Mackenzie Wrap is an aspiring singer and actress from Southern California who is pursuing her BFA in Musical Theatre at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
Mackenzie has had a passion for singing ever since she can remember. When she was 8, her parents were awakened at midnight one evening by loud singing. Her dad rushed into her room only to find her standing on her bed, makeshift mic in hand singing "The Star Spangled Banner" at the top of her lungs. Looking back, this was the moment that her parents realized that she was passionate about performing. She then began acting in community productions and immediately fell in love with musical theatre.
Around the same time, her mom began taking her to local open mics around San Diego to give her a place to sing when she wasn’t in a musical theatre production. She would regularly take the stage at places such as LeStats, Rebecca's, Aztec Brewery and Hennessey's Tavern. Through singing at open mics, she began a journey of exploring and appreciating different music genres as she grew from a musical theatre kid into a crossover vocalist.
At age 13, Mackenzie broke into the LA Cabaret scene with the debut of her own solo show at the Gardenia Club in Hollywood. In reviewing her show for Cabaret Scenes magazine, Les Traub said of her singing ability, "Her vocal range and the control she has with her voice was on display as she scatted to the stratosphere...Be it pop, jazz, opera, country, traditional Great American Songbook, blues or Broadway, she handled it with ease."
Given Mackenzie's true passion for Musical Theatre, she auditioned for and was accepted into the Musical Theatre Conservatory at the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) when she was in 6th grade. A couple of her favorite OCSA memories include being cast to play the role of Judy Bernly in OCSA's production of "9-to-5: The Musical" and performing in a duet with Matthew Morrison during a holiday tree lighting show in Orange County.
There is nothing more thrilling for Mackenzie than to share her talent during live performances. She was delighted to be invited by acclaimed songwriter Ken Hirsch to be part of his “Hits From Another Century Tour” at LA’s Catalina Jazz Club. She was also cast to perform in the Amy Winehouse tribute show at the Rockwell Table and Stage. Crossing over the border into Mexico, Mackenzie was a two-time guest performer at Alonso Moreno’s Big Band show at the Tijuana Cultural Center. Finally, she still loves singing at open mics whenever she can, including events such as Michael Orland’s open mics in LA and Palm Springs, Keri Kelsey’s open mic at the Gardenia Club and Don’t Tell Mama’s open mic in NYC.
Mackenzie now embarks on her newest journey - navigating the ropes of college life and studying Musical Theatre at one of the Country’s finest drama institutions, Carnegie Mellon University. Her days are now filled with scene studies, dance classes and voice labs, where she continues to explore her craft and expand her knowledge. She recently performed in an annual student-run project titled, Playground where she had the amazing opportunity to collaborate on devised short plays, scat in a jazz cabaret and sing Christmas carols with her talented peers. In her spare time, she loves to pass on the singing knowledge she has learned from her amazing vocal coaches by teaching new singers as an associate vocal coach for Karyn Overstreet's Vocal Studio.
Mackenzie is so grateful for all the incredible opportunities she has had and is extremely excited to further her education and launch her Musical Theatre and entertainment industry career.
Be sure to follow her on social media to see what she is up to next!