Macy McKown Loves the Hardwork, Dedication, and Sacrifice of Musical Theatre - Next on Stage: Dance Edition

We're down to our top 5 contestants in our Next on Stage: Dance Edition competition.

Contestant Macy McKown shares more about her charity, a fond Newsies memory, and which Broadway show convinced her to pursue musical theatre!

Vote for Macy HERE.

Why did you apply for Next on Stage?

Since I knew all of my musical theatre classes would be online this semester, I figured Next on Stage could be a great way to keep creating, dancing, and performing if I was lucky enough to move on past the first round!

What does musical theatre mean to you?

Musical Theatre is the rush of adrenaline you get before stepping onstage for the first time, it is the goosebumps you get when you hear Cynthia Erivo or Kelli O'Hara begin to sing a song, it is the community that is formed after spending long, tiresome hours at rehearsal with your castmates, it is the hard work, dedication, and sacrifice that is so worth it the moment you hear the overture play and watch the curtains open, and it is knowing that there is a world full of opportunities but wanting nothing more than to act, sing, and dance for the rest of your life.

What is a fond theater memory you have?

One of my favorite memories is when I played JoJo, one of the newsies, in Newsies at Music Theatre Wichita. It has always been one of my favorite shows because of the dancing and athleticism it requires but since I'm a girl, I never thought I would have the chance to be in it as a newsie. I loved getting to dance for basically the entirety of the show and I will never forget how much fun I had tap dancing on top of a table in "King of New York."

What charity did you pick and why?

I picked The Fund for College Auditions because it supports the college application and audition process for young theatre artists with limited resources, especially those who identify with groups that are underrepresented in theatre, film, and television. I was blessed to have the resources I needed when going through the college audition process and I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it would have been without that support system. I have seen firsthand through one of my closest friends just how impactful TFCA can be in a young artist's life by helping to make their dreams into a reality.

Share a memory from seeing a show.

When I was about 10 years old, I went to New York for the first time and saw Anything Goes with Sutton Foster playing Reno Sweeney. After the big Act I finale, "Anything Goes," the lights came up for intermission and I had tears streaming down my face because I had never seen anything so incredible in my life. At that moment, I knew I had to sing and dance on Broadway one day and since then, I have strived towards that goal each and every day.

Who is your dream choreographer to one day work with?

Randy Skinner

What have you been doing during quarantine?

Before I came back to college, quarantine consisted of living in Oklahoma with my parents and 16-year-old brother. I tried to make the most of my time so I took summer school, dance classes, and voice lessons all over ZOOM! In my downtime, I went to the lake with my family, learned how to cook some new recipes, and made TikToks with my best friends from high school!

Give a shout out!

I want to give a huge shoutout to my friends and family who voted for me each week to help me get this far in the competition. Also, all of my teachers and professors over the years that helped to fuel my passion for musical theatre. And lastly, the Musical Theatre Class of 2022 at The University of Michigan! GO BLUE!!!

Dust off your dancing shoes, because Next on Stage is back with our latest competition sponsored by LaDuca. Following the immense success of our musical theatre singing competition for student performers, we're moving from the recording studio to the dance floor to shine the spotlight on talented, young musical theatre dancers.

Check out all of the contestants HERE!