Cristina Vivenzio ’00 ‘Stays Gold’ with Tony Award Win
Ashley Taube
In The Outsiders, Johnny Cade implores Ponyboy Curtis to “Stay gold.” It’s a poignant message, one that resonates with countless readers of S.E. Hinton’s influential novel, viewers of Francis Ford Coppola’s cult classic, and now, fans of the hit Broadway musical. At the 77th Tony Awards, producer Cristina Vivenzio ’00 embodied that very sentiment, radiating in the incandescent glow of her victory as she accepted the award for Best Musical for her work on The Outsiders.
Standing on that grand stage was the culmination of a journey that began years earlier, on another stage—this one nestled on a hilltop in Blairstown, New Jersey. Cristina, who graduated from Blair Academy in 2000, had “great expectations” from the start. Her early days at Blair revealed a shining talent for theatre, with veteran theatre director and English teacher Craig Evans vividly remembering her performances.
“She had a great career right from the get-go,” Mr. Evans recalls with pride. “Cristina was the lead in Pippin, a neat case of gender-blind casting, and she captivated us in Arcadia, which traveled to Peddie. She had this drive and vision, even as a student.”
Cristina’s passion for performance led her to New York University, where she graduated in 2004 with dreams of gracing the stage. But life, like the best stories, had a twist in store for her. She discovered that the magic of theatre wasn’t confined to acting alone.
“I became an actor because I didn’t know the other ways to break into theatre,” Cristina admits. “After college, I threw myself into every opportunity: internships at booking agencies, assistant roles at an advertising firm. Little by little, I realized that all those different experiences—on stage and behind the scenes—were leading me toward producing.”
That realization proved pivotal. Cristina carved out a name for herself as a well-rounded producer, eventually joining Jujamcyn, the powerhouse company behind Broadway hits like The Book of Mormon, Jersey Boys and Kinky Boots. Today, she works with The Araca Group, a “small but mighty” team, overseeing every aspect of production—from assembling creative teams to fundraising, marketing and casting.
Much of Cristina’s success, she reflects, is rooted in the foundation she built at Blair. The mentorship she received in Blair’s theatre department from Craig and Kaye Evans, former faculty members Steven and Judith Kampmann and Wayne Rasmussen, along with the top-tier facilities, gave her the space to explore her passion and cultivate her work-life balance early on.
“It’s not lost on me that success in this industry doesn’t always happen this way,” she says, her voice filled with gratitude. “I constantly aim to laugh a lot and keep a positive attitude like Mr. Evans, because at the end of the day, I get to work in a field that I love and will never take that gift for granted.”
That gratitude was palpable when Cristina took the stage at the Tony Awards, clutching the iconic statue—a tribute to her dedication and the long journey to that moment, which has taken up permanent residency on her desk at home.
“It was surreal and wild,” she recalls. “Standing there, I had to remind myself to breathe and to take it all in. This production has been close to my heart for a long time, and the support I’ve received along the way has been incredible.”
Back in Blairstown, one of Cristina’s biggest supporters, Mr. Evans, couldn’t have been prouder.
“It’s a huge deal,” he says with a fond smile. “Cristina went to New York to be a performer, and now she’s risen to the top as a producer. She paid her dues, worked her way up and truly deserves this recognition.”
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