Lauren Kennedy
Kennedy at Broadway in Bryant Park on July 23, 2009
Born	(1973-09-03)September 3, 1973 (age 52)[1] Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
Education	University of Cincinnati
Occupations	Actress, singer
Years active	1980s–present

Lauren Kennedy (born September 3, 1973)^[1] is an American actress and singer who has performed numerous times on Broadway. She is now the producing artistic director of Theatre Raleigh in her home state of North Carolina.

Kennedy was born and raised inRaleigh, North Carolina and graduated fromNeedham Broughton High School in 1991.^[2][3] She started acting at theNorth Carolina Theatre while in high school. Kennedy attended theUniversity of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music^[4] where she pursued a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre. She left school at the age of 19, when she was cast in the1993 Los Angeles production ofAndrew Lloyd Webber'sSunset Boulevard,^[2][5] After a nine-month run, she moved to New York for the musical's1994 Broadway opening.^[2]

Kennedy frequently appeared in the original cast of the short-livedSide Show as the standby forEmily Skinner. She has also starred inMonty Python's Spamalot onBroadway as a replacement for the Lady of the Lake. She has been seen on Broadway inLes Misérables,Sunset Boulevard withGlenn Close,Side Show, andCinderella with theNew York City Opera. She originated the role of Cathy inJason Robert Brown'sThe Last Five Years in its Chicago premiere, but opted to doSouth Pacific at the National Theatre in London instead of following the show Off-Broadway (she was replaced bySherie Rene Scott). In 2004, she starred as Emma Carew in the concert-style version ofJekyll & Hyde – The Musical entitled Resurrection, oppositeKate Shindle andRob Evan. However, she left the tour before it concluded, to be replaced byBrandi Burkhardt, who is heard on the recording of the tour.^{[citation needed]}

In 2005, Kennedy starred in the world premiere ofFrank Wildhorn & Jack Murphy'sWaiting for the Moon, asZelda Fitzgerald, which took place inMarlton, NJ.^[6] She was nominated for aBarrymore Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. In 2006, Kennedy played the role of Princess Nefertari inThe Ten Commandments: The Musical oppositeVal Kilmer. From 2007 through 2009, Lauren has worked actively with the new Wildhorn / Murphy musicalWonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure.^{[citation needed]}

She released two solo albums onPS Classics, an album ofJason Robert Brown material entitledSongs of Jason Robert Brown, and an album dedicated to new musical writers, titledHere and Now.^{[citation needed]}

Kennedy starred in the musicalVanities at thePasadena Playhouse, in California from August to September 2008. She then followed the musical to itsOff-Broadway venueSecond Stage Theatre.^[7]

Lauren is the artistic director ofTheatre Raleigh, a theatre company inRaleigh, North Carolina.^[8]

She portrayed Diana Goodman, a mother struggling with bipolar disorder, in the North Carolina Theatre's 2015 production ofNext to Normal.^[9]

• Monty Python's Spamalot – The Lady of the Lake (First Replacement) (2006–2007)
• Les Misérables –Fantine (2002–2003)
• Side Show – Daisy Hilton (Standby forEmily Skinner) (1997)
• Sunset Boulevard – Mary/1st Masseuse, understudy for Betty Schaeffer (underAlice Ripley) (1994–1995)

• Good Ol' Girls – Several roles, leading actress (2010)
• Vanities, A New Musical – Mary (2009)

• South Pacific – Ensign Nellie Forbush (2001–02), National Theatre

• 9 to 5 – Violet Newstead (2021), North Carolina Theatre
• Mamma Mia! – Donna Sheridan (2019), North Carolina Theatre
• Big Fish – Sandra Templeton Bloom (2018), Theatre Raleigh
• The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Miss Alice Nutting/Edwin Drood (2016), Theatre Raleigh
• Next to Normal – Diana Goodman (2015), North Carolina Theatre
• Parade – Lucille Frank (2014), Theatre Raleigh
• Les Misérables – Fantine (2014), North Carolina Theatre
• August: Osage County – Karen Weston (2012), Theatre Raleigh
• Zelda: An American Love Story – Zelda Fitzgerald (2012),The Flat Rock Playhouse,Flat Rock, North Carolina
• Into the Woods – The Witch (2012),Westport Country Playhouse,Westport, Connecticut
• Evita – Eva Perón (2011), North Carolina Theatre
• Violet – Violet Karl (2011), Theatre Raleigh
• Evita –Eva Perón (2011),Casa Mañana,Fort Worth, Texas^[10][11][12]
• 1776 – Martha Jefferson (2009),Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, New Jersey
• Annie Get Your Gun –Annie Oakley (2008), North Carolina Theatre
• Lone Star Love – Agnes Ford (2007), Seattle, Washington
• Frank Wildhorn'sWaiting for the Moon –Zelda Fitzgerald (Marlton, NJ, Lenape Performing Arts Center) (2005) (World premiere)
• Beauty and the Beast – Belle (2005), North Carolina Theatre
• The Ten Commandments: The Musical – Nefertari (2004),Los Angeles,Kodak Theatre
• Jekyll & Hyde – Emma Carew (Marlton, NJ, Lenape Performing Arts Center, andMohegan Sun, CT) (2004)
• Breakfast at Tiffany's – Holly Golightly (2004), St. Louis, MUNY)
• The Last Five Years – Cathy (2001), Chicago
• The Rhythm Club – Petra (2000), Washington, D.C.
• White Christmas – Judy Haines, (2000),St. Louis, MUNY
• Hot Shoe Shuffle – Maddy(Theatre Under the Stars, Houston)
• Sunset Boulevard – Mary/1st Masseuse, understudy for Betty Schaeffer (underJudy Kuhn) (1993–1994) (Los Angeles)
• Good News – Corda (1993), Wichita, Kansas

• Sunset Boulevard – Betty Schaeffer (1995–1997)

• The Ten Commandments: The Musical

• Good Ol' Girls: Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording
• Vanities, A New Musical: Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording^[13]
• Lauren Kennedy: Here and Now (solo album)
• Lauren Kennedy: Songs of Jason Robert Brown (first solo CD)
• The Ten Commandments: The Musical World Premiere at Kodak Theatre, DVD
• Dracula: The Musical: Concept Recording
• I Sing, the new musical: Original Cast Recording
• South Pacific: 2002 Royal National Theatre Recording
• Side Show: Original Broadway Cast Recording
• Sunset Boulevard: Original Cast Recording
• Good News!
• This Ordinary Thursday, The Music ofGeorgia Stitt^[14]
• Life Upon the Wicked S.T.A.G.E: A Tribute to Jerome Kern
• Paul Simon.^[15]

• Lauren Kennedy's official website
• Lauren Kennedy atIMDb
• http://www.theatreraleigh.com/about-us/

• 1973 births
• Actresses from North Carolina
• American musical theatre actresses
• Living people
• University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music alumni
• Musicians from Raleigh, North Carolina
• 20th-century American actresses
• 20th-century American singers
• 21st-century American actresses
• 21st-century American singers
• Needham B. Broughton High School alumni
• 20th-century American women singers
• 21st-century American women singers

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