Nona Your Neighbor: Daniel Tracht

In this edition of Nona Your Neighbor, I was able to talk to one incredibly talented Lake Nona resident whose successes in musical theatre and the performing arts have landed him the role of Davey Jacobs in the Orlando Repertory Theatre’s production of the Broadway hit, Newsies. Daniel Tracht is a Lake Nona High School senior, incredibly active in the performing arts community at the high school and beyond.

1. Introduce yourself.
My name is Daniel Tracht, I am a senior at Lake Nona High School, and I am a co-president of the thespian troupe at the school.

2. How long have you lived in Lake Nona?
I have lived in the Lake Nona area for about 16 years now.

3. At what age did you first start performing?
I first started performing when I was in the third grade at Moss Park Elementary School. owever, I wasn’t very serious about it until high school.

4. Tell me about how you landed the role in Newsies?
I landed the role in Newsies by auditioning for the show, working on the material I needed to present and putting myself out there in a unique way. The best way to show a director who you are as a performer is to work with your strengths and play off of them.

5. What has been the most challenging part of the role?
The most challenging part of the role has been taking a character that is sometimes underrated and turning him into someone people care about and want to support. A challenging part of the show itself is keeping my body in check and in good condition while doing eight shows a week.

6. What has been the most rewarding part?
The most rewarding part has been getting to present the incredibly relevant message of this show to people who may need that extra nudge of courage to create change.

7. What’s something that you’ve learned from being part of such a big production?
I have learned that when people of many different backgrounds and training levels come together to create art, it is truly inspiring. I have also learned a lot about myself as a performer as I am pushed to my limits every day in this show.

8. What are your plans after you graduate high school?
I would like to study musical theatre in college after high school.

9. What’s the most challenging part of being an actor?
The most challenging part of being an actor is creating a character that people can not only relate to in some way, but also finding a way to keep each performance genuine and real.

10. Where do you see yourself in five years?
I hope to be in New York in five years, auditioning for shows fresh out of college. Though my path is not set, this is where I would like to end up.