High School to University
I was born and raised in Buffalo, New York and attended two high schools in the Western New York area. I attended Immaculata Academy my freshman year, which closed due to low program funding. Then, I attended and graduated from Mount Mercy Academy in 2019. While at Mount Mercy I was a member of their Women’s Choir and the Pure Magic Show Choir. Mount Mercy unfortunately did not have a theater program, but our brother school Bishop Timon St. Jude operated a small program called Timon Little Theater in the school attic.
As a member of the Little Theater program, I made my first ever stage debut in two productions called A Night of One Act Plays and Mixed Nuts. Although the program was small, my membership in Little Theater led me to selecting a Theater Major at Buffalo State University.
I began at SUNY Buffalo State University in the Fall of 2019 and got cast in the 2020 production of Othello directed by Jennifer Toohey. Othello was able to fulfill its first weekend of performances and then abruptly got shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I finished my semester virtually and returned in the Fall to strictly asynchronous learning that propelled me to take a leave of absence. I left Buffalo State for one academic year and returned in the Spring of 2022.
In the Fall of 2022, I assistant stage-managed Pippin directed by Lissette DeJesus-Wrafter. The following Spring I got cast as Medea in the production Medea directed by Victoria Pérez-Maggiolo. In the Fall of 2023, I assistant directed On The Verge; Or the Geography of Learning alongside Dr. Bella Poynton. Then finally in the Spring of 2024 I starred as Female Emerson in Donna Hoke’s Teach, directed by Sabrina Kahwaty. Although this was my last production as a student on campus, it wasn’t my last project.
After Teach closed, I immediately began working on the short film The Wrong Road, written by Tom Fontana, Buffalo State Alumni and Emmy Award winning writer, and directed by BAFTA award winning Metin Huseyin. I worked as script supervisor and marketing manager during the weeklong shoot of this film and as the post supervisor once filming had ended. The film premiered at Buffalo’s North Park Theatre on June 5th, 2024.
I graduated Summa Cum Laude as the Valedictorian of Buffalo State University with my Bachelors of Arts in Theater in May 2024. I was then offered a full-time job at Buffalo State less than 6 months later. I currently work in the Events Management Department on campus, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be back.
Teaching Artistry
In the Summer of 2023 I had the pleasure of becoming a Teaching Artist for Shea’s Performing Arts Center. I taught three camps in total: Shea’s Summer Musical Theater Intensive, Actors Edge and Comedy On Cue. Each camp focused on key elements of Theater such as voice and movement, improv, stage composition, script analysis, acting, ensemble building and many more. By the end of each camp, my students presented what they had learned during a Final Showcase. Though it has been over a year since I have taught at these camps, I look forward to the next opportunity I have to work with students interested in Theater!
Adjudication
In Fall of 2024 I became an Adjudicator for the Shea’s Wonder Awards, our local High School Musical Theater Awards competition. Adjudicating youth Theater productions was one of the highlights of my year and I am very excited to adjudicate for the 25-26 season!
Zoe's Portfolio 
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