Barrett Wilbert Weed (born November 6, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for originating the roles of Veronica Sawyer in the
Off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
production of ''
Heathers: The Musical'' and Janis Sarkisian in the
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
production of ''
Mean Girls
''Mean Girls'' is a 2004 American teen comedy film directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey. The film stars Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried (in her film debut), Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler and Fe ...
''.
Early life and education
Weed grew up in
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
, Massachusetts. At age five, she began performing with the Boston Children's Opera. Her father died from cancer when she was seven years old.
Growing up, she attended Long Lake Camp for the Arts in
Long Lake, New York
Long Lake is a town in Hamilton County, New York, United States. The population was 791 at the 2020 census.
The town is named for Long Lake, beside which it sits. A census designated place bearing the same name sits within Long Lake, home ...
.
She attended the
Walnut Hill School
Walnut Hill School for the Arts is an independent boarding school and day school for the arts located in Natick, Massachusetts, United States. It is intended for student artists in grade 9-12.
History and programs
Boarding school
Walnut Hill was ...
for most of high school after transferring from a private preparatory school. In an interview, Weed said of the school, "It's an amazing place — like Hogwarts. Walnut Hill saved my life." She credits the staff and standards of Walnut Hill for much of her later success.
She graduated from
Elon University
Elon University is a private university in Elon, North Carolina. Founded in 1889 as Elon College, Elon is organized into six schools, most of which offer bachelor's degrees and several of which offer master's degrees or professional doctorate d ...
with a
BFA in musical theatre in 2011.
On April 13, 2019, Weed was awarded a 2019 Top 10 Under 10 Alumni Award from Elon University, an award given annually which "recognizes 10 alumni who have graduated between 2018 and 2009 and who have achieved major professional success, serve as difference-makers in their communities and loyally support Elon."
Weed is the niece of actress Kathi Moss, who originated the role of Saraghina in 1982 Broadway production of ''
Nine
9 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
9 or nine may also refer to:
Dates
* AD 9, the ninth year of the AD era
* 9 BC, the ninth year before the AD era
* 9, numerical symbol for the month of September
Places
* Nine, Portugal, a parish in the ...
'' and also appeared in original Broadway productions of ''
Grease'' and ''
Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America.
Grand Hotel may refer to:
Hotels Africa
* Grande Hotel Beir ...
''.
Career
Weed made her Broadway debut in ''
Lysistrata Jones
''Lysistrata Jones'' is a musical comedy adaptation of Aristophanes' comedy ''Lysistrata''. The book is by Douglas Carter Beane and the score is by Lewis Flinn. After a critically acclaimed off-Broadway run with Transport Group Theatre Company ...
'' in November 2011, as an understudy for many of the female roles. The show closed on January 8, 2012.
Her next major role was Nadia in a reworked version of ''
Bare: A Pop Opera'', now called ''
Bare: The Musical'', at
New World Stages
New World Stages is a five-theater, Off-Broadway performing arts complex in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is between 49th and 50th Streets beneath the plaza of the Worldwide Plaza complex at Eighth Avenue.
...
. Previews began on November 19, 2012, with an official opening on December 9, 2012, and the show ran through February 3, 2013.
She then played Zoe Murphy in ''
Dear Evan Hansen
''Dear Evan Hansen'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a book by Steven Levenson. The musical follows Evan Hansen, a high school senior with social anxiety, "who invents an important role for himself in a t ...
'' for the May Reading in 2014.
Weed then originated the leading role of Veronica in ''
Heathers: The Musical'', a musical adaptation of the 1988 cult film ''
Heathers
''Heathers'' is a 1989 American black comedy film written by Daniel Waters and directed by Michael Lehmann, in both of their respective film debuts. The film stars Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk, Kim Walker, and ...
''. The musical premiered at Hudson Backstage Theatre in Los Angeles in the fall of 2013, before moving to New York for its
Off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
incarnation. The show began previews at
New World Stages
New World Stages is a five-theater, Off-Broadway performing arts complex in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is between 49th and 50th Streets beneath the plaza of the Worldwide Plaza complex at Eighth Avenue.
...
on March 15, 2014, with an opening night of March 31. She was nominated for a
Lucille Lortel Award
The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatre ...
and a
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...
for her performance. Weed left the show in June, and the show closed on August 4, 2014.
In September 2014, Weed began performing in ''FOUND The Musical'', a new Off-Broadway musical about the creation of the ''Found'' books and magazines by Davy Rothbart. Weed played the role of Denise. The show opened on October 14 and ran through November 9, 2014.
Weed played the role of
Sally Bowles
Sally Bowles () is a fictional character created by English-American novelist Christopher Isherwood and based upon 19-year-old cabaret singer Jean Ross. The character debuted in Isherwood's 1937 novella ''Sally Bowles'' published by Hogarth Press ...
in the
Signature Theatre production of
''Cabaret'' from May 12 to June 28, 2015, in the
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
area.
For this performance, she won the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical.
Weed narrates "Kill The Boy Band" by Goldy Moldavsky on Audible.com and Audio CD's, which was audio released on March 1, 2016.
Weed starred in the new musical ''
Mean Girls
''Mean Girls'' is a 2004 American teen comedy film directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey. The film stars Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried (in her film debut), Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler and Fe ...
'' as Janis Sarkisian on Broadway. She was part of the world premiere which started on October 31, 2017, and ended December 3, 2017, at the
National Theatre. The musical, based on the film of the same name began previews on
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
on March 12, 2018, and officially opened April 8, 2018. Weed has stated she identifies strongly with the 'outspoken cynicism' of her character.
Co-star
Grey Henson
Grey Henson (born July 2, 1990) is an American actor, dancer, and singer. He originated the role as Damian Hubbard in the Broadway production of ''Mean Girls'', for which he earned a nomination for a 2018 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Featured R ...
and Weed worked together to receive their roles in the production. Her final performance in the role was March 8, 2020.
When she is not acting, Weed enjoys teaching voice and acting lessons to teenagers, as well as teaching
master class
A master class is a Class (education), class given to students of a particular Academic discipline, discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also science, painting, drama, games, or on any other occasion where skills are b ...
es at high schools.
Since 2019, she has played
Stolas Goetia's daughter,
Octavia Goetia, on the popular webseries
Helluva Boss
''Helluva Boss'' is an American adult animation, adult animated web series created by Vivienne Medrano, Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano. It revolves around the misadventures of the employees of I.M.P., an assassination company in Hell. The pilot wa ...
.
On December 2, 2020, it was announced that Weed joined the cast of ''
Bridge and Tunnel
Bridge and Tunnel (often abbreviated B&T or BNT) is a term – often used pejoratively – to describe people who live in communities surrounding the island of Manhattan in New York City, and commute to it for work or entertainment. It refers to ...
,'' a TV show on
Epix
Epix (pronounced ''epics'' and stylized as P) is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by the Epix Entertainment LLC subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), a subsidiary of Amazon's MGM Holdings, Inc. The channel's pr ...
. She plays Lizzie, "the artsy, sarcastic older sister of Pags (Brian Muller), who dreams of rock stardom for her all-girl punk band, Wildfire".
The show aired on Sunday, January 24, 2021.
Artistry
Weed is typically classified as a
mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...
, and is widely known for her high
belting.
Personal life
Weed is an advocate for a number of causes, including female empowerment, gun control, and voting rights.
Filmography
Television
Internet
Theatre credits
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weed, Barrett
1988 births
21st-century American actresses
21st-century American singers
21st-century American women singers
Actresses from Boston
American musical theatre actresses
Elon University alumni
Living people
Musicians from Boston
Singers from Massachusetts