Resident to appear in L.A. musical about adolescence
By Avi Rutschman avi@theacorn.com

TEEN DRAMA- Simi resident and young thespian, Seth Zibalese, center, is performing in "13: The Musical," opening this Sunday at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles and running through Feb. 18.

Seth Zibalese, a blossoming Simi Valley thespian, is preparing to act out one of life's most challenging stages: puberty.

Along with 13 other teens, Seth will soon be onstage in L.A., starring in "13: The Musical," the highly anticipated show from Tony Award-winning Jason Robert Brown.

Directed by Todd Graff, of the movie "Camp" fame, the play chronicles the follies of a group of 13yearolds from Indiana as they struggle with classes, cliques and the meaning of "cool."

Seth, 15, will be playing the role of Malcolm, one of the cool kids who can't seem to escape a stain from his past.

"A lot of the guys he hangs out with call him 'Fudge' because he pooped his pants in a football game two years ago. The name really aggravates him," Seth said.

Even though he's now home schooled, he didn't have any trouble relating to the story line because of his past experiences with public schools, Seth said.

The young player got an unexpected start on the stage at the age of 7, when fate decided to shine the spotlight on him.

"I got started when my sister was doing "Little Shop of Horrors" in Simi Valley.

"One of the kids in the play was fired, and I got the role because I had been to every rehearsal.

"I was put in the show, loved it and decided I wanted to do it for the rest of my life," Seth said.

While other young actors may be attracted to the exposure and glamour offered by Hollywood, Seth feels most comfortable on the stage.

"I love acting on stage. I get all of my energy from the audience, and their energy is what gives me my talent," Seth said.

The budding actor has performed in "Peter Pan," "Seussical the Musical," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Footloose," "West Side Story," "Oliver" and, his favorite, "The Wizard of Oz."

When he isn't gracing the stage, Seth often spends his time dancing and hanging out with friends and family. His busy schedule forces him to savor any down time he's offered.

"It's really hard to juggle school, rehearsals and shows six days a week. I don't know how I do it, but when I do have that little bit of time with friends and family, I really cherish it. That's the time when I can step back and forget about acting," Seth said.

Even though he loves the community he's grown up in, the young actor said he doesn't plan to stay in Simi Valley his whole life.

He hopes one day to move to New York to further pursue acting and eventually make it on Broadway.

While he may be reaching for the stars in his acting life, Seth said he is very grounded when it comes to real life.

He wants to transform his early success on stage into an opportunity to become involved with missionary work.

"I feel there are starving kids everywhere that need love and food, and I don't think it's right for me to make this money and not put it towards something that someone really needs," Seth said.

"13: The Musical" opens Jan. 7 and runs through Feb. 18 at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.

"This is the most amazing cast I've ever worked with before and it's an honor to be working with them," Seth said.