Zurin Villanueva talks "Murder Mystery 2", playing Tina Turner in "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical", and the time she auditioned in front of Lin Manuel Miranda!
About Zurin:
On Broadway, television, and film Zurin Villanueva has been performing professionally from the age of 15. Her first professional role was reenacting the narratives of enslaved children for Nickelodeon’s program Nick News. At 16, she won Amatuer Night at the Apollo with her tap group, Loud and Clear. She trained in ballet, jazz, tap and modern in New York City but most notably at the Dance Theatre of Harlem. At 17, she was awarded the American Theatre Wing scholarship for most promising students at LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts as a Drama Major.
Zurin debuted on the professional stage at Arena Stage prior to graduating from the now Chadwick Boseman School Of Fine Arts at Howard University earning a BFA in Musical Theatre. Zurin made her Broadway debut amongst the living legends, Audra McDonald, Billy Porter, Brian Stokes Mitchell, choreographer Savion Glover and director George C. Wolfe in Shuffle Along.
Zurin's most cherished roles were Charlayne in Ain’t Misbehavin’, hand picked and directed by Andre DeShields. Whom recently received a Tony and Emmy for his role in the original Broadway Cast. Then went on to star as Josephine Baker in a new self-titled musical, directed and choreographed Maurice Hines, "the" rap dance icon of Hines, Hines and Dad. Since going to Broadway Zurin has continued non-stop. She performed as an original cast member in Mean Girls, The Musical, becoming the first Black Plastic "#blastic" when she debuted as Gretchen Wieners. In her New York principal debut Zurin starred as Dionne Davenport in Clueless The Musical opposite Dove Cameron. Ben Brantley of the New York Times deemed her performance “appealing”.
Zurin's tv/film credits include Detroit where she played Martha of the Vandellas. She has guest starred in Insatiable on Netflix, and has a recurring role on Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Pre pandemic Zurin recently played Nala and Shenzi in The Lion King on Broadway. She also starred in Teenage Dick, a high school adaptation of Richard the Third at Pasadena Playhouse as Lady Anne. The LA Times called her portrayal “searingly honest”.
Although Zurin has many talents she will always be an actor first. She is also a writer, having written poems since she was a child. Zurin is currently working on her first feature film. Last but never least she has started a coaching business built to teach actors new to Broadway how to successfully navigate the business without burn out. A native of Brooklyn, Zurin Villanueva calls NYC home when she is not working.
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Theme Music by Andrew Skrabutenas
Producers: Jillian Clare & Susan Bernhardt
Channel: Realm
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