From Stage to Page – Finding a Path Toward Purposeful Change
Under the bright lights of Mānoa Valley Theatre, Ava Zoto ’28 stood centerstage, commanding the audience with confidence beyond her years. Her performance in “What the Constitution Means to Me” carried the weight of history, the passion of debate and a touch of her own story. It was her first major role beyond Punahou, an impressive feat for a ninth grader.
Zoto is making her mark as a writer, actor and advocate for change, whether through theatre, speech competitions or storytelling. Since joining Punahou in fourth grade from Wilson Elementary, she has built an impressive résumé, winning first place in the Damon Speech competition as an eighth grader and being named a William Knowlton Awardee in seventh grade.
For Zoto, writing has always been a positive outlet. Inspired by playwright Tennessee Williams, she is working to develop her own style. “In writing, you can have a narrator and a backstory, but in plays everything has to come through the dialogue,” she said. “Characters have to tell the story themselves.”
Her role in “What the Constitution Means to Me” affirmed her love for performance and the power of words. The play, written by Heidi Schreck in 2017, is a personal narrative and a political statement that explores the ways in which the U.S. Constitution has shaped, and also failed, generations of women. Schreck reflects on her teenage years competing in Constitutional debates to fund her college education. Zoto plays the student debater who engages with Schreck during the interactive portion of the play, a role that resonated deeply with her.
Zoto’s passion for acting started at Punahou, where she performed in “Urinetown,” “Spamalot” and “Legally Blonde.” It was through an introductory theatre course with theatre faculty member Michael Ng that she discovered “What the Constitution Means to Me” and was encouraged to audition for the outside production.
She spent a month preparing for the audition: practicing in front of mirrors, recording herself, and rewatching the footage to fine-tune her performance. She was both nervous and thrilled when she landed the role and stepped onto a professional stage for the first time.
“Performing at Mānoa Valley Theatre was a whole new experience,” she said. “Speaking to 200 people was nerve-wracking, but also incredibly gratifying because they were really listening to the message.”
Zoto shared the stage with Punahou Director of Theatre Melinda Moore, who masterfully played the adult Schreck. The play’s unique structure features a live debate between Schreck and the student debater, ending in an audience vote.
In the debate portion, Zoto argued in favor of keeping the Constitution, weaving in a personal reflection on the 14th Amendment. “That was the point in the play where the audience really connects with the debater,” she said. “I compared the 14th Amendment to the letters I wrote to my future self when I was 10 or 11. Just like the amendment was written with future generations in mind, those letters were my way of speaking to the future version of me.”
Beyond acting and writing, Zoto is deeply committed to education. Through the Buddy Initiative, she mentors younger students at Lincoln Elementary, and she recently helped prepare keiki dancers from her hālau for a hula competition. She’s also a member of the Thespians Club and will be participating in Holokū, performing the traditional ninth-grade kahiko dance.
Looking ahead, Zoto hopes to further develop her writing, explore contemporary social issues, and pursue a future in journalism or education. She is currently preparing submissions for prestigious competitions like YoungArts, where she plans to enter a play, short story or poem.
Seeing journalism as an “honorable position,” she wants to use her voice to engage with pressing global issues and advocate for justice and equality. “I want to understand what’s happening in the world,” she said. “To look at what started it and find ways to make a difference.”
