Editor’s Note: “Hawks Uncovered” is a series that tells the often unknown stories of Hebron students and staff.
Elementary schooler Anna Garcia was initially filled with confusion when her mom put her in a music listening club. She would listen to classical music and identify the composer and genre. Despite her initial apprehension, she enjoyed the experience and went on to pursue choir from third grade to now: her senior year.
Growing up, Garcia was surrounded by the fine arts, with multiple family members being artists. Her sisters also took up the hobby of singing, as it’s always been an encouraged activity in her household.
Her true passion more specifically lies in musical theater, starting with her first production in fifth grade of “Schoolhouse Rock.”
Garcia began to pursue musical theater under the influence of her older sisters, but realized it was something she wanted to stick with as she matured. Along with being a part of Hebron choir, she performs musical theater at North Texas Performing Arts in the Collegiate Pursuits branch.
What truly made Garcia realize musical theater was more than just a hobby was being a part of the “SpongeBob” musical. Being on stage in the moment with her cast brought on a wave of emotions, making her decide to pursue musical theater as a career.
She needed to be surrounded by impactful environments like that on a daily basis.
However, being an artist isn’t all smooth sailing.
Senior year has brought various stressors, clouding what once brought her joy and leading to burnout. Though frustrating, it allowed for Garcia to experiment with different hobbies.
This only led to the rekindling of her passion for musical theater.
As of now, Garcia is taking a step back from productions while working through the college application process. She is applying to 22 schools for musical theater and acting programs, currently focusing on pre-screens in her college audition journey. Throughout, she has been able to solidify her audition pieces and network with different colleges and artists, such as “Be More Chill” broadway composer Joe Iconis.
During college, Garcia sees herself getting a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theater and auditioning for bigger projects. Post-college, she hopes to move to an area with a prosperous musical theater and film hub. This way, she can pursue regional work to build up her resume, aiming to audition for Broadway shows along the way.
