Student Blog: Interview with Nea: A Costa Rican actress that found a new start in NYC

Neo means "new" or "young" in Ancient Greek, but for one of my friends, Nea is the definition of a new start. Before moving to New York to study musical theatre in the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA), she googled her name and a lot of Andrea Somogyis showed up, so she decided to start using Nea instead, and that's how she's now known as by her friends in NYC.

I first met Nea Somogyi in Costa Rica, almost six years ago, at the musical theatre school we both used to go (the only one in Costa Rica). She was working on a production of Into the Woods with her classmates, and she asked me if I was interested in playing the Steward and Cinderella's Father. I accepted without hesitation, and that musical changed my life.

Into the Woods was the first big musical for both of us, but Nea began her artistic career years before. When she was only 7 years old, her mom signed her up for violin classes. Despite Nea not having the best relationship with her violin because she was a "hyperactive little girl", that was how her love for music started. Later she also learned how to play the piano, the drums and she began to sing.

It seemed like she was going to become a singer, but it all changed when she had the chance to star in a high school play in her senior year. She realized the stage was the place where she wanted to be and she wanted to be an actress. She joined the Taller Nacional de Teatro (National Theatre Workshop, in English) and began taking ballet lessons. She currently describes herself as an artist, because she's done a little bit of everything. She's an actress, a singer, a dancer, a model, even a voice actress.

She met Silvia Baltodano, a Costa Rican musical theatre actress that Nea describes as "very passionate about her craft" and she went to one of her workshops. Soon after, Silvia founded her own musical theatre academy and Nea joined the first generation. This was her first time integrating acting, singing and dancing. But her passion for theatre didn't stop there. I recently reconnected with Nea and interviewed her for my blog.

Did you always want to go to New York?

Ever since my senior year. This international school came to talk about learning languages overseas. I love traveling and discovering new cultures, so I didn't have a real notion of what New York was, but they made it look so cool. It wasn't even for the musicals at that time, it was for the city. I thought a lot about that big city, but you don't really know what it's like until you're actually here.

I was in New York for like a month and I had the chance to see my first musical. It was Matilda. I remember I was very excited, and the girl playing Matilda was really talented. I wanted to be her. That moment marked me. After Matilda, I also watched Mamma Mia, Cinderella, Pippin, The Lion King and Wicked. I was like a child. I ate one cookie and suddenly I wanted to eat them all.

Was there a specific song or a moment in a show that you still think about?

There were actually two of them. The first one was "When I Grow Up", in Matilda. It talks about everything that I want to do with my life and it gives this feeling that nothing can stop you. It was like a calling. The other song is "Corner in the Sky", from Pippin. They talk about similar themes.

Why did you choose AMDA?

My voice teacher told me if I liked musicals, I should consider going to AMDA. I looked it up and I was interested. When I want something, I write it down. I'm very visual, so it really helps. When I visited AMDA, I just knew it was my place. I wanted to be there.

I went to an office and booked my audition right there. I had to prepare a song and a monologue. I sang "Out Tonight" from Rent and chose a monologue from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. At that moment I didn't have the pressure to be admitted. I was like "whatever happens, happens". I had nothing to lose. So I went and I enjoyed it and the person who saw my audition was smiling and told me "you really like that song, don't you?".

Months later I got an email telling me I was admitted. I was thrilled, I made it to the school of my dreams, but the next step was challenging. I had to do tons of paperwork, and I had a lot of support from my family. I was accepted by the end of 2017 to start in 2018, but I didn't have enough money. The school gave me time, so I began working and looking for options to pay for it, and after a year of hard work, I was able to come.

Which were the first steps you took when you moved to New York?

I was listening to "New York, New York" on the airplane. I didn't travel alone; my fiancé was with me in that plane. I assumed I was gonna come here all by myself, but he was able to help me move in. We listened to a lot of music. "Empire State of Mind" was another song we were listening to. One of the first things we did was visit Times Square and see all the Broadway marquees.

I had my first experience with dorms. The people that work in AMDA are very kind and special. They gave us a warm welcome and made us feel like we were home at every moment. After I left my luggage, I went to Ellen's Stardust Diner to see the waiters performing. It was so cliché, but I wanted to celebrate that I was here.

What is the hardest thing about living in New York?

Homesickness. Leaving my family and fiancé. It was hard at the beginning to realize I was a student again and couldn't work. Most of my classmates were around 18 years, so they were in a different stage of life. Luckily, I had great classmates. They were all diverse. Some of us were international; there were people from China, Japan and Mexico.

What was your biggest motivation?

Learning from people that are currently in the industry. Our professors didn't just go to class to teach a lesson and give us feedback, they'd also share their experiences. Most of them have worked on Broadway or Hollywood. It was inspiring to be in the same room with them. It motivated me to wake up every morning wondering what I was going to learn that day. When it's difficult to get to a place, you're going to appreciate it even more. It was all about gratitude.

Do you have any anecdotes that happened to you as a foreign student?

I can speak English, and it's improved so much, but it was so frustrating to be in the middle of an exam where there's an acting scene and you have to say the lines and suddenly you're tongue-tied. That was one of the toughest things. It happened in songs and scenes.

What's currently happening with your life?

I've been doing a little bit of everything. I'm interested in working on TV and movies. I'm currently training on stage combat, but I'm also working on two musicals. One of them. Will Wilson Saves The World, is going through a cast recording process. It's an interesting musical about this girl who's grandpa's a World War II survivor and his best friend was killed during the war. She becomes a lawyer and she's searching for this nazi officer who killed him. It's about searching for justice but it's also about the power of our decisions. It's all original music and it's been a great experience.

For the other musical, we just did a reading. It's called On The Flip Side. It's a jukebox musical about this teenage member of a band that decides to become a solo act. A beggar curses him to have only one hit for the rest of his life. So we see him 20 years later, and the only thing he's been able to sing is that one hit wonder. All the songs in the musical are one hit wonders.

You were also learning how to be a voice actor.

During the pandemic, I took some online classes in Costa Rica. We tried different styles of Latin American dubbing and I received classes with great voice actors. I haven't had the chance to work as a voice actor yet, but I'm interested. One of my goals is originating the voice of a character in a film.

What would you recommend to someone who wants to study in New York?

The first step is to write everything down. That works for me and it helps to organize your goals. In elementary school, an uncle taught me how to make mind maps to study and I always use them when I have to plan something. If someone wants to study overseas, they need to be clear about the market they're going to tackle and start researching.

There are lots of challenges, but it's not impossible. Hold on to your passion and your convictions. Have a plan. And try to make it happen. Look up all the options. Connect with people that you know and look for inspiration. Sometimes you feel you're taking baby steps, but in the end, it's all worth it.