Krysta Rodriguez and Scott Barnhardt: Coming Home
Article by Helena Danovich
A calling for the arts comes to many at a young age. This was just the case for two Orange County natives, Krysta Rodriguez and Scott Barnhardt, both graduates of the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) in Santa Ana.
This January, these two Broadway stars are back in town at Irvine Barclay Theatre, singing the tunes from their most memorable shows.
Krysta knew she wanted to be a performer from the age of six. (On career day in the first grade, she was a singer!). Chasing her dreams, she headed for New York at 17. In short order, she was a Broadway favorite, appearing in Spring Awakening, In the Heights, and originating the role of goth girl, Wednesday Addams, in the Broadway musical, The Addams Family.
Scott fell in love with tap dancing at the age of four after seeing a commercial on TV. At 10, he was doing regional theater and dreaming of making it on Broadway. His dream came true when he was cast in Big River (for which he had to learn American Sign Language) and later in the megahit, The Book of Mormon. Scott appeared in more than 1,200 performances of the musical, which earned nine Tony Awards, including one for Best Musical.
A self-proclaimed theater nerd, Scott reflects: “I think musical theater and Broadway bring out the best in people. The joyous, hilarious, outgoing, musical and carefree part of all of us is highlighted in this art form. Being a part of that—surrounded by others who love it—it really is pretty incredible.”
The next generation of Broadway hopefuls from Orange County School of the Arts will share the stage with Krysta and Scott and sing a few selections from the Great White Way.