NORTHFIELD — Victoria Mozitis loves musical theater and thinks everyone should have an opportunity to experience it.
That’s why the 21-year-old Northfield woman is working to increase access to the arts for all as her social impact initiative through the Miss America Organization: “Grow Your Smarts, Invest in the Arts.”
Mozitis started her theater career in fourth grade when she was in “Annie” at Northfield Community School.
“I immediately fell in love with it,” she said.
Mozitis took part in more and more shows at schools, branched out in community theater and then professional theater by age 13, when she was cast as the lead role in “Mary Poppins” at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia.
“That was the experience that solidified me wanting to go into this as a career,” she said, noting she was one of the few children in the cast working with adult Broadway actors and actresses. “I got to be a sponge and learn everything from them.”
One of her more memorable experiences was singing the national anthem at the 2015 U.S. Open on Sept. 11.
“That was an amazing experience that to this day I am really proud to have done,” she said.
While attending Mainland Regional High School, she was a member of the drama club and participated in the New Jersey Drama and Forensic League. She also started acting at the Eagle Theatre in Hammonton, where she was in “Little Women” and “The Fantastics,” and did a lot of shows at Levoy Theatre in Millville, where she was Ariel in “The Little Mermaid” and Sister Mary Robert in “Sister Act.”
“I feel like I grew up rather quickly because of doing theater with adults at such as young age,” Mozitis said, noting she was working in Philadelphia and walking around the city by herself or with other children.
She said it was a lot of work and required learning time management.
“I was lucky to have teachers who were really supportive, always there to help with homework or assignments if I needed help or more time,” Mozitis said.
It taught her dedication and sacrifice as well.
“I always had to put myself and my track first,” she said, noting many children in her position would have taken school online or at home. “We made it work,” she said.
After being crowned Miss Gloucester County Area last fall, she now has a bigger stage from which to raise awareness of her cause. The accomplished singer will be competing with 27 other candidates to replace Miss New Jersey 2021 Alyssa Sullivan when she crowns her successor June 25 at Resorts Atlantic City.
Mozitis said she is grateful to have an outlet such as this to express her passion for performing and making the arts accessible through her social impact initiative.
The 2019 graduate of MRHS is a rising senior at Rider University, where she is on track to earn a bachelor’s degree in musical theater with a minor in arts and entertainment industries management. She is a member of Rider’s Baccalaureate Honors Program, the mock trial team and Zeta Tau Alpha Women’s Fraternity.
Mozitis will be taking her final bow at Rider as Lois Lane/Bianca in “Kiss Me Kate!” next spring.
Mozitis, who has extensive experience on stage, is an Actor’s Equity membership candidate and works professionally as an actress in the greater Philadelphia region. This summer, she will be playing Belle in Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” at The Broadway Theatre of Pitman in Gloucester County.
She is the daughter of Tom and Kathy Mozitis of Northfield.
Last year was her first foray into pageantry with the Miss America Organization, a change from her traditional experience. She said the two are not “totally different.”
“My theater background has prepared me for it. I’m just playing myself instead of playing another character,” Mozitis said. “I feel like I have to play a character — almost like the best version of myself. I have to put it out there.”
Mozitis said she had been a fan of pageants from a young age.
“I grew up right outside Atlantic City watching the Miss America competition and going to preliminaries,” she said, noting her father was part of the opening number for the pageant when he was her age.
But her true love has always been theater.
“I loved doing theater and it took up a lot of my time,” she said, noting her love for singing.
“I grew up singing, dancing and acting. Singing is my talent in the pageant,” she said.
Mozitis said participating in the Miss Gloucester County pageant just kind of happened.
“Once COVID happened, a lot of theaters were shut down. I was looking for something to express my creativity and it fell into my lap,” she said. “I learned a lot about myself. My confidence has grown and I wish I did it sooner.”
Mozitis said pageantry involves “everything I am passionate about,” including scholarship, organization and “I got to sing.”
It also involved public speaking, something she did while at Mainland, and lets her “advocate for something I am passionate about.”
Mozitis has been working to expose children to theater and make it more accessible to all. She has been organizing field trips for elementary and middle school children to see live theater at local high schools.
“Some don’t have the opportunity to see it,” she said. “It’s been really awesome. A lot of kids responded positively and a lot decided that they wanted to attend a high school because it had a drama program.”
She said it took her back to her childhood when she first encountered the arts and fell in love with performing.
Pageant week begins June 20 when the 28 candidates check in at Resorts. Preliminary competitions are scheduled for 8 p.m. June 22-23 and the final competition is set for 8 p.m. June 25.
“I’m excited, I don’t know what to really expect,” Mozitis said. “I love them all, it’s a great group of girls. I can prepare myself all I want but I’m really excited and intrigued.”
She said she is most looking forward to the opportunity to expand her social impact initiative.
“I have a lot of goals; I want to take it to the next level in the next couple of years,” Mozitis said.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
