Jenn Colella Biography

Jenn Colella (born Jennifer Lin Colella; September 22, 1974) is an Italian American comedian, actress, and singer. She first began her career in Los Angeles as a comedian and later branched out to musical theater. She had her Broadway debut with a 2003 performance as Sissy in Urban Cowboy, which earned her a 2003 Outer Critic's Circle Award nomination. Colella went on to star in High Fidelity and Chaplin. Her off-Broadway credits include Closer Than Ever and Slut! the Musical, and Side Show.

In 2014, she returned to Broadway in Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey"?s If/Then directed by Michael Greif. She originated the role of Captain Beverley Bass in Come from Away which opened on Broadway in March 2017 and earned her the 2017 Outer Critic's Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical.

Early life

Colella was born in Charleston, South Carolina on September 22, 1974 to Lindy Crawford and Mick Colella. She grew up in Summerville, South Carolina and attended Columbia College as an undergraduate, where she graduated with a dual degree in speech and drama. During this time she served as a company member of the Trustus Theater. Colella went on to attend the University of California, Irvine, where she earned a Master of Fine Arts in Acting. After graduate school Colella remained in Los Angeles, during which time she pursued a career into standup comedy and performed at the Laugh Factory and other comedy clubs in the area.

Career

Theatre

Colella typically works in original productions such as Kiki Baby, where she performed in the lead role and for which she won a 2011 NYMF Award for Outstanding Individual Performance. In 2006 she starred in the world premiere of Twyla Tharp's The Times They Are A-Changin' at the Old Globe Theatre. That same year she also originated the role of Hedda Hopper in Chaplin: The Musical at the La Jolla Playhouse and later carried the role to Broadway. Off-Broadway credits include Don't Quit Your Night Job, Slut! the Musical, and The Great American Trailer Park Musical. In 2011 she performed in Lucky Guy at the Little Shubert Theater.

In 2013 Colella performed in the Broadway show If/Then at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, where she played the supporting role of Anne, a lesbian woman in a same-sex relationship. Colella commented that she was eager to perform the role, stating:

"I"?m thrilled to have the opportunity to play a gay character in If/Then, especially someone like Anne. She"?s a sassy fun-loving girl not unlike myself who"?s in a relationship with Kate (LaChanze). Anne is madly in love and very sincere about taking it to the next level and actually tying the knot. It"?s a very real look at a contemporary lesbian relationship. You don"?t see a lot of that in musical theater."?

The role was not Colella's first lesbian role, as in 2008 she had starred as the titular Beebo Brinker in the The Beebo Brinker Chronicles, based on Ann Bannon's pulp fiction novel about a young lesbian"?s adventures in 1950s Greenwich Village. In the summer of 2015 Colella originated the role of Beverley in the La Jolla Playhouse run of Come from Away, which transferred later in the season to the Seattle Repertory Theatre; it then played Toronto in late 2016 and transferred to Broadway in early 2017.

Comedy, film, and television

Colella started her career as a comedian while pursuing her MFA, during which time she worked the stand-up circuit performing in such places as the Laugh Factory and the Comedy Store in Los Angeles.

She had her television debut in 2008 with the ABC comedy-drama Cashmere Mafia, where she performed as Erika in the season one episode "The Deciders". From there she starred in several other television shows including CBS's The Good Wife and the PBS Tribute to Stephen Sondheim with the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center. Film credits include the film Lay It Down for Good and Uncertainty.

Credits

Theatre

Start year	Production	Role	Notes and awards
2003	Urban Cowboy	Sissy	Original Broadway Production Broadhurst Theatre (March 27, 2003) Nomination - 2003 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical
2004	The Great American Trailer Park Musical	Pippi	World Premiere (Broadway) Revelation Theatre
2005	High Fidelity	Laura	Workshop, New York 2005
	Slut	Delia	Original Off-Broadway Production American Theatre of Actors
2006	The Times They are-A-Changin"?	Cleo	World Premiere La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego, CA (Regional) Performances: Old Globe Theatre
	High Fidelity'	Laura	Original Broadway Production Performances: Imperial Theatre
2008	The Beebo Brinker Chronicles	Beebo Brinker	Performances: 37 Arts Theatre (Theatre B)
2011	Lucky Guy	Chicky Lay	Original Off-Broadway Production Performances: Little Shubert Theatre
	Kiki Baby	Kiki	New York Musical Theatre Festival
2012	Closer Than Ever	Performer	Off-Broadway Production Performances: York Theatre Company at St Peter"?s
	Chaplin	Hedda Hopper	Original Broadway Production Performances: Ethel Barrymore Theatre
2013	If/Then	Anne	Out of town tryouts Performances: National Theatre
2014			Original Broadway Production Performances: Richard Rodgers Theatre, Mar. 30, 2014 - Mar. 22, 2015
2015	Peter Pan	Peter Pan
	Come from Away	Beverley Bass	World Premiere La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego, CA (Regional) Performances: Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre
2016	Evita	Eva Peron	Vancouver Opera
2017	Come from Away	Beverley Bass	Broadway Won- 2017 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Won- 2017 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Nomination - 2017 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical Nomination- 2017 Broadway.com Audience Awards for Favorite Supporting Actress in a Musical

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2008	Cashmere Mafia	Erika	1 episode
2009	Rescue Me	Mickey	1 episode
2010	All My Children'	TV Reporter	1 episode
2010	The Good Wife	Julie	1 episode
2012	Pzazz 101	Jenn	1 episode
	Hedda"?s Headlines: Backstage at "?Chaplin"? with Jenn Colella	Self	Broadway.com Series
2014	Submissions Only	Sarah	2 episodes
2015	Elementary	Blonde Group Wife	1 episode

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2008	Uncertainty	Emily
2009	Lay It Down For Good	Rebecca	short film