One-time Rose City Riveters capo and Thorns FC fan Hailey Kilgore continues to make a name for herself on the big stage.
After wowing audiences with her breakout lead performance in the Broadway musical Once On This Island, Kilgore was nominated today for a 2018 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical.
Kilgore's path to New York is out of a fairytale. As a teen, she learned to fiercely capo Thorns FC chants at Providence Park. For Once On This Island, a 1990 musical fairy tale set in the French Antilles archipelago, Kilgore was discovered by a YouTube video of her singing that led to her audition in New York. The audition landed her the part of Ti Moune, a young girl who bridges social classes on the island through love.
The nomination clearly shocked Kilgore.
"This morning was a morning that I swore I would treat like any other," she told Playbill."I looked out the window and thought to myself, 'I’m just gonna take a walk.' Cue airpods, fresh air, and Ariana Grande. 8:44 AM my phone rings. On the other end my beautiful parents screaming, crying, laughing...all of it! My whole world was rocked. I literally ran to the nearest tree and held my hand to it."
The nomination was part of a busy year for Kilgore who was rehearsing the show last fall during the Thorns' 2017 NWSL Championship run. While she wasn't able to see the final, she raced from the stage to see the final result.
"I was in rehearsal [and] I teared up because I was so proud of them,” she told ThornsFC.com last fall.
Read more about Kilgore's love of the Thorns here.
The 72nd annual Tony Awards will take place June 10 at Radio City Music Hall. Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban will co-host
