Jennifer Damiano

Somewhere during the 'Next to Normal' Broadway run, I found myself learning more about myself onstage than in real life, and I truly realized the beautiful, tremendous, extraordinary gift that is performing.

I have worked hard in my career, but I have been lucky as well.

I did commercials and voice-overs as a kid, and it just lead to musical theatre opportunities.

I was feeling like a real misfit in middle school, but when I saw 'Wicked,' it made me feel really cool for being different... and you can carve that in stone!

A lot of teenagers have parents that are maybe a little too real with them.

I was totally all about the American Girl dolls when I was little - I had so many.

I was pretty new to the Broadway world once I began working in it. I hadn't really grown up being too aware of that many shows or that many actors in shows. I was always obsessed with Judy Garland, though.

I think it's really easy to just get caught up in what everyone else is doing, so I think the most important thing to remember is to be really strong in your own shoes. That is the main thing for me. The one thing that kind of gets in my way sometimes is when I'm a little too aware of everybody else.

There's no better feeling than being on a Broadway stage for me.

Female artists I love the most are Fiona Apple, Paramour and Regina Spektor - those girls that really write amazing songs themselves, and they're younger and cool. I'm not quite sure I could ever write songs like any of them, but if I could, I would.

I'm always trying to convince myself there's something important about what I do. But some peoples' lives are really altered by a night at the theater.

I was always singing around my house, and my parents thought they should put me into voice lessons just for fun.