Leela Kumar

Young woman smiling sitting in theater seat

Leela Kumar. Photo Credit: Addie Symonds

Leela Kumar is a junior at Howell High School in Monmouth County, New Jersey. She loves performing and songwriting, and has written, produced, directed, and starred in an original musical called Dancing Through a Dream at her school. She continued to expand and evolve her work during her time at the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio and through her experiences at Juilliard. When she’s not composing musicals or rewriting lyrics at 2 a.m., she enjoys tempting fate by ordering avocado handrolls despite being highly allergic to sushi.

 

Three women in front of a podium

Leela Kumar with mentor. 

Photo Credit: Addie Symonds

“Dancing Through a Dream”
Music & Lyrics by Leela Kumar
Program Mentor: Andrea Daly 
Orchestrator: Teresa Lotz 
Featuring: Claire Kwon
With Michelle Dowdy & Gabi Carrubba

Ava, a high schooler, sits in the backroom of her home, guitar in hand, near the fireplace, softly strumming as she tries to write. It’s 12:23 AM—she should be asleep, but she can’t shake the weight of the moment. Yesterday, her English teacher gave her an assignment: present something meaningful to her in a 90-second speech. Ava decides to write a song on her guitar. Her best friend told her, "You can worry about what others think, or you can choose to be you." Now, Ava is wrestling with that choice. This song is all about the vulnerability and hope it takes to step out of the shadows and find the courage to share your voice with the world.