Recently, UMD Theatre graduate Reese Britts has made his Broadway debut in the musical ‘& Juliet’. Something that Reese says has been a lifelong dream come true.

The musical ‘& Juliet’ has spent around three years on Broadway. It’s a jukebox musical retelling of what happens to Juliet after Romeo dies. The show is filled to the brim with mega pop song hits written by Max Martin like …Baby One More Time (Britney Spears), Problem (Ariana Grande), Blow (Kesha), Roar (Katy Perry), and so much more!

Minnesotan Reese Britts gets to dance in almost all of the big group numbers, as he plays three characters within the ensemble including Sly, Lord Capulet, and the ball bouncer. “I’m warming up on my way in and once I get here I sit down, take a look at myself in the mirror, and I say, ‘Let’s do this,'” says Reese.

He remembers exactly what happened when he first found out he got cast. “I was on my way to a shift with my catering company when I got the call from my agents. And they were like, ‘Well, you can quit your job because you just booked Broadway’… I cried, of course, and I called my parents, called my partner. I just had to tell everyone that has helped get me to this point,” says Reese.

Reese’s words of advice to younger actors include, “Keep doing it. That is it. Work for it if you want it, you can achieve it. I mean, I’m living proof, honestly. I worked my butt off to be here and I’m very grateful for it. So just keep working.”

This story wouldn’t be possible without JayBee Travel. They’ll be traveling to New York City in May and you can find out how you can go with here.