Bio
Josette Candelaria is a Senior at Manhattan School of Music, majoring in Musical Theatre, studying with Samuel McKelton. She often credits her sunny disposition to Southern California. Originating from sunny San Diego, California, Josette got her first taste of professional work at The Old Globe in How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2017). To stay active in the year 2020, she would Zoom in from her computer as a member of the La Jolla Playhouse’s Teen Council.
A proud alumnus of San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, Josette graduated alongside her Musical Theatre cohort in 2023. In that same year, she was delighted to further her education after being accepted into the Manhattan School of Music for Musical Theatre, where she plans to graduate in 2027.
Regional Theatre: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Annie Who). MSM Productions: Pippin (Fastrada), Into the Woods (Florinda), The Pajama Game (Gladys U.S.), Freshman Pops (Ensemble). MSM Disney Theatricals: Frozen (Queen Iduna, Ensemble), Newsies (Medda Larkin). MSM Lab Series: Good Luck in Space (Lieutenant Mary Brewster, U.S. Doctor Hurst). @josettecandelaria
Driven by authenticity
For me, Musical theatre is a therapeutic outlet. The amount of work I put in will serve me through failures, time and time again. In this art, I am free to explore my identity as it melds through characters. So far during my time at MSM, that work has most recently been represented through very expressive characters, such as Florinda in Into the Woods and Fastrada in Pippin. Not only do these characters allow me to reflect on who I am as an artist, but also as a living, breathing, and most importantly, flawed individual. My closest friends say that my personality is bubbly, spontaneous, and energetic, a vivacious connection I share with my previously mentioned characters. Being able to access a sense of play and freedom within myself to better understand my characters' journeys is an absolute joy! An example or two about this would be physical — playing the turkey prince in our cohort’s Devised Acting class taught by Yehuda Hyman, and mentally — expanding my horizons to contemporary styles while also exercising intention and bravery with Katie Drablos.