Hill School students had the privilege and honor of meeting with Broadway singer and actress Mandy Gonzalez on Tuesday, December 6, 2022. Her visit to campus was part of Hill’s Guest Artists Series organized by Director of the Center For The Arts and Instructor of Theatre Chris McGriff. Mandy is best known for her leading roles on Broadway as Nina Rosario in In the Heights, Elphaba in Wicked, and Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton.

Mandy spoke with students about her journey to stardom. She shared her own experiences of being rejected and how she overcame them and emphasized the importance of the power of taking matters into your own hands and being able to create opportunities for yourself in such an intense industry.

“Overall, it was an inspiring evening of wisdom, laughs, and lessons that our students will not soon forget,” McGriff said.

Timmy Woodward ’24 who played Aldolfo Pirelli in the Ellis Theatre Guild’s most recent production of Sweeney Todd learned a few things from Mandy during her brief time at Hill.

“Mandy’s Q&A session was so valuable, especially to an audience of the next generation of actors and actresses,” Woodward remarked. “Something she said really stuck out to me in particular – ‘If you love what you’re doing enough, you’ll be willing to endure the rough times in order to achieve your goals.’”

The Ellis Theatre Guild’s next performance is the world-renowned Les Miserables on February 24-26, 2023. Stay informed with all things Arts with @TheHillArts on Instagram and the @Hill_Arts on Twitter.