Spotlight On: Allie Reya

Connecticut Theatre Company’s “Spotlight On…” series continues with a look into our talented cast and crew of Zanna Don’t. Get to know Allie Reya!

Introduce Yourself to Our Audience:

What’s up everyone? I’m Allie Reya. First and foremost, I am a vocalist who’s been classically trained for about 10+ years now. I can honestly get down with any type of music, I just find I resonate with Pop and Musical Theatre the best! I happen to have my very first studio album releasing on September 30th on all streaming platforms! The album is entitled, “Drama Queen”. Go stream it when available! I’m also a girl who can’t keep her mouth shut about fragrances…. so there’s that. lol. Some of my most honorable past roles include Gingy from, “Shrek: The Musical,” and Mr. Mushnik from, “The Little Shop of Horrors”.

What made you want to audition for Zanna Don’t?

Well….to be honest, I was just looking through all the things I could audition for within a 1 hour radius of where I’d be living, as I’m new to the area from being born and raised in the Chicago Suburbs. However, as someone who is part of the LGBTQ+ community, I feel like it’s important to keep bringing issues, like this show tends to address, to light. Ultimately, this was just something I had to be part of.

How do you most identify with your character?

Arvin is honestly how I feel inside sometimes. She’s very unsure of herself and self-conscious. She’s always worried that she might lose her “friend,” Candi if she were to say ANYTHING out of spite. Even though she may not always be the nicest to her, or treat her with the most respect. These traits can tend to get the better of her sometimes. I can think of quite a few instances in which that has happened on my end, but I don’t want to keep you here all day!! haha.

What’s your favorite song in the show and why?

I love the energy of, “Ride ‘Em.” This song is so kooky, fun and weird and I absolutely love it. I feel like when we all rehearse it with the choreography and everything, we’re just having fun and vibing as a cast.

Why should audiences come to see this show?

Personally, I think this show is a really good way of showing how dangerous and unnecessary it is to make a person feel less than because of something that shouldn’t be an issue to begin with….such as sexuality. It’s something that’s important for people to see, especially with all of the unnecessary hate in the world right now.

Coming Up Next:

A gangster, casually posing as a bakery owner