By Michael Gioia
12 Aug 2012

	Ryann Redmond

"My biggest challenge coming to Broadway was definitely taking on Andy Blankenbuehler's choreography," said 23-year-old Ryann Redmond from Cumming, GA, who faces the challenge head-on at the St. James Theatre. Redmond, who plays Bridget, a chubby teenager determined to fit in among her peers, "breaks it down" in the second act with "It Ain't No Thing" and flies high during her basket-toss moment in the show's finale.

"I have always been a curvy girl," added Redmond, who attended NYU's CAP21, "and it is so rewarding to send such a positive message every night on Broadway. Bridget has so much heart, and it is such a thrill to play her every night. If I can make one little girl love the skin she is in, then I am doing just fine."

	Nick Womack

The 20-year-old Nick Womack makes his Broadway debut as Jackson High's class clown, Twig, who finds himself intrigued by recent transfer student Bridget (Redmond). Womack knew Broadway was the goal during his junior year of high school at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in his hometown of L.A. "Before, I loved sports," he said, "but now in acting I've found a new love. Yes, Broadway scared me very much, but in a good way!"

On his road to Broadway, Womack admitted to overcoming many hardships. "Being homeless with my mom and two younger sisters [was] the most difficult challenge I have faced," he said. "But if there's anything that experience – and this show – has taught me over and over is that family and friends are all that really matters."

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