Mary Kate Morrissey
Mary Kate Morrissey | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 18, 1989 |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | American |
| Education | Bishop Shanahan High School |
| Alma mater | Syracuse University |
| Occupation(s) | Stage actress, acting and voice instructor |
| Years active | 2013-present |
| Known for | Playing Elphaba in "Wicked (musical)" |
| Spouse |
Trevor Blake (m. 2021) |
| Father | John Morrissey |
Mary Kate Blake[1] (born June 18, 1989), known by her maiden name Mary Kate Morrissey, is an American stage actress. Born in Pennsylvania, Morrissey began her career when she starred as Sheila in the musical Hair and Janis in the Mean Girls musical. She played Elphaba on the national tour of Wicked before serving as the Elphaba standby on Broadway and eventually taking on the role full-time.
Early life
[edit]Mary Kate Morrissey was born in Downingtown, Pennsylvania on June 18, 1989.[2][3] Her father is John Morrissey, a founding partner at Jackson Cross Partners.[4] She has Irish ancestry.[5][6] When asked how she decided what career path she wanted to follow, Morrissey said, "My grandfather used to sing on the Irish Radio and play in a band, and my dad would dress us up like the Rolling Stones when my brothers and sister and I were little and we would put on full-blown lip sync concerts. My parents recognized the performer bug in me and put me in the local high school's production of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, where my second-grade self played a sheep!"[2]
As a child, Morrissey learned how to play the trombone.[6] In her later school years, she took voice lessons and joined numerous choirs such as the Philadelphia All Catholic Chorus and her high school band.[2][7][5] She attended Bishop Shanahan High School in Downington, Pennsylvania and later attended Syracuse University, where she achieved a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Musical Theater.[2][7][8] While at Syracuse University, Morrissey played Meg March in a musical version of the novel Little Women.[9]
Morrissey saw Shoshana Bean and Megan Hilty act in Wicked on Broadway sometime around 2004. Since then, she has been a fan of the play.[10]
Career
[edit]2013-present: Theater, tours, and special events
[edit]Morrissey's acting debut was in 2013, when she played Sheila in Broadway's US and Canada tour of Hair.[2][11][12][9][13] That same year, Morrissey attended the 2013 Emery Awards in New York City alongside Ty Defoe.[14] Morrissey acted in Tamar of the River at the Baruch Performing Arts Center in 2013.[9][15][16] In 2014, Morrissey played Sharon Falconer in a play of Elmer Gantry at Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia and Lizzie Borden in Portland Center Stage's poorly-received rock musical, Lizzie.[9][17][18][19][20]
Morrissey played Janis Sarkisian in the Mean Girls musical national tour in 2019.[10][21][22] That same year, Morrissey served as a standby for Joan and Isabelle on the set of the musical Joan of Arc: Into the Fire.[23][9] Also in 2019, Morrissey played Sara, the Magician's Lovely Assistant in The Disappearing Man at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Rehearsal Studio.[9][24][25]
Morrissey performed songs from Wicked at Side By Side: A Celebration of Service on May 25, 2019 in New York City to celebrate United States Army veterans and their families.[26][27] In 2024, Morrissey performed "Defying Gravity" at New York City Pride while donning a shirt that read "Here, Queer, and Wicked".[28]
2015-present: Wicked
[edit]In 2015, Morrissey served as the standby for Elphaba on the national tour of Wicked. She began to play the role full-time in 2017 alongside Ginna Claire Mason as Glinda until 2018.[2][9][29][30] During this time, Morrissey and Mason developed a strong friendship.[2][31] In 2023, Morrissey became the official standby for Elphaba on Broadway.[29] On March 5, 2024, she began playing the role full-time alongside Alexandra Socha as Glinda. Morrissey replaced Alyssa Fox as Elphaba, and Socha replaced McKenzie Kurtz as Glinda.[11][32][33]
Morrissey confessed to initially having doubts about whether she could play Elphaba, but her family supported her along the way and she eventually got her dream.[10]
2020-present: Acting coaching
[edit]During the COVID-19 pandemic, Morrissey and Mason began Double Name Witches, a virtual theater and voice school for people ages 5-30.[10][34] The program targets students who aspire to act on Broadway.[35] The program turned out to be successful, as Morrissey and Mason received over 100 students.[31]
Morrissey has taught several masterclasses and theater programs for aspiring actors across America. As well as online teaching, Morrissey teaches private lessons from her Brooklyn studio.[34]
Personal life
[edit]Morrissey has been vegan since 2012.[36]
In 2021, Morrissey revealed she had married her longtime boyfriend, Trevor Blake.[37] Though she changed her surname to Blake upon marrying him, she still goes by her maiden name, Morrissey.[1] She owns a puppy named Bear.[35]
Morrissey identifies as queer and is an advocate for queer rights and representation.[38][28]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
- ^ a b c d e f g Abigail (2018-07-07). "Meet the Actresses Behind Two of the World's Most Beloved Onstage Characters". The Everygirl. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Person, Some. "Mary Kate Morrissey Net Worth, Age, Height, Bio, Birthday, Wiki!". ZestSync. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ "John Morrissey on LinkedIn: #wicked #jacksoncross #anniversary #20thanniversary | 15 comments". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ a b "When the Little Girl in Me Connected with Elphaba: My Interview with Mary Kate". When the Little Girl in Me Connected with Elphaba. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ a b "Double Name Witches — The Refuge Blog". The Refuge for DMST. 2020-12-17. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ a b Hostutler, Mark (2019-11-27). "'Mean Girls' Musical Arrives in Philly, Stars Bishop Shanahan Grad". VISTA.Today. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ "Alumna MK Morrissey Stars on Broadway". www.shanahan.org. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Mary Kate Morrissey theatre profile". www.abouttheartists.com. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ a b c d Penzer, Maia (22 August 2023). "3 Remarkable Ways Mary Kate Morrissey Defied the Odds in the Theatre Industry". www.theatrely.com. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ a b "Mary Kate Morrissey and Alexandra Socha to Lead Wicked on Broadway; Donna McKechnie, Brad Oscar & More Join Cast". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ "Performance of musical 'Hair,' showing at Kingsbury Hall". FOX 13 News Utah (KSTU). 2013-01-18. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Wray, Tobias (23 February 2013). "REVIEW: Hair the Musical: It's Got Life". Fayetteville Flyer.
- ^ "Mary Kate Morrissey at the 2013 Emery Awards with Ty Defoe". BFA.com.
- ^ Gioia, Michael (12 August 2014). "Cast of Tamar of the River, Including Rocky's Margo Seibert, Will Reunite for Album Release Concert". Playbill.
- ^ "Tamar of the River at Baruch Performing Arts Center 2013". www.abouttheartists.com. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ "Lizzie (Portland Center Stage)". Willamette Week. 2014-06-11. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ "Wonderful! Mary Kate Morrissey Will Star as Elphaba in the National Tour of Wicked". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, David Stabler | Special to The (2014-05-28). "'Lizzie Borden' rock opera closes Portland Center Stage's season". oregonlive. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ Brassell, Patrick. "BWW Reviews: LIZZIE Is a Bloody Mess at Portland Center Stage". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ Jones, Elinor. "Mean Girls: The Musical Star Mary Kate Morrissey Helps the Weird Art Kids Feel Less Alone". The Stranger. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Medeiros, Linnae. "Meet MEAN GIRLS on Tour's Mary Kate Morrissey!". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ Clement, Olivia (15 March 2017). "Joan of Arc: Into the Fire Opens at the Public". Playbill.
- ^ "Sara, the Magician's Lovely Assistant, character in The Disappearing Man". www.abouttheartists.com. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ "The Disappearing Man at The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Rehearsal Studio 2019". www.abouttheartists.com. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ "Side By Side: A Celebration of Service 2019" (PDF).
- ^ "Mary Kate Morrissey performs during the Side By Side: A Celebration..." Getty Images. 2019-05-25. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
- ^ a b "Watch Mary Kate Morrisey sing 'Defying Gravity' at NYC Pride". www.pride.com. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ a b Smith, Paul Art (16 April 2024). "MEET MARY KATE MORRISSEY AND ALEXANDRA SOCHA, WICKED'S NEWEST WITCHES". Broadway Direct.
- ^ Rabinowitz, Chloe. "Interview: WICKED's Mary Kate Morrissey on Why Taking on Elphaba Full-Time 'Feels Right'". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ a b Jones, Elinor. "Q&A: Mean Girls: The Musical Star Mary Kate Morrissey Helps Weird Art Kids Feel Less Alone". Portland Mercury. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ Hilton, Lauren. "Photos: Mary Kate Morrissey Shares Photos from Rehearsals for WICKED on Broadway". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (5 March 2024). "Donna McKechnie Returns to Broadway in Wicked March 5 Alongside Mary Kate Morrissey, Alexandra Socha, More". Playbill.
- ^ a b "Mary Kate Morrissey | Stella Adler Studio of Acting". 2023-04-26. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ a b "013. Actor: Mary Kate Morrissey". The Breakdown with Robbie. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ "what the heck happened?". almost vegan kitchen. 2012-12-05. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
- ^ Williams-Jent, Ryan (2020-02-13). "Mary Kate Morrissey talks 'Mean Girls,' 'Wicked' and queer representation". Watermark Online. Retrieved 2024-05-13.