students,” notes Alan Patrick Kenny, Dean of Theater at New World School of the Arts.
McCrimmon offered keen insights and specific suggestions that quickly and positively impacted the students’ performances. McCrimmon repeatedly stressed the importance of being yourself and making bold choices, but most importantly, having fun and meeting each opportunity to practice your craft with positivity and gratitude.
Asked how she handles the demands of her busy schedule she responded, “Not everybody gets this gift…to perform as their livelihood, as their career. Continuously remembering that (gift) is how I keep going and stay present, even when I’m tired.”
During her tenure as a high school student at New World School of the Arts, Katerina took the lead on stage numerous times, both as a young actor-in-training and as a featured performer during the school’s signature annual showcase, Rising Stars. A YoungArts Finalist and Presidential Scholar in the Arts, she graduated from the New World School of the Arts’ high school program in the spring of 2016. She first appeared on Broadway in 2019 in The Rose Tattoo, while she was still working on her bachelor’s degree.
Alex Lacamoire, during her senior year at New World School of the Arts
The New World School of the Arts theater program is dedicated to the professional training of talented and committed students interested in pursuing a performing career on stage, screen, and in other media, offering students an opportunity to work in a hands-on intensive, physically demanding, artistically challenging and exciting environment. Guided by faculty who are professional actors, directors, playwrights and designers, the curriculum is a progressive journey toward the ownership of a personal technique and a comprehensive methodology of working. The faculty guides the student through the discovery and exploration of self, the learning of diverse techniques used in our craft, intensive rehearsal process, and finally the application of this knowledge into dramatic forms and styles in productions. For more information about the NWSA Theater Division, contact 305-237-3260.
A Florida center of excellence in the visual and performing arts, New World School of the Arts is an educational partnership of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Miami Dade College, and University of Florida. NWSA provides a comprehensive program of artistic, creative, and academic development through a curriculum that reflects the community and the rich multicultural state of Florida. Through its partners, NWSA confers the high school diploma, Associate of Arts degree, and Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Music degrees in programs accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance, Music, Theatre and Art & Design. NWSA’s rigorous eight-year curriculum and conservatory-style teaching has empowered students in the community and our nation to become leaders in the arts for more three decades.