‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’ comes to SCAD–and they’ve got the music in them

by Allison Hambrick

SCAD presented the cast of “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” with the aTVfest Rising Star Cast Award at 8 p.m. on Feb. 29. ‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’ follows Zoey, played by Jane Levy of ‘Suburgatory,’ a San Francisco coder who gains the ability to hear people’s innermost thoughts in song form after an MRI gone wrong. With a supporting cast rounded out by the likes of “Pitch Perfect’s” Skylar Astin, “Glee’s” Alex Newell, and standout newcomer John Clarence Stewart, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” made the audience laugh, cry, and sing along.

“Thank you for this award, to the SCAD university and President Paula Wallace,” said Astin, delivering an acceptance speech for the group. “This is actually our first award that we’ve won for this show, and it’s honestly so nice to be recognized by members of the community–that’s what you guys are.”

“Being with you guys today has been so fulfilling for us, and you know the funniest thing about school is that it ends, but you never stop learning,” he continued. “We feel that we have learned so much from you today. We know that you are our future directors, our future collaborators, our future anything, really. The sky is the limit for you guys, and thank you guys so much on behalf of the entire cast and team of ‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.’”

After the cast was presented with their awards, the audience was treated to a screening of “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” and a brief Q&A with the cast as well as producer Mandy Moore. The panelists discussed what it was like to work on the show, what inspires them, and what advice they would give to young creatives. 

“‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’ opened my eyes to the mindset an actor has to get into when they play a character,’ said Amanda Glover, a fourth-year writing student. “Alex Newell had to return to an unhappy place in order to properly portray his character.”

“Everybody is flawed, no matter if you’re that confident–the surface breaks, and it’s all just a facade, really,” Newell said of his character in the episode we screened, which aired on March 1. The episode dealt with Newell’s character Mo’s relationship with his church as a genderfluid individual, which hit home for Newell as a cis gender nonconforming man in real life.

“They depicted the situation so well because I was raised in church, and I was in every choir,” continued Newell. “I was a soprano, and the only [people] that made me feel special were the music director and my mom. Seeing [the show] and realizing what I was saying and how it applied so much was such a cathartic moment.”

Aside from Newell, some of the other cast members found that their storylines hit home. Stewart’s character, Simon, in particular, struggles with grief over the death of his father, which is first discovered through a powerful musical number in the pilot, described by Astin as a “beautiful, ethereal experience.” Stewart’s emotion in that scene stems from a very real place.

“When material lines up with your life and hits a nerve in the way that it can, it can be a truly cathartic and beautiful thing,” said Stewart. “ For me, I lost my father thirteen years ago, so when I read the pilot, I felt like each audition, every time that Simon goes into a space where he’s acknowledging that, I am honoring him.”

Beyond the depth of his storyline, Stewart was quick to praise his cast members, who he describes as “so giving of themselves, so giving of their time, so giving of their souls.” He also likened the cast to “Captain Planet,” stating that everyone brings something different and of value to the show, which makes it unique and special. Astin added on by teasing later developments in the season, telling the audience that “it’s really fun when all the cards are on the table and to see where [their characters] actually stand.”

Astin ended the panel by bringing a bit of his Broadway roots to SCAD by taking the time to speak to fans personally and pose for photos with them–a tradition common amongst Broadway actors who stop to greet fans waiting by the stage door. 

Tune into new episodes of “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” on Sundays at 9 p.m. on NBC.