A Pittsburgh city girl, Alawna ain’t no musical theatre kid. She didn’t have their start in musical theatre at 3 years old. Her upbringing introduced them to Rhythm & Blues, Classical, Alt-Rock & Choral music. The first musical she ever did was in the 10th grade. Then in the 12th grade, they started formal training at the Pittsburgh CLO-and have pursued it ever since.

“I used to be discouraged by the fact that I had a late start in theatre growing up. Everyone seemed to know every musical known to man, or have seen multiple broadway shows. I mean, the first musical I saw was Les Mis-which is about a man getting hunted down for years because of a loaf of bread”

Alawna is definitely a musical theatre adult now, as she holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting that they earned in May of 2023 from Slippery Rock University, where she played Mrs. Mayor (u/s Sour Kangaroo) in Seussical. They have also performed in regional theatres such as the Revival Theatre Company in “The Color Purple” (Squeak), and the New London Barn Playhouse in “Beautiful” (Janelle Woods). Additionally, she has been named the 2022 national musical theatre award recipient by the Kennedy Center (KCACTF), which gave her a full scholarship to attend the Open Jar Institute in New York City.

My love for musical theatre is endless. It has introduced me to such wonderful humans, allowed me to travel to the most beautiful places, helped me find my purpose and most authentic self in this life, and it keeps giving more opportunity to learn & prosper.”

Alawna’s interests outside of musical theatre performance include tv & film, writing musicals, spoken word, directing, mental health advocacy, coaching, spirituality, listening to music by Frank Ocean or the Carpenters, and a grande iced blonde vanilla latte (cream & sugar with cold foam… and extra ice :)