Cinderella’s Ann Harada Recalls Valuable Lunchboxes & Donna Summer-Inspired Gymnastics Routines

As kids all over America head back to school, Broadway.com decided to ask our favorite Broadway stars to look back at their own years in the classroom—and share a school picture! Today, Cinderella standout and Smash vet Ann Harada showcases her signature brand of humor as she recalls an embarrassing gym class, her early work as a playwright and more.

Who was your favorite teacher and why?
My favorite teacher was Mrs. Godbold in fifth grade. She encouraged my attempts at satiric playwriting. I wrote an updated version of the Greek myth of Perseus. It was hilarious...if you were in fifth grade.

What advice would you give to your school-age self?
Don't worry so much about fitting in.

In school you would have been named “most likely to…” ?
Sing an obscure Stephen Sondheim song in Chapel. :)

What’s your favorite back-to-school item?
I loved all my early lunchboxes. If only I had realized they were all going to be collector's items! I had a Barbie one and a Beatles one that are actually quite valuable now. D'oh!

What class did you dread and why?
Phys Ed, because I was so uncoordinated, until we got to high school and got to make up our own gymnastic routines, at which point I helped choreograph a floor exercise to "MacArthur Park" and sang it while my team executed it. We got an A.

What is your most embarrassing school moment?
You don't think singing "MacArthur Park" a cappella in gym class is embarrassing enough?

In which extracurricular activities did you participate?
I took tennis class after school for four years, then I discovered drama club. I also remember competing in something where you'd go to another high school and compete by taking tests? Quiz Bowl? Is that what it was called?

Describe your school-age self in three words.
Awkward. Nerdy. Enthusiastic.