Photo:Bruce Glikas/WireImageJulia Lester hasHigh School Musical: The Musical: The Seriesto thank for helping her navigate her very first Broadway role.After starring as Ashlyn Caswell on the hit Disney+ series, the actressbooked her “dream” roleas Little Red Riding Hood in the Broadway production ofInto the Woodsin 2022, alongsidea star-studded castincludingSara Bareilles, Brian d’Arcy James, Patina Miller and more.What happened next was a whirlwind journey for Lester, including a Grammy Award for best musical theater album, a Drama League Award for outstanding revival of musical, and most recently, a Tony nomination for best featured actress in a musical.Bruce Glikas/GettyWhen PEOPLE visited the set ofHSMTMTSseason 4 last year, Lester couldn’t help but gush about theincredible honor of starring in the musicaland how her hit Disney+ series helped her navigate the process.“[HSMTMTS] prepared me in so many ways for Broadway, more ways than I was even thinking it would,” she notes. “When we went in to record the cast album forInto the Woods, I don’t know what it would’ve been like had I gone into the studio having never recorded music before. Going in having all of this experience from the last four years of recording albums and recording music for this show was so insanely helpful.”“I just think having a sense of community and having people that you work with every day and collaborate with is always so important,” she adds. “So to have this sort of consistency here and to be able to bring the morale and what we’ve learned here to other projects, I think is so important. We’ll carry these experiences with us for the rest of our lives in anything we do.”Troy Harvey via Getty ImagesIn a fun twist of fate, Lester isn’t the onlyHSMTMTSstar who has starred inInto the Woods. Kate Reinders, who plays Miss Jenn on the Disney+ series, was actually an understudy for Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Milky White, and Rapunzel in the 2002 Broadway revival of the show.Though Reinders notes Lester didn’t need any advice for her Broadway debut, she knew early on that she would be perfect for the role.“From day one, I knew how talented she is,” she tells PEOPLE. “I told her way back then, ‘You can do anything. You can do whatever you want.’ She’s a Broadway girl at heart too.”“I was an understudy inInto the Woods20 years ago when I was about her age, and I loved it,” she adds. “It’s the best show ever. So when I found out she was going to do it, I just knew she would be wonderful, which obviously, she was. I think it was more of a proud mommy moment and so happy that the torch has been passed to such capable hands.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.High School Musical: The Musical: The Seriesis now streaming on Disney+.
Photo:Bruce Glikas/WireImage
Bruce Glikas/WireImage
Julia Lester hasHigh School Musical: The Musical: The Seriesto thank for helping her navigate her very first Broadway role.After starring as Ashlyn Caswell on the hit Disney+ series, the actressbooked her “dream” roleas Little Red Riding Hood in the Broadway production ofInto the Woodsin 2022, alongsidea star-studded castincludingSara Bareilles, Brian d’Arcy James, Patina Miller and more.What happened next was a whirlwind journey for Lester, including a Grammy Award for best musical theater album, a Drama League Award for outstanding revival of musical, and most recently, a Tony nomination for best featured actress in a musical.Bruce Glikas/GettyWhen PEOPLE visited the set ofHSMTMTSseason 4 last year, Lester couldn’t help but gush about theincredible honor of starring in the musicaland how her hit Disney+ series helped her navigate the process.“[HSMTMTS] prepared me in so many ways for Broadway, more ways than I was even thinking it would,” she notes. “When we went in to record the cast album forInto the Woods, I don’t know what it would’ve been like had I gone into the studio having never recorded music before. Going in having all of this experience from the last four years of recording albums and recording music for this show was so insanely helpful.”“I just think having a sense of community and having people that you work with every day and collaborate with is always so important,” she adds. “So to have this sort of consistency here and to be able to bring the morale and what we’ve learned here to other projects, I think is so important. We’ll carry these experiences with us for the rest of our lives in anything we do.”Troy Harvey via Getty ImagesIn a fun twist of fate, Lester isn’t the onlyHSMTMTSstar who has starred inInto the Woods. Kate Reinders, who plays Miss Jenn on the Disney+ series, was actually an understudy for Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Milky White, and Rapunzel in the 2002 Broadway revival of the show.Though Reinders notes Lester didn’t need any advice for her Broadway debut, she knew early on that she would be perfect for the role.“From day one, I knew how talented she is,” she tells PEOPLE. “I told her way back then, ‘You can do anything. You can do whatever you want.’ She’s a Broadway girl at heart too.”“I was an understudy inInto the Woods20 years ago when I was about her age, and I loved it,” she adds. “It’s the best show ever. So when I found out she was going to do it, I just knew she would be wonderful, which obviously, she was. I think it was more of a proud mommy moment and so happy that the torch has been passed to such capable hands.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.High School Musical: The Musical: The Seriesis now streaming on Disney+.
Julia Lester hasHigh School Musical: The Musical: The Seriesto thank for helping her navigate her very first Broadway role.
After starring as Ashlyn Caswell on the hit Disney+ series, the actressbooked her “dream” roleas Little Red Riding Hood in the Broadway production ofInto the Woodsin 2022, alongsidea star-studded castincludingSara Bareilles, Brian d’Arcy James, Patina Miller and more.
What happened next was a whirlwind journey for Lester, including a Grammy Award for best musical theater album, a Drama League Award for outstanding revival of musical, and most recently, a Tony nomination for best featured actress in a musical.
Bruce Glikas/Getty
When PEOPLE visited the set ofHSMTMTSseason 4 last year, Lester couldn’t help but gush about theincredible honor of starring in the musicaland how her hit Disney+ series helped her navigate the process.
“[HSMTMTS] prepared me in so many ways for Broadway, more ways than I was even thinking it would,” she notes. “When we went in to record the cast album forInto the Woods, I don’t know what it would’ve been like had I gone into the studio having never recorded music before. Going in having all of this experience from the last four years of recording albums and recording music for this show was so insanely helpful.”
“I just think having a sense of community and having people that you work with every day and collaborate with is always so important,” she adds. “So to have this sort of consistency here and to be able to bring the morale and what we’ve learned here to other projects, I think is so important. We’ll carry these experiences with us for the rest of our lives in anything we do.”
Troy Harvey via Getty Images
In a fun twist of fate, Lester isn’t the onlyHSMTMTSstar who has starred inInto the Woods. Kate Reinders, who plays Miss Jenn on the Disney+ series, was actually an understudy for Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Milky White, and Rapunzel in the 2002 Broadway revival of the show.
Though Reinders notes Lester didn’t need any advice for her Broadway debut, she knew early on that she would be perfect for the role.
“From day one, I knew how talented she is,” she tells PEOPLE. “I told her way back then, ‘You can do anything. You can do whatever you want.’ She’s a Broadway girl at heart too.”
“I was an understudy inInto the Woods20 years ago when I was about her age, and I loved it,” she adds. “It’s the best show ever. So when I found out she was going to do it, I just knew she would be wonderful, which obviously, she was. I think it was more of a proud mommy moment and so happy that the torch has been passed to such capable hands.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
High School Musical: The Musical: The Seriesis now streaming on Disney+.
source: people.com
