9781422273289

When tryouts were held in NewYork for the Broadway musical 13, Grande and Gross were among the thousands of teens who auditioned for coveted roles. Both were impressive in the pressure-packed tryouts and earned spots in the cast that set in motion their stage careers. Fifteen-year-old Grande had the role of Charlotte, a popular cheerleader. When Grande talks about her experience doing 13, she credits Jason Robert Brown, who wrote the score , for pushing her to her vocal limits which helped her develop the amazing range in her voice that she possesses today. The show closed on January 4, 2009, after 105 official performances, and Grande picked up a NationalYouthTheatre Association Award for her performance. LOVING LOS ANGELES The exposure on Broadway, coupled with the experience Grande gained from all those hours delivering lines and vocals in front of large audiences, soon led to a huge opportunity that catapulted her into the bright lights of television stardom. A big fan of Nickelodeon programs growing up, Grande was thrilled to learn that auditions were being held for a new show in the works. So she flew to Los Angeles, wowed the producers, and snagged the role of Cat Valentine on the show Victorious . When the show began production late in 2009, Grande found herself working on one of the most famous strips of roadway in the world—Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. That’s where the Nickelodeon set was—6230 Sunset Blvd. to be exact—while to the west sat the glamorous Chateau Marmont Hotel and famous Viper Room nightclub and to the east was United Recording Studios. Grande was immersed in the heart of Hollywood, and her career would soon capture the spotlight. Victorious revolved around the adventures of a group of teenagers who attended a high school for talented kids in various fields of the performing arts. The sixteen-year-old Grande, who had to dye her hair red for her role because the executive producer didn’t want all the cast members to be brunettes, played the part of a sweet and naïve teen who was a bit of an airhead but who was always trying to help others. The schedule was intense: scripts were handed out to cast members on Sunday evenings, they rehearsed lines on Mondays andTuesdays, and the following three days

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a star is born