Zilker Hillside to Broadway
The Zilker Summer Musical is a beloved Austin tradition, and also the path for many theatre professionals who have taken the journey from the Zilker Hillside to the bright lights of Broadway!
The Zilker Summer Musical is a beloved Austin tradition, and also the path for many theatre professionals who have taken the journey from the Zilker Hillside to the bright lights of Broadway!
Zilker Summer Musical alums who have gone on to Broadway, Off-Broadway and the Silver Screen, include:
- Vincent J. Hooper (Hairspray, 2015)
- Barrett Davis (Secret Garden, 2004, and Annie Get Your Gun, 2005)
- J. Quinton Johnson (Oklahoma, 2014)
- JB Tuttle (Annie Get Your Gun, 2005)
- Cathy Taylor (6 ZSMs including Miss Liberty, 1986)
- Charlie Pollock (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, 1995)
- Demond Green (Will Roger’s Follies, 2001)
- Ernie Pruneda (Into the Woods, 2002)
- Julie White (Fiddler on the Roof, 1977)
- Steve Hauck (Fiddler on the Roof, 1977)
- Susan Branch Towne (Costume Designer for 7 Zilker Summer Musicals!)
Cathy Taylor shared her memories of the Zilker Summer Musical with us:
“The Zilker Summer Musical holds a very special place in my heart. It is where I spent 6 wonderful summers. My time at Zilker was a very happy experience for me and I met some wonderful people with amazing talent. Anyone who has ever done a show on The Hillside will understand how special it is. It was a fabulous mix of incredible people sharing great times with the City of Austin. And Austin audiences just can’t be beat! Those experiences were the impetus for me to head to New York. Zilker Forever!”
Broadway-bound
Zilker audiences remember Vincent Hooper as Seaweed in ZTP’s 2015 production of Hairspray. Since then he has performed in multiple national touring companies of Hamilton (including the Puerto Rico production with Lin Manuel Miranda) as Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and King George III.
In September 2023, Vincent made his Broadway debut stepping into the role of Simba in Disney’s The Lion King.