Meet AJ Murphy, a musical theater junior whose real name is Anastasia Jasmine but whose personality is pure AJ. In this engaging conversation, Thomas and Josephine sit down with the Wisconsin native—hailing from Burlington, aka “Chocolate City”—to discuss her upcoming role in The Music Man production at the Jersey Shore.

AJ shares her thrilling experience going on as an understudy opening night for Young Frankenstein, when the principal actress came down with laryngitis. She opens up about her time with Kids from Wisconsin, a rigorous Broadway-style touring show that taught her to be quick on her feet, and reveals why she’s making the solo cross-country drive from Wisconsin to New Jersey (much to her dad’s disappointment).

From being dance captain to singing backstage while her castmate mouthed the words onstage, AJ brings infectious enthusiasm and a refreshing perspective on the joys and challenges of musical theater. Plus: why her small town smells like brownies three times a week, her upcoming half-marathon, and what makes the Jersey Shore the perfect summer theater destination.

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Maya Fortgang is a Jersey-born BFA musical theatre grad who turned a COVID-disrupted college journey at Ithaca into a launchpad for her artistry and growth. From dance classes across New Jersey and New York City to studying scene work with Neil Matarazzo, she shares how staying a lifelong student keeps her grounded in an unpredictable industry. In this episode, Maya joins Aggie and Mak to talk about building community after graduation, finding your people in rehearsal rooms and acting classes, and why there’s no single “right” path to a creative career. She also reveals the spontaneous dinner that led her to The Music Man, what it’s like coming in as a postgrad among younger performers, and the non‑verbal teamwork that makes performing together so electric.

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Maya Buffomante (2026) is one of this summer’s newest performers at The Music Man on the Jersey Shore. From her arts-focused childhood in Naperville, Illinois to discovering her path at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Maya shares how she pivoted from pre-law and journalism to a life in theatre and acting.

Maya talks about growing up in a racing family, cheering on her brother as he competes in Trans Am and even making his NASCAR debut, and how that high-octane world shaped her love of travel, family, and risk-taking. She then opens up about the whirlwind year after graduation—directing children’s theatre, performing in a new musical workshop, and ultimately building a PowerPoint pitch to convince her parents to let her move to New York City to audition professionally.

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