Grace Kelly Kretzmer

I am currently a Musical Theater major at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. I grew up on City Island, in the Bronx, New York, and am one of the only (and very proud) clam diggers in my family. A clam digger is one who was born & raised on City Island. Growing up with a mother and godmother who were ballerinas shaped me into my path as a performer. I would go to rehearsals and performances from a young age, and from very early on, I knew I belonged on stage. From the age of six on, I've dedicated my life to training for musical theater and educating myself in all aspects of the theater, including costuming, hair & makeup, crew, tech, stage management, directing, choreography, and performance. In my ten years at Thornton Donovan school, I was well educated in both familiar and unfamiliar subjects, thriving on the international thematic education I was given- I even got the opportunity to travel to Belize on an exchange trip. At Thornton Donovan, I was an active member of the "OrKestra" & Arts House Committee, as well as working on the Overlook Journal Newspaper, speaking out against gun violence, and promoting allyship and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. Through my junior and senior years of high school, I chose to learn independently online through the Keystone School. Throughout my high school career, I was a member of the Iona Prep Players, Random Farms Kids Theater, Westchester Sandbox Theater, Standing Room Only Theater Company, as well as directing and volunteering at Random Farms. I made my Off-Broadway debut in the critically-acclaimed Oceanborn: A New Musical the summer before my senior year, featured in the New York Times and Teen Vogue.

Despite starting my college career online in the midst of COVID-19, I have maintained a spot on the Dean's List and finished my first year with G.P.A.s of 3.8 and 3.9, respectively. I currently work for the Westchester Sandbox Theatre as a Stage Manager for various youth theatre productions.