Zurin Villanueva (she/her)

Zurin began acting at the Henry Street Settlement at the age of 12 to get ready for her entrance audition to Laguardia High School for the Performing Arts. Zurin started as a freshman in the dance program and switched to the drama program as a sophomore. It was easily the best 4 years of her life until she attended Howard University. She graduated from Howard with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theatre. Zurin also went to the British Academy of Dramatic Art in Oxford England with a similar scholarship that sent Chadwick Boseman before me. Howard is where she found out who she was outside of her "type".
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She received her equity card during her senior year at Howard. She was cast as Yolanda in the musical Crowns at Arena Stage. Some of her other favorite credits include Charlayne in Aint Misbehavin directed by Andre Deshields and Josephine Baker in Josephine Tonight! directed by Maurice Hines. Sarah in Ragtime at Barrington Stage, Karen in Mean Girls and Nala in The Lion King.
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Zurin has trained in each of the three musical theatre disciplines separately and then together. It has given her time to fully develop her skill in each before putting them together. First dance, then acting and finally voice at the age of 17.
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Outside of acting Zurin loves to direct and write. She is currently working on her first book of a musical and a feature film. She writes poetry for fun and she recently picked up the ukulele.