Ilana Keller

@ilanakeller

A little girl came up to Lianah Sta. Ana outside the stage door of "Miss Saigon" recently.

"She was like, 'I’m an aspiring actress. Thank you for inspiring me so much.’ I was that girl — I still am that girl," Sta. Ana. said.

Well, yes and no.

The Freehold teen is making her Broadway debut as an alternate in the lead role of Kim in "Miss Saigon." The production stars Eva Noblezada, Jon Jon Briones, Alistair Brammer and Rachelle Ann Go.

"It’s just crazy to think how I was on the other side just a couple months ago. I work with people in this cast and I’m overwhelmed with how amazingly talented they are, and so nice. Stagedooring has just been insane and it’s so nice meeting people who are so gracious and so lovely."

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Sta. Ana (her name is pronounced "Santa Ana") grew up performing around the area, first in school shows at Clifton T. Barkalow Middle School in Freehold and in the Fine and Performing Academy at Howell High School, where she's a senior. She is receiving tutoring at the theater at the moment, and hopes to return to school on a partial-day schedule next month. She performed in regional theater starting during her sophomore year, doing "Evita" at the Count Basie Theatre with Phoenix Productions, as well as "The King & I" at Algonquin Arts Theatre in Manasquan. She most recently was seen in "Miss Saigon" at the Kelsey Theater, where she played none other than Kim.

"This was a really long audition process," she said. "I started auditioning in January of 2016 and I ended in December of 2016. This was kind of going on at the same time. I did have a break auditioning in the middle somewhere, which is when I was doing my show. I think doing that show really helped me find Kim for myself to make my auditions for this stronger."

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While musical theater is a more recent development in her performing career, she's no stranger to the limelight. She was the 2010 Amateur Night at the Apollo Star of Tomorrow Season Champion — its first Filipino-American winner; a 2016 winner of the National Young Arts Foundation Competition in Theater; and is a 2017 Presidential Scholars candidate. She has performed in storied venues from Carnegie Hall to the White House to Hackney Empire in London, and for nearly every major metropolitan sports team, most recently taking the field in front of 75,000-plus at Metlife Stadium for a Giants-Bears matchup in November.

Cool under pressure

What's her secret to keeping cool under pressure?

"It sounds weird, but when there’s that many people, it feels like there’s not really any. I try not to think about how many people there are — and I don’t have the greatest vision either, so they’re all kind of blurry," she said with a laugh. "Audiences are so incredible, and they really impact how the performance goes. I’ve been blessed with such amazing audiences, so it’s really been great."

Sta. Ana is 17, the same age as Kim at the start of "Miss Saigon."

"I always like to think when I’m playing a character it’s like an extension of myself. There are certain attributes that coincide with the character that I’m playing," she said. "I really love that Kim, you see her as this innocent, vulnerable character, but throughout the show she just blossoms into someone who is so strong and who is willing to stand up for herself and someone else, and she does it all out of love, which I find so incredible. I’m so honored to be playing such a strong woman, when strong women are so important today."

The Broadway experience

St. Ana says she's still processing the fact that she's gracing a Broadway stage, but in some respects, the experience was less jolting than she expected.

"So many feelings. Everything has just been so overwhelming," she said.

"I think what surprised me the most is how normal it is. Other than ‘this is Broadway’ and 'this is the city,' it’s crazy. It’s just like a normal rehearsal process. Everyone is so amazing and welcoming and so friendly and so lovely, and they’ve all really made it easy to get accustomed with how this is and it’s just been amazing. You put Broadway on this huge pedestal, and it is on that pedestal, but it’s really like a normal rehearsal process. You come in prepared, ready to do the work, and you do the work."

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Sta. Ana enjoys writing and spending time with friends and family. She's found one big perk to being in the city — the vast selections to tempt the palate.

"I’m a huge foodie — that’s what I love doing in my spare time, eating and sleeping," she said. One new favorite is the purple ube soft serve at new city hot spot Soft Swerve.

"Miss Saigon" is in previews and opens on March 23. It's a limited engagement, running through Jan. 13, 2018. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit saigonbroadway.com.

"No matter what you get out of it, it’s just a beautiful story of the ultimate sacrifice," Sta. Ana said. "It’s so truthful and so gritty, and I’m just so proud of the work that we have done and have yet to do."

Ilana Keller: 732-643-4260; ikeller@gannettnj.com

MISS SAIGON

WHEN: Through Jan. 13

WHERE: Broadway Theatre, 1681 Broadway, Manhattan

TICKETS: $39 to $165

INFO: 212-239-6200, telecharge.com or saigonbroadway.com