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[0:00] Alan Seales: Welcome to an all-new episode of The Theatre Podcast. Intimate, personal conversations with the industry's biggest names. I'm your host, Alan Seales. Our guest today for this episode is Zoe Jensen, who is currently Kay Howard in the Broadway production of SIX. You've seen her, of course, as Eliza on the national tour of Hamilton. She was on Broadway in Dear Evan Hansen. And just a delight to get to know and a delight to meet. Did you know her first name's Lana? Yeah, you'll find out other facts like that and many more in the episode. So we'll dive right in. Listen, no, not listen. You are listening. Like, subscribe, and share the podcast wherever you are listening now with your friends, whoever you're sitting next to. I'm on X. I don't know how much longer I'll be on X, but I am. You know, formerly Twitter, threads, Instagram, TikTok, all the places. Facebook? Yeah, I'm still there, I guess. Everybody, please enjoy this episode now with Zoe Jensen.

[1:09] Alan Seales: Today's guest was most recently seen as Eliza Hamilton in the first national tour of Hamilton, you guessed it, and on the Broadway production of Dear Evan Hansen, an Illinois native. She has now joined the ranks, rewriting her story eight times a week on Broadway as Kay Howard. Zoe Jensen is here, and the fun's begun. Welcome to the theater podcast.

[1:33] Zoe Jensen: Yes, thank you for having me.

[1:36] Alan Seales: So, Illinois, Illinois, Rockford to be specific. Did I get that right?

[1:41] Zoe Jensen: That's right.

[1:41] Alan Seales: All right. So, little Zoe, like, were you singing? Were you dancing? Were you taking apart computers like I was? Like, what led you? Start us off and paint the picture.

[1:52] Zoe Jensen: Yeah. So, I've always been singing since I was like a very, very little girl. There are literally videos of me from like two years old singing. I've always loved music, and growing up, I took violin lessons, and I was in, you know, all the school choirs and all that stuff. So, music has definitely always been a big thing for me. When I was in middle school, I took my first drama class, and it was the end of the school year, and my drama teacher, Carolyn Cadigan, took me aside one day and was like, hey, I can tell that you're like, kind of into this. Like, there's going to be this summer production hosted by the Boys and Girls Club, if you've heard of that. The Boys and Girls Club is hosting a production of The Wizard of Oz over the summer, and they're doing open auditions.

It's for kids of all ages from all schools. I think that it would be really fun if you auditioned. I was, I just kind of did it to have something to do over the summer and to maybe make some friends. I was a pretty shy kid, but I ended up really, really falling in love with performing. And then from then on, I was always a part of, like, the school plays, or if there was a show over the summer, I would always try to do that. I tried a lot of sports in school. I can't say I was good at them, but I tried them, okay? And I tried all the clubs, and I tried everything, and I really felt at home with theater. So, when the time came for me to graduate high school, I was like, I think that I'm just going to, like, try and major in musical theater. And if I don't like it, I can always change my mind. But I thought that I would give it a shot. And that's kind of how I got started with all of this.

[3:36] Alan Seales: Wow. Well, that's not started. That's starting and finishing, because that's basically where we are now. That's awesome. Like, you said you were a shy kid. So, I'm always curious what it is about performing, especially singing, that attracts people who are, I guess, more introverted or more shy to this sort of thing, where literally you're on stage in front of hundreds or thousands of people in extremely vulnerable states of mind.

[4:04] Zoe Jensen: I know. It's so funny, because I've met so many fellow actors who also say that they're very introverted and very shy. I don't know what it is. But as a shy person, what I'll say is, when I'm performing or singing or anything, that really feels like a very authentic moment that I can express myself. Yeah. Or maybe we're just really in tune with our feelings or something. I don't know. I don't know. But I know a lot of shy people. Are you an only child?

[4:33] Zoe Jensen: I am an only child. Yes. So, music was very much like something that I did to entertain myself, because I was by myself a lot.

[4:38] Alan Seales: Oh, wow. And then, like, were your parents, were they encouraging that?

[4:45] Zoe Jensen: I always had a mother who was like, we enjoy that you're singing, but make sure you always have something that's really going to earn money.

[4:48] Alan Seales: Yes, it was kind of like that. My parents from a very young age really wanted me to do a lot of extracurricular activities. And I think that they, while my parents aren't musicians, or you know, my dad always says he can't carry a tune in a bucket. And I can attest to that. But they've always been lovers of the arts. And so, from a very young age, I was put into those opportunities. And I don't think that they thought it would go this far. I think that when it came down for me to decide to go to college for something, I was also considering going to school for journalism. I think that they were really, really wanting me to do that. But I really appreciate that they trusted me with this because it's going okay.

[5:26] Alan Seales: So, if you had gone into journalism, what type of journalism do you think you would have done?

[5:32] Zoe Jensen: Well, when I was in college, I actually ended up minoring in journalism. And my concentration was new media. I don't remember what it was called anymore. But it was something along those lines. So, my absolute goal when I was growing up was I wanted to write a blog, or articles for online, or things like that. Yeah, I don't know. Something like that.

[5:55] Alan Seales: Well, how about you and I make the Zoe Jensen Herstory Power Hour. And it's in podcast form.

[6:02] Zoe Jensen: Yes. Or power half hour, power 10 minutes. Power minutes. So, 10 minute episodes where he's doing little facts of female power and female focus and trivia. I'll support that. I will produce the crap out of that. So, you let me know. So, where'd you go to school? You said you were majoring in theater. So, where did you go to college?

[6:21] Zoe Jensen: Yeah. I went to college at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

[6:25] Alan Seales: Right. And then, if I was stalking Instagram correctly, you joined the Hamilton Tour at 23, which would be right out of college, yeah?

[6:33] Zoe Jensen: I did. Well, right after college, I spent a little bit of time in Cincinnati, Ohio. I did some children's theater there. And then, I went to New York for a little bit. I did an off-Broadway show. And then, I did Hamilton.

[6:50] Alan Seales: Interesting how you have to come to New York to get the show that takes you away from New York.

[6:54] Zoe Jensen: Right? Yes. Yeah. That's hard. It's really hard, I think. And we kind of got...

[7:02] Alan Seales: I was going to say, as a working person, as a working actor in a committed relationship, or even as somebody with children, right? Because I was just talking with Laura Bell Bundy and Lily Cooper about being working moms now, because they're about to open the cottage here on Broadway. So, I don't know where I was going with this, but it's a hard life to take you away from New York.

[7:30] Zoe Jensen: Absolutely. I feel like this time of my life was a really perfect time for me to go on tour, because I think it's a great thing for young actors to get to do in general, is tour. When you don't have a mortgage yet, maybe when you don't have a family, even though it's definitely possible, I definitely toured with people that had families, but it's a great time before you have a lot of responsibilities.

[7:47] Alan Seales: Dude, adulting sucks.

[7:52] Zoe Jensen: It does. I just want to put that out there.

[7:52] Alan Seales: Does it?

[7:52] Zoe Jensen: Yeah. Adulting sucks. It does. Yeah. The mortgage and then the homeowner's insurance and even renter's insurance, God, and taxes, blah, blah, blah. All this stuff. And SAG strikes and all sorts of things you have to worry about.

[8:04] Alan Seales: So, Hamilton, you were with that show, what, 650 shows, 29 cities over three years.

[8:13] Zoe Jensen: Yes, that's right.

[8:19] Alan Seales: So, did you come into the tour as Eliza?

[8:26] Zoe Jensen: I did, yes, as Eliza in Philadelphia, and I was with it when the shutdown happened. So, during the pandemic, I was just waiting, getting ready, and then came back with it.

[8:31] Alan Seales: Well, what happened during the shutdown? Did you know, I mean, was there any sort of indication from the production team or did the cast, were you guys doing Zoom calls or anything? Like, we're going to see you in two weeks, right? It'll be just a temporary thing.

[8:46] Zoe Jensen: I know. We kept having these company-wide Zoom meetings where we were like, okay, we're hoping for in a few months and then sure enough, we'd have another Zoom call. Okay, well, we're waiting. But what I will say is that Hamilton as a whole really made us feel very secure that you are going to have your job when we come back. We're on a pause, but we will come back.

[9:07] Alan Seales: I guess doing a show like Hamilton that is now, I mean, anything that tours like this, talking about Cats or A Phantom or anything like this is, I guess, where are you learning it and what are the standards for the tours compared to the Broadway productions? Because sometimes you're touring while Broadway is still happening if the show is fortunate enough to be that successful. And sometimes the tour doesn't start until after the show closes. So, like Into the Woods that is happening now. But Hamilton's got, what, three or four, like three, I think, North American tours alone and then there's international tours and it's still on Broadway. Like what's the standard that keeps it all in sync?

[9:46] Zoe Jensen: Well, I think that it starts out with, like, let's just say the dance team, for example. You know, there's like the dance supervisor and then there are these, I don't really know what position you would call them, but basically they travel company to company and make sure that we're keeping it pretty universal. But you know what, at the end of the day, every company is going to have their little isms. That's just the way it goes no matter what. But yeah, typically when you're on tour, like every few weeks, you'll have a dance supervisor or Alex Lacamoire or Tommy Kail will come in and make sure that we're keeping to like a certain standard that they have for the show.

[10:30] Alan Seales: Oh, that's so cool. I didn't realize that the Broadway crew, the Broadway creatives are still there, like making sure that they're washing and cleaning. And I can't necessarily say that it's every single show that's like that, but we were very, very fortunate in that way that we got to really work with them. And I was also really lucky because I know you were asking about like how you get started, how you learn. A lot of people learn on the road. They'll just join in the city that the tour happens to be at. When I booked this show, when I booked Hamilton, I was doing Dear Evan Hansen at the time. So because they couldn't ship me off right away, what I did was I rehearsed in the Hamilton Broadway rehearsal studio in the mornings and then I would go do Dear Evan Hansen at night. So I was really grateful that they worked throughout my schedule.

[11:14] Alan Seales: They have their own rehearsal studio.

[11:21] Zoe Jensen: They do. They do. And it's called King's College. It's so cool. And it's so cute. And I oh, my God, I was so starstruck when I walked in the first time, you know, they have little Hamilton art all over the place and they have the turntable really, really marked out. And yeah, yeah, I think it's really important to have a really like a home base, especially because they have all these different productions, you know, like let's have a place where we can all go.

[11:40] Alan Seales: Well, that's interesting. And it was kind of leading me to to my next question about the universal swing because you brought up you brought up that that like there's universal positions, which I don't think was was formally recognized as a thing until basically the last year, year and a half or so when Broadway, the industry had to start coming back and you would have enough people, including your swings or alternates or standbys that all were sick for one reason or another. And then you had to bring in your standbys or alternates from another production to perform that night and then fly out and go do it again somewhere else the next day.

[12:21] Zoe Jensen: Yeah, exactly. Yet again, another reason why it's so important for us to at least have a similar structure. I can remember being on the road with Hamilton, whether it be for COVID or for anything else. And we would have a universal who would sometimes go on that night. And, you know, in that moment, like for me, they're the most important person that I'm like, I need to make sure that your show you know what I mean, that we can keep everything normal so that you know exactly what you need to do, because that is a tricky job that I could not imagine doing.

[12:48] Alan Seales: And when I saw when I saw six, I'm pulling up the cast list. I saw I saw you last week.

[12:54] Zoe Jensen: Oh, no way.

[12:55] Alan Seales: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Took the kids. They love the kids love the cast album, by the way. And they're just like they love they love the interlude House of Holbein.

[13:10] Zoe Jensen: No way.

[13:11] Alan Seales: Yeah, that's their favorite. Can we listen to the dancey song, please? I'm like, yeah, you got it. You got it, boys. You got it.

[13:17] Zoe Jensen: That is funny.

[13:19] Alan Seales: But yeah, I saw I forget. I'm apologizing. I forget the name. But Queen number three was the swing.

[13:27] Zoe Jensen: Oh, right. Yes. And if you saw it during the week, you would have seen Aubrey Madelon. Yes. If you would have seen it on the weekend, you would have seen Christina Leopold. Yeah, we have some incredible alternates. Yes.

[13:41] Alan Seales: Yeah, just absolutely phenomenal. And I again, want to give shout out after shout out after kudos after high fives to standbys alternates and and understudies and everybody because literally, you can't have a show these days without all of that and a show like six where everyone's on stage the entire show. Yeah, you got to be on your shit.

[14:06] Zoe Jensen: That's right. That's right. Now they really say they have saved shows on so many occasions. They are superheroes. But for you, I guess coming off of I mean, geez, Dear Evan Hansen is a big show going into Hamilton, which is a big show. And now you're in six, which is another big show.

[14:29] Zoe Jensen: Yes. Like your career trajectory and you're still, you know, in your I would suggest mid 20s ish. Maybe. And your career is just like kind of exploding.

[14:43] Zoe Jensen: All the time. Really? All the time. Yes, I'm just like, it surprises me to this day. I am just like so unbelievably grateful. I never saw this coming, like literally never. So I, yeah, I'm really grateful.

[15:03] Alan Seales: Well, how, how, I guess, what's the gravitas? Do you feel the, the, is it stressful or is it just kind of normal now to step into the role of Kay Howard on this show that is so well loved and looked at and admired, especially by, by young women and young performers of all types who want to come up and, and start performing pop style on musical theater these days?

[15:34] Zoe Jensen: Yeah. You know, I think I got a little bit of it in Hamilton because Hamilton was really where I experienced like, okay, the people in the audience more than likely know the show and they have a certain expectation of what you're going to be doing. How are you going to negotiate working with that versus also making something that's true to yourself and like being confident in how you stand in a role that people know, you know what I mean? So I think that I got a lot of practice with that. I kind of was ready for that in this, in this next role. Um, it's been so fun because fandoms of different shows carry, have different personalities. And for Six, it is a safe space of like extreme positivity where I will say in Hamilton, a lot of it was like comparing people to think who would be the best. And in Six, it's very much like, let's embrace every single version that's out there. Um, which I think is also just a real, a treat.

[16:30] Alan Seales: Oh, you mean the fans are doing that?

[16:33] Zoe Jensen: Yeah.

[16:34] Alan Seales: The fans are embracing everything. Oh, I love that. I really love that.

[16:37] Zoe Jensen: Yeah. It's actually a very, very, it's, it's a wonderful experience. And like some people might think like, oh, how much does the fandom impact your job? In this job, especially, I mean, our social medias are flooded with extremely kind words, you know, all the time. But, um, yeah, I was, I was definitely nervous to step into it, especially being on Broadway. You know what I mean? I'm like, okay, I'm in New York, like who is going to come see the show? And again, I know that, you know, we replaced a very iconic cast. Um, we just did Broadway in Bryant Park yesterday, which was amazing. And we were watching a reference video from the original cast to, to just make sure that we knew what we needed to do.

And I, yet again, was just like watching them in awe. Like, I totally understand why people just are obsessed with them. I'm obsessed with them. And to be able to come after Sam is like, literally such a such an honor. Um, but yeah, just feeling the support and like knowing that like, I'm gonna take my time to find my K Howard. You know, that's one of the blessings and luxuries of getting to be in a role for so long is like, from the at least from behind the scenes, it's very much an energy of like, you're not going to have it all on the first show. This is a thing that you're going to grow into. And I've really been enjoying that process of growing into it. And you know, I mentioned that I was shy.

And if anyone's seen the show, K Howard is not shy. I was literally. Yes. And that has been a big thing for me personally, that I have had to work on for myself and be like, Okay, you got to just you got to go out there and fake it till you make it with that stuff. You know? Um, but yeah, yeah, it's been a great experience so far.

[18:15] Alan Seales: We're gonna take a short break. Stay tuned for more of the episode.

[18:25] Alan Seales: I was gonna actually bring up that the I mean, I've seen I saw the original cast several times. And then after seeing the new cast last week, the way the way that that your K Howard is presented is much more. And there's no wrong way. I'm not saying I like one way or the other, obviously. But I noticed that yours was very more, much more, I guess subliminal. I want I want to say like, it wasn't. It was like, Oh, like you you were Amy, you were leaning into the, the quiet part of, of the role. Sure. If I'm making sense at all. I'm like, you understand what I'm saying? It was very much like you want you genuinely want to make connections with these guys that you're talking about?

[19:15] Zoe Jensen: Oh, yes. Well, here's the thing. It's like, you know, I think you're talking about like that monologue before my song, right? For example, I feel like you could take that multiple ways. And it's funny either way, you could straight up roast the person that you're talking to. Sometimes the approach that I like to take that I've gotten a lot of assistance with with our resident director is like, concern, like, oh my gosh, and like letting the words come out of the comedy, you know what I mean? And that contrast, that's something I definitely like to lean into. And again, I, I am a different human than the person who I replaced, I'm a different height, I am a different vibe, you know what I mean?

And I knew that like, I am going to infuse myself into this, there's no point in me trying to act like someone else, because it's not going to look authentic. And if there's anything that this show needs, in this pop diva, absurd world, it's a little bit of authenticity with like you, you know?

[20:10] Alan Seales: And then and all of the cast, have you guys, were you all part of the final stages of going through the auditions and everything? Because I love for this particular show, and I hope it's the same. And for you get to experience it that you're, you're auditioning with people who are most likely up for the same roles as you, but you're there to support each other.

[20:32] Zoe Jensen: Yes. So I didn't audition with everyone that's in my show now. But I was in the audition with Christina and Aubrey, the two alternates that I was just speaking about earlier. And but also, even though we didn't like audition together, we definitely like went through this process together. You know, for those at home who don't know, it was a complete cast change. When we all joined, which I thought was a really wonderful idea, because this show really needs cohesion. But yeah, it was it's honestly a very special experience that I haven't really experienced before. We really have like stuck together and our bond is like the best part of this show, in my opinion. The upstage when you're not, you know, on mic or whatnot. Like, are you are you still talking to each other? Are you like genuinely trying supporting each other and whatnot? Because it is such a sisterhood.

[21:23] Zoe Jensen: It is. It is a sisterhood and it is real. And we always support each other through our different phases, phases and through our different chapters because you know, actors are people and we go through our own stuff. You know, right now the thing that I feel like as a collective we're going through is it's summer, it is so hot. And you know, these old theaters somehow don't really you know, it gets it gets so hot on stage. And so like, we're supporting each other through that and like, telling each other like, we're always worried about our makeup, right? Because we have to wear this heavy makeup in this summer heat. And we don't have time off stage to look at a mirror. So it's like, I know that I have my girls have my back emotionally, but they also have my back if my eyeliner is running. You know what I mean? We are, we are a very supportive bunch.

[22:10] Alan Seales: Have you had, like I said, how long have you have you been in the role so far? Like when I don't remember when the cast change happened.

[22:17] Zoe Jensen: Um, we started December 5. So we're probably like seven, seven and a half months in.

[22:22] Alan Seales: Right, right. And looking, I guess looking back at that, like the have, have you guys grown together as personal friends and as cast mates as well as like, finding all finding different moments as your characters, because you're all so playful with each other on stage as well. It seems like you do a good job of making it seem organic. I wonder how much of it actually is every day.

[22:47] Zoe Jensen: I have to tell you, it is so real. Sometimes we're even playing too much on stage. You know, I like it's so true. Like I think about a two show day like we really it's like we could take a break and we could all leave the theater and like go on a walk. But instead we all stay in the theater together and like eat together and hang out and it's like somehow we don't really get tired of each other. Um, but no, I, I think that the connection that people see on stage is like very, very real. Sometimes too real. When I was maybe four, my parents started me out with piano lessons. Um, that's an I mean, I was I was okay at that. I think that's that was really one of my first experiences of like understanding music.

Um, but then when I was like, seven, oh, my school had like, connections with string programs and things like that. So they were like, Why don't we try and get her into like a violin lesson? And yeah, it kind of kind of stuck for a while. And I kept with it till I graduated high school.

[23:51] Alan Seales: Well, oh, so the violin, do you still play violin?

[23:55] Zoe Jensen: I don't really play anymore. First off, my nails are far too long to be able to do that now. And I haven't picked it up in a while. But occasionally for an audition here and there, like maybe it'll call for like a little fiddle or something like that. I can I can whip out a little Bach if I need to.

[24:10] Alan Seales: Yeah, I think you would be a very good girl in Once.

[24:15] Zoe Jensen: Thank you. That's that's honestly a show I'd love to do exactly stuff like that. I feel like I could kind of do but you won't see me doing a whole concerto nowadays.

[24:25] Alan Seales: No, I love I love all of that the the ability to play, to play and sing and perform. The ability to play and sing and perform all the same time is something that I've never had. And, and, well, I guess do that and make it good. That's the that's the interesting part. Right. So between I guess I'll throw some fun questions that in the mean in the meantime, between shows on a Saturday or something to show day, what's do you have a go to snack? What's your favorite?

[25:01] Zoe Jensen: Um, we will. Lately, I've been so obsessed. Have you had Kung Fu steam bun ramen or something? It's like on 40 something apparently was rated like some of the best soup dumplings in New York. Lately, we've been loving ordering soup dumplings between shows. Sometimes we'll order a salad from chopped or we love like fresh from hell, I think is on 47th Street. We I know. We love we love a juice or like an acai bowl at the theater. And we also always keep snacks in my dressing room specifically. I'm Filipino and I love bringing Asian snacks to work just to like share with my co workers. And so there's always a sweet treat in my room somewhere.

[25:48] Alan Seales: Oh, I thought I knew. Yeah, there was Asian heritage in your family. Yes. So where did that? Where did the I guess? What do you have the story of your family coming to Illinois?

[26:03] Zoe Jensen: Oh, so the whole story is my mom was born in the Philippines. And my dad was born in the United States, but she eventually moved here for a better life. And and that's how they met. And they lived in California. And that's where they had me. And then for a few years, we went and we lived in China for my dad's job. And that's where I took piano lessons for a short time. Then we came back to Rockford, Illinois. And that's where I spent the majority of my childhood growing up.

[26:29] Alan Seales: Why Rockford? Is it? Did you get a family?

[26:32] Zoe Jensen: My dad works within like aerospace. Well, he's retired now. But back in the day, he worked with a company that worked in that was in California. They had a plant in China. So he helped set that up there. And then the they had a location in Illinois, and he relocated there. So not theater, not journalism. No, you would do aerospace?

[26:56] Zoe Jensen: You know, what's funny is my dad used to take me flying when I was young. I've always kind of wanted to he really wanted me to learn how to fly a plane and he would be up there. And sometimes I would take the Well, yeah, I guess you don't call it the wheel. I don't know what you know, right? Isn't it? Yeah, no idea. But um, yeah, we love we love aerobatics in our family.

[27:16] Alan Seales: Oh, well, that's fun. So did you go to like air airplane shows like fly?

[27:21] Zoe Jensen: You know, we went to a few. Yeah, we went to a couple I think. And my dad used to do like the aerobatics.

[27:28] Alan Seales: He was a pilot?

[27:29] Zoe Jensen: My dad, he used to fly. Yes. And he also loves cars. He loves cars and trains. Oh, yeah, I bet.

[27:41] Alan Seales: That's so that's so cool. Yeah. And then seeing the direction that you went in.

[27:48] Zoe Jensen: That's what I'm saying. And my mom's a nurse. So I think I really stressed them out when I was like, I think I want to sing and dance for a living. They're like, Are you sure? Um, but again, they definitely trusted me.

[28:01] Alan Seales: That's cool. As a parent, I get that when you see something that the kids really love, like, it's hard to get them to do anything they don't want to do. So when you find something that they do want to do, you're like, fine, go ahead, go ahead. We're going to take a short break. Stay tuned for more of the episode.

[28:26] Alan Seales: Obviously, you're I mean, I guess your musical, the musical theater side of life that the the drive for singing the drive for the arts has it did it come from any of them? Do any of they doing like, well, just the kind of things outside of, I guess, aerospace, if it's depending on what it is, could be a bit artistic. Yeah. You know, my, my, my dad's mom, who I never met past before. He even met my mom was a poet in Norway. And her grandfather, I believe her grandfather wrote the National Hymn Book for Norway. So I feel like there's some creativity in our blood a little bit, but no one that I directly, you know, my parents aren't necessarily like creative, creative. But you know what I will say about my parents, especially my dad is that I think that like, I really watched him when I was growing up, he has old cars. And I watched him like on weekends, like work on something. You know what I mean?

[29:55] Zoe Jensen: Design something, see it through and finish it. I forget what it's called. Is it something like a psychological thing where you're unable to finish things? I forget what it's called.

[30:05] Alan Seales: I know what you mean. I can't think of what it's called, but I know what you mean.

[30:08] Zoe Jensen: Interesting. I don't know, but obviously you're just like, I'm singing, I'm going to college, I'm going to do it, and fuck journalism, and now I'm on Broadway.

[30:18] Alan Seales: That's right. So what are your, do you have any perfect roles, any dream roles other than in "Six"? Like after doing "Six" for a year or so?

[30:25] Zoe Jensen: Yeah. If I had my absolute goal of what I would love, love, love, I would love to originate a role. That would be the absolute. I look at my friend Lorna Courtney, who's Juliet in "Ann Juliet," and I would love to do something like that. Ah, bring something new. But for roles that are already created, Glinda in "Wicked" would be like an absolute yes for me. I would love to do that. Things like "Once" where I get to show a little bit of a different side. Yeah, yeah. Or I love a pop rock musical. Those are my favorite kind of musicals to sing, a pop rock moment.

[31:06] Alan Seales: Yeah, you'd be very good in "Wicked." You'd be very good in "Ann Juliet" too. I think, I mean, I'm calling it, "Ann Juliet" is going to be around for a while. That's not going anywhere. So I think you're going to have your chance. You'd be a good Ann Hathaway too.

[31:15] Zoe Jensen: Oh, yes. That's the name of the role. I was like, Ann Hathaway? But yes, that is the name of Betsy Wolfe's character.

[31:21] Alan Seales: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[31:31] Zoe Jensen: Or I would love if, for some reason, "Heathers" came to Broadway. I would want to do a Veronica, something like that. I think that would be a lot of fun. But we'll see.

[31:42] Alan Seales: What do you do? I always say, if you're not outside your comfort zone, you're not learning, you're not pushing yourself. Do you have something that you're doing?

[31:47] Zoe Jensen: Oh, that's something else that I wanted to bring up was the intention cards that you're looking at before you chose.

[31:51] Alan Seales: Yes. So going back, maybe that's tying into pushing yourself into trying new things and learning. But I do want to know, if it's not the intention cards, what do you do to push yourself and learn?

[32:03] Zoe Jensen: But let's talk about the intention cards first, because I saw your post about that, and I thought it was really cool.

[32:11] Zoe Jensen: Yes. Oh, my gosh. That is so funny that you're bringing that up, because that really is a part of something that I've been really trying to work on lately, which is, it sounds silly, but it's just like inner peace. Broadway is very chaotic and tricky. And, you know, I know that some people might look at, you know, a Broadway actor's schedule and think, okay, like, on the weekdays, you have the whole day off, and then you have the show, you can do so much. But like, there really is something about the fact that the show is taking up so much of your brain space that it feels like you almost have to actively find things to do outside of work, or else you're gonna like, go crazy. Like, really, like, it can be like, a lot, you can get burnt out.

And so something, especially when you're doing a job like a Broadway show, where you're doing, you're on the same spot every day, you're singing the same note, it can feel very robotic, if you're not careful, you know, and so something that I've been working on is things like meditating and like, really getting myself grounded before the show and feeling very grateful that I get to do it, you know, and the intention cards helped me because I love to kind of have an extra thing to like, focus on and a reminder while I'm going through my day. Yeah, that's something that I've been really working on.

[33:30] Zoe Jensen: And then other things that I like to do outside of work. I have, ever since being in "Six," I have a new apartment to myself. And I've really enjoyed getting to design my own space. I have been waiting for this for a long time. I have a cat and she takes up a lot of time because she is my child. And Poppy, she's been a really, really great companion. And then, you know, what, one of my favorite things to do, especially being in New York, where you can just like walk everywhere is I just really like to make sure to get outside and just explore different areas. And like, my ideal day would be like to just explore and like, stop in a little bakery and get a little treat and like walk around, you know, and like go to a little small store and like, see, those are my favorite things to do to kind of like fill up my cup. That's no pun intended.

[34:17] Alan Seales: That sounds like an Anne Hathaway movie.

[34:26] Zoe Jensen: You're right. It's like, I'm gonna go to check out this bakery and my friend owns and then I'm gonna go get my nails done. And then I'm gonna, yeah, the focus.

[34:37] Alan Seales: Yeah, meditate in the park, whatever the case is. The intention cards, are they? Are they just like, think about the color yellow or something? What are they? And how do you incorporate them into the shows?

[34:49] Zoe Jensen: So they're actually not mine. They're my dressing roommate Taylor's. But they are a little bit more, and they're the theme of the cards a little bit more like religious. We don't really use it in that way. But he uses words like divine and God and things like that. But a lot of the words are like, focus, intention, independence, trust, things like that, that are that I really need reminders on a lot of the time. Yeah, and I'm not that not necessarily that I put them in my show, like in my character. But those are just things that I can help remind myself to like, keep me grounded. Because the other thing is like, yes, we do it every day. But it's still, I get very nervous.

[35:30] Alan Seales: You still get stage fright?

[35:31] Zoe Jensen: Yeah, not necessarily stage fright. But it's just this, like, I know that I'm about to do something really important that I really care about that I know that people care about. And like, I think it's a mix of adrenaline, but there's a little bit of nerves there. And honestly, if you asked any of my cast mates, they would probably say the same thing because we definitely talk about it. I think the other thing too, is it's the fact that it's a show that you don't leave the stage, right? Like I remember being in "Hamilton" and being like, okay, Schuyler sisters, who I'm nervous, but you know what, I'm gonna have a second to go off stage, take a breath, drink some water. There is something about the fact that you just have to keep going.

It feels very much like you're about to go on a really scary ride. And like the thing comes down and you're like, okay, well, I'll see you on the other side. But, you know, I always consider my nerves to be a sign of like excitement and that I care. And sometimes those grounding words can really help remind myself that I can be calm. I can be calm through that.

[36:34] Alan Seales: That's so cool. And I love that. Like, I love that you still do get nervous because it just goes to show, right, that even at like the level where you are, it's stressful. It's hard.

[36:46] Zoe Jensen: It is. And I think it's easily judged and not in a good way. And just to be able to have a positive mindset and look through that, look past that, it's such a strong thing to be able to develop at, I think, such an early stage in your career, because you're going to be able to hold on to that and just like develop thicker skin and just focus on what you really love and what you really want out of the career, out of your role, out of your life. And I think it's brilliant.

[37:20] Alan Seales: I agree. I agree. I think it's so important for actors to be transparent about these anxieties. I can remember Patti Murin when she was in "Frozen." I think she had an article that came out about anxiety and I don't necessarily deal with it on that scale, but I can definitely understand how it would affect your work.

[37:34] Zoe Jensen: That was, yeah, I interviewed her for this podcast years ago. And we talked about exactly that because she had just written about it. And yeah, she was like, she'd be in the middle of solos and have straight up panic attacks on stage that nobody would ever see because she had to keep it together and continue performing. But inside, she was just destroying herself.

[37:56] Zoe Jensen: Yeah, it can be tricky. But I'll tell you what, in this show specifically, that is, I think, another reason why you see our connection is so strong, because we really feel, and this is so genuine, that we can look at each other and get through this together if things get scary, you know?

[38:17] Alan Seales: Yeah, I think that's definitely the way that we get through.

[38:23] Zoe Jensen: That's fun. One thing I wanted to ask about that's completely stupid, but when you leave the show between shows or something and you still have the giant pink eyeliner on, do you get recognized?

[38:28] Zoe Jensen: You know, I either get recognized or... There was one time I went out and my makeup looked crazy. And I had my headphones on, but no music. And I heard three different people tell me, just walking on the street, like, I like your makeup. And I was like, what? But sometimes people definitely recognize me. But I think they think I'm crazy. Because sometimes it's like, my outfit does not match the pink. Like, it does not make any sense. But I know that some people are out there thinking that girl really put a lot of effort into her makeup today. Good for her.

[39:56] Alan Seales: Good for her.

[39:58] Zoe Jensen: But yeah, I definitely feel a little weird going on the subway in my makeup, because I definitely get some weird looks. There was one time that a little girl was like, whispering to her mom. And was I a little hurt? Yes. But I knew she was like, what is going on? And I had all these gems on my face. So typically, I'll wash my face if I take the train.

[40:22] Alan Seales: Oh, that's cool. I mean, you know, you just like have a little sign that says like, it's for my job. It's for my job.

[40:29] Zoe Jensen: I know.

[40:29] Alan Seales: Yeah, that's all. But I've seen weirder things. So I would...

[40:34] Zoe Jensen: That's true. We are in New York. So that's not the weirdest thing that someone has seen today.

[40:38] Alan Seales: Riding the subway on or around Halloween is one of the best experiences you can ever give yourself.

[40:43] Zoe Jensen: No, you're so right. You're so right. It's like, wow, it's a toss-up. But you're gonna see yesterday when I was on the train. I saw two really funny things. I saw a man with a Haagen Dazs pint of cherry vanilla ice cream, just eating it with a spoon while standing. I saw that.

[40:59] Alan Seales: It was hot. It was a hot day. I get it.

[41:01] Zoe Jensen: It was hot. You got to do what you got to do and props to you on the good taste. But there was another lady who had a napkin. And she kept covering her face. And I was like, what are you doing? And then I realized I think she was trying to use it as a mask. And I was like, that's not how this works.

[41:19] Alan Seales: No.

[41:20] Zoe Jensen: But anyways, you'll see the you'll see the silliest things that will just tickle you on the one train.

[41:25] Alan Seales: No, I've seen so many things, including animals and inappropriate behavior.

[41:30] Zoe Jensen: Oh, yeah.

[41:31] Alan Seales: Welcome to New York. It's great. All right. So, three questions I ask everyone to wrap up the episodes. The first one, just very simply, is what motivates you?

[41:39] Zoe Jensen: What motivates me is, number one, a legacy for my family. And number two, is I know that there are little girls looking at me. And even if it's just one who relates to me, I know that it's important for her to see me put myself out there in the best way that I can.

[41:57] Alan Seales: What advice would you give to your younger self and younger people listening now starting out down a similar path?

[42:04] Zoe Jensen: To me, I would say don't worry so much, like, just have fun, like, relax and enjoy like, it'll work out. For anyone who wants to do this, I would say, do not, it's I think it's important to look at other people, look up to people, but do not compare your how you think it's going to go or how you want it to go. I promise you is not how it's going to go. And that's like, okay, because it's actually going to be better if you really like focusing on it. It always ends up being better. But I would say don't compare your path and like, be open to opportunities around you. I think that it can be so easy for someone to limit themselves because they don't want to do something because maybe they're embarrassed to do it. Or maybe it doesn't pay what they want. You know, I think sometimes there are moments like be open to the opportunities because I wouldn't be here if I wasn't open to opportunities.

[42:56] Alan Seales: I love that. Yeah, it's saying yes to unknowns is scary. And it's hard. But like, I think you only fail if you don't try.

[43:02] Zoe Jensen: That's right.

[43:06] Alan Seales: Yeah. All right. Last question. This is super hard. If you can only see one show for the rest of your life, but you can see it as many times as you want, what would you say?

[43:14] Zoe Jensen: Oh my gosh, I might have to say "Wicked." And I know everyone's like, but no, really though, that was the first show that I saw. I think it's magical. If I could only see one musical for the rest of my life, I would want it to be something that I could come to when I want to watch a spectacle. And I think "Wicked" is a spectacle. And I the music is powerful and I just love it.

[43:39] Alan Seales: All right, where can we find you online on the socials?

[43:43] Zoe Jensen: Follow me on Instagram, Lana Zoe Jensen. And you can follow me on TikTok. But I post once every 12 years or so. So who knows if I'll be on there. But Instagram is definitely the place to find me.

[43:55] Alan Seales: Is Lana your actual first name?

[43:57] Zoe Jensen: Lana's my first name.

[43:59] Alan Seales: Oh, yes. So you went middle and last for your stage name?

[44:04] Zoe Jensen: Yeah, well, you know, I've never gone by Lana. Like, I don't even I've never remember ever being called Lana. I think that they just thought Lana Zoe sounded better than Zoe Lana.

[44:13] Alan Seales: Okay. Yeah, yeah. Well, you're Zoe to me. That's, that's how it is.

[44:17] Zoe Jensen: That's right.

[44:17] Alan Seales: All right. You gotta get on threads. That's the hot new thing. All the kids are on it.

[44:21] Zoe Jensen: You know, I am on threads. I recently signed up for it. I'm ready for this new, new thing. I think it's gonna be good.

[44:29] Alan Seales: Yeah. Okay, well, when we're done recording, let's take a picture together. And then we'll post it on threads. That could be your first day.

[44:34] Zoe Jensen: All right. Yeah. Find me on threads. Find me on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook. It's all out there. Leave a rating and a review wherever you're listening. Thank you to Jukebox the Ghost for the intro and outro music you're hearing right now underneath us. And Lana Zoe, thank you so much for this wonderful chat. You've been such a pleasure.