Mountain Pointe grad returns to perform in 'Wicked'

Stefanie Brown, a 2004 Mountain Pointe High School grad, has dreamed of being in a Broadway show since she was a little girl, and this month her family and friends living in Ahwatukee Foothills will have the chance to see her realize that dream when the wildly successful Broadway show Wicked makes a stop at Gammage Auditorium in Tempe.

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Brown was selected to participate in Wicked's national tour, and she understudies the roles of Glinda the Good and Nessarose, who eventually becomes the Wicked Witch of the East. As an understudy, Brown has had to step in for Glinda around 17 times.

"It's a dream experience, and I'm hoping I get a chance to go on as Glinda in Tempe," she said.

According to Brown, her first appearance as Glinda came in Portland, which was only the third city she visited on tour.

"It was a terrifying and fantastic experience that I will always remember," she said. "I was crying afterwards because I had completed my dream."

While Brown has enjoyed being on tour and seeing the landscape of the U.S., she is excited to come home to Arizona and see her family and friends.

"I can't wait to be around my parents and sister," she said. "I think I have 60 people coming to a performance that my grandma and grandpa have gotten together. I think they'll end up coming every time I'm on stage."

Brown is also looking forward to performing at Gammage, a place she aspired to perform while growing up.

"I grew up going to Gammage to see the national tours, and now I'm in one," she said. "I've always wanted to see the backstage area and I'm thrilled."

Although Brown has worked very hard to be where she is, she still feels fortunate to have landed such a sought after role.

"There's huge hype around Wicked, and there are so many people auditioning for it," Brown said. "One of my ultimate goals was to do a national tour of a Broadway show, and I'm lucky to have it happen so early."

Brown may count herself lucky, but she has logged long hours of hard work to land where she is today.

"I did every musical at Mountain Pointe while I was there, but I also did a lot of youth and community theater growing up," she said. "Valley Youth Theatre was really helpful because I got to meet a bunch of people that are now really successful as well. I think it was cool to build friendships with people that had the same goals as I did."

After graduation in 2004 from Mountain Pointe, Brown went on to study musical theater at the University of Arizona.

"The training I received there really helped me become the professional I am," Brown said. "You have to be just as good of an actress as a singer in musical theater, and I learned so many new techniques there."

After college, Brown did Summerstock in Tempe before she moved to New York City. While living in New York, Brown was cast in a production of Hair in Tucson. The casting company of Hair also casts Wicked, and Brown was given an audition for in Tucson.

"The casting company did an audition out here in Arizona, and then I flew to New York to audition, and they gave me the job," she said. "I used to read about the success stories of other actors in the newspaper, and the same thing happened to me. I think I'm living in a dream."

As for future plans, Brown hopes to stay with Wicked for a year or more before transferring to a different company or auditioning for another show.

"I really want to get into film, TV and commercials as well," she said.

Brown and the rest of the Wicked cast will be performing at Gammage Auditorium on Arizona State University's campus in Tempe through July 26. Gammage Auditorium is located at 1200 S. Forest Ave. For information on tickets and show times, visit www.asugammage.com. For a behind-the-scenes look at Wicked, visit www.ahwatukee.com.