Alexa Isabel Lasanta’s theater career started in a “mommy and me” class. “The singing teacher reached out to my mom and said, ‘Your kid is really good at memorizing things—she should audition for a show at this local theater,’” recalls the Jupiter teen. That local theater was none other than the esteemed Wick Theatre & Costume Museum in Boca Raton, and the show was The Sound of Music. Lasanta auditioned and landed one of the musical’s lead children’s roles: young Gretl von Trapp. She was 6 years old. “That was the start of everything,” says Lasanta, now 18. “I loved it immediately.”
By the time she graduated from the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts this past May, Lasanta had more than a decade of acting experience under her belt. After her debut at the Wick, she began actively auditioning. When she was 8, she earned a spot on the national Broadway tour of The Sound of Music, traveling with the show for 10 months. Her favorite performance thus far was in a production of Annie, in which she had the starring role.
Regionally, Lasanta has acted in shows at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Zoetic Stage in Miami, and Slow Burn Theatre in Fort Lauderdale. During her senior year at Dreyfoos, she landed the role of Janet in the school’s production of The Drowsy Chaperone and played Val Clark in A Chorus Line (she was also the dance captain and assistant choreographer for the show).
This past spring, Lasanta was awarded the prestigious Jack Zink Memorial Student Scholarship from The Carbonell Awards, an organization that fosters artistic growth in South Florida. Recipients are selected based on talent, experience, and demonstrated commitment to either theater or journalism.
Only one winner is selected in each of the participating counties, and this year, Lasanta was the sole recipient in Palm Beach County. She plans to use the scholarship to pursue musical theater at the University of Oklahoma. In June, she was also honored as the Outstanding Featured Female Dancer at the Kravis Center Dream Awards, which celebrate excellence in high school musical theater.
After college, Lasanta has her sights set on New York City. “My dream role of all time is probably Elle Woods in Legally Blonde—I love that show!” she says. “I’d also love to do A Chorus Line again, but playing Diana Morales. Broadway, for me, is the ultimate goal.”
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