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Tripp Hornick was a member of Mask and Wig during his time at Penn. Before Hornick performed in a recent benefit show on Broadway, he appeared on stage at Spring Fling 2001. [Stefan Miltchev/DP File Photo]

It's not everyday that a University of Pennsylvania alum debuts on Broadway, but recent College graduate and former Mask and Wig member Louis "Tripp" Hornick III did just that. Hornick sang on Broadway in a benefit show called, "Sing for a Cure: A Valentine Cabaret Salute to Richard Rodgers" -- an event honoring Emmy Award-winning actor Michael Zaslow, among others. Zaslow's career as a daytime television actor included roles as Roger Thorpe in Guiding Light and David Renaldi in One Life to Live. After being diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, Zaslow formed ZazAngels in 1998. ZazAngels works to raise funds for ALS research and awareness of the disease. The group has already put on several benefit shows and continues to honor Zaslow's legacy after Zaslow himself succumbed to ALS in 1998. Hornick's interaction with Zaslow -- as well as his acting career -- began when he was a child, with a few small parts on Guiding Light in which the two met for the first time. Zaslow continued to observe Hornick's work as an actor, as Zaslow's daughter attended the same high school as Hornick. Recalling that Zaslow "always encouraged me," Hornick was more than honored to participate in the benefit show. As a Penn student, Hornick not only played a central role in every production by Mask and Wig, including writing, acting and serving as the group's treasurer for two years, but his influence was also felt around campus in organizations such as the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity and the Sphinx Senior Society. After graduation, Hornick won a role in To Broadway... The Glamorous Life? -- a production in Los Angeles -- and is also currently reviewing many other scripts. As for Broadway actually being the glamorous life, that has yet to be decided, although a number of stars -- Susan Lucci, Kathryn Crosby and the entire cast of Forbidden Broadway, to name a few -- did grace the benefit's cast. Hornick himself sang in a duet with Crosby, and noted the stars were all "quite kind and supportive." Though Hornick played a significant role, he said he learned more "by watching these incredibly talented people" and found the experience "quite an honor." And despite the honor and excitement that is Broadway, Hornick said his heart still lies with Mask and Wig. He remembers most fondly his time as a group member, calling the group "a great combination between a fraternity and a performing arts group" and still counts the members among his closest friends. Through Mask and Wig, Hornick said that he delighted in the opportunity to "truly create one's own material," adding that "the possibility of improvisation... is at a very high level." "The most wonderful thing about Mask and Wig is the constant laughter," he said. "I honestly don't believe I will ever laugh as hard and as constantly [as I did] for my four years at Penn." As far as the future goes, Hornick is unsure whether he will live in Los Angeles or New York, noting that he is "half and half, depending on wherever the work is." But now, his Broadway experience may influence his decision. "I hope to spend more time in New York, considering Broadway is my love." Hornick's career as a professional actor may keep him divided between both coasts and at times unsure of his next role, but he said he never doubts the decision he made to choose Penn instead of attending an acting school like some of his other friends did. "There are a lot of people I've been honored to work with that are my age" who attended acting conservatories studying "nothing but acting," Hornick said. But "I would not trade my four years at Penn for anything."

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