Meet the Students of Next on Stage: How the National Tour of FUN HOME Changed Reese Henrick's View on Theatre

We're down to our top 10 contestants in our Next on Stage competition.

Contestant Reese Henrick shares more about her charity, how the Fun Home national tour impacted her, and how she met her boyfriend in a production of Into the Woods!

Check out Reese's latest performance HERE.

What charity did you pick and why?

I chose the Educational Theatre Foundation in order to expand and develop theatre education in underdeveloped schools. Theatre is a gorgeous art that sincerely aided me in coming out of my shell, and I believe every other kid entering the education system deserves access to this medium. It teaches communication, self expression, networking, music, movement, and so many other valuable traits that could better a person, regardless of what they desire to pursue. It's priceless.

Share a memory from seeing a stage production!

I vividly remember seeing the national tour of Fun Home when I was roughly 13, newly interested in musical theatre. It was life-changing; and "Days and Days" was actually the first song in a performance to ever make me cry. I didn't even know how to process what I felt- it only took an hour for me to develop such strong feelings for a character I had only met that night, and yet, I was brought to tears. It was gorgeous and it opened so many doors in regards to how I viewed live theatre.

What is a fond memory you have from a past production?

Summer of my junior year, I played the Baker's Wife in a community theatre production of "Into The Woods." It was the first full-sized production I had ever done (free of high-school cuts) and I was honestly pretty nervous about the affair scenes between my character and Cinderella's Prince. The anxiety was for nothing, though. He ended up being a goofy, handsome guy that made conversation so easy, and I've been dating him ever since.

After two successful seasons of our virtual singing competition, we're back again by popular demand with the third season of our online musical theatre singing competition for student performers sponsored by The International College of Musical Theatre.

Check out all of the contestants HERE!