Bobcat Adriana Scalice on tour with ‘Mean Girls’

When Adriana Scalice was a high school student in Rochester, NY, she did not expect to end up in Texas. But after a series of serendipitous auditions and connections made between San Marcos and her hometown high school, she wound up enrolled at Texas State.

“It was the best decision I’ve ever made,” Scalice said. “Once I was there, I kept thinking, ‘Wow, I really did win the lottery.”

Scalice, who graduated in May with a BFA in Musical Theater and a Minor in Spanish, is currently on tour with the Broadway Across America’s production of “Mean Girls” where she is the standby for main character Cady Heron; main antagonist, Regina George; and the “generally-awesome” high-school rebel, Janis Sarkisian. As a member of the standby cast, Scalice has to be ready at a moment’s notice to step on stage to play a wide range of characters.

“That part is a little bit wild,” Scalice admitted. “But it’s in my bones now. I’ve been able to debut all three roles now. It’s the thing I went to school for. I’ve always wanted to be part of this tour. My life goal was to be a working actor, and I truly have my training at Texas State to thank for that.”

Landing a place in a national tour so soon after graduation is no small feat, but Scalice attributes her preparation for it to the classes she took and the connections she made here at Texas State.

“Everyone I’ve met from Texas state is such a good human,” Scalice said. “That’s the culture of San Marcos. It can be a lot to go from a space of complete protection to being out in the real world, grinding, finding jobs. Knowing you always have your Texas State people to always go back to is a nice thing.”

The Texas State Theater Department’s emphasis on a healthy work-life balance was also a factor that influenced Scalice’s choice to attend the university. “They really emphasize mental health for a performer,” Scalice said. “And they actually read my personal essay. This is crazy. No one had paid that much attention to me as a human being.”

Scalice grew up in Rochester in a Peruvian household, with grandparents who immigrated to the U.S. from Lima. “My grandparents always wanted what was best for their children,” Scalice said. “They wanted us to be able to pursue my passion.”

Scalice said she had a lovely full-circle moment last month when she got to perform with the “Mean Girls” cast on the Rochester stage. “Showing them that I was doing that was very exciting. Before, the ‘Mean Girls’ cast was always a certain way, but it’s been really great to see that changing. It’s nice to see that the cast reflects the people we see every day.”

“Mean Girls” the musical follows the plot of the 2004 movie of the same name. In it, Cady Heron is a 16-year-old high school student from Africa who is thrust into the hyper-judgy world of an American high school.

“There’s a lot of fun singing and dancing,” Scalice said. “No matter what age you are, you can find something from it. It’s also a comedy. We keep getting laughs every night. We were just in Atlanta at the Fox Theater, which is ginormous, but it was nice to sit back stage and hearing the crowd roar with laughter.”

Tickets are on sale now at texasperformingarts.org, but with the show’s popularity, they are quickly selling out.

“Get your tickets fast,” Scalice said. “Don’t miss out on it. It’s going to be great fun. And everyone comes dressed in pink.”

“Mean Girls” will play at the Bass Concert hall localed at 2350 Robert Dedman Dr. in Austin from Aug. 2 - 7, Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; and on Sunday at 1 and 7 p.m. Tickets start at $35 and are available at BroadwayinAustin.com, by phone at 512- 477-1444 or from the from the Texas Performing Arts ticket office at Bass Concert Hall.