Jenni Barber (born July 22, 1983) is an American actress and singer best known for her performances in musical theatre and for her role as Lisa Heffenbacher on '' The Electric Company'' (2009 - 2011).

Early life

Barber was born in Mansfield, Ohio. There she took voice lessons from vocal trainer Lori Turner. She graduated

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

from the

University of Michigan School of Music The University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance is an undergraduate and graduate institution for the performing arts in the United States. It is part of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. The school was founded by Calvin Brainerd ...

with a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachelor ...

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

in 2005, after receiving an Earl V. Moore award.

Career

Television

As previously mentioned, Barber played Lisa Heffenbacher in ''The Electric Company'' 2009 TV series.

Stage

Barber made her Broadway debut as Olive Ostrovsky in '' The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee'' in 2007, after playing the character in San Francisco and Boston productions. In 2008, she appeared in ''

From Up Here "From Up Here" is the thirty-seventh episode of the American television drama series '' The Killing'', which aired on August 4, 2013, as the first of a two-part season finale. The episode is written by Eliza Clark and directed by Phil Abraham. In ...

'' at New York City Center; she had a minor role, but ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' review called her a scene stealer. In 2010, she played Audrey in ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

'', in the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...

's Harvey Theatre. She starred as Toni Simmons in the 2011

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 ...

revival of the play '' Cactus Flower'' in the

Westside Theatre The Westside Theatre is an off-Broadway performance space at 407 West 43rd Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The building houses two auditoriums: the Upstairs Theatre, which s ...

, receiving mixed reviews comparing her to Goldie Hawn in the 1969 film. In 2012, she played

porn actress A pornographic film actor or actress, pornographic performer, adult entertainer, or porn star is a person who performs sex acts in video that is usually characterized as a pornographic movie. Such videos tend to be made in a number of dis ...

Sundown LeMay in '' The Performers'' opposite

Henry Winkler Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE (born October 30, 1945), is an American actor, comedian, author, executive producer, and director. After rising to fame as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the American television series ''Happy Days'', Winkler has ...

and

Cheyenne Jackson Cheyenne David Jackson (born July 12, 1975) is an American actor and singer. His credits include leading roles in Broadway musicals and other stage roles, as well as film and television roles, concert singing, and music recordings. After beginni ...

. In 2013, Barber played

stripper A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at a bachelor party or other private event. M ...

Joan opposite Nathan Lane in the award-winning ''

The Nance ''The Nance'' is a play written by Douglas Carter Beane. It involves the lives of burlesque performers during the 1930s. A "nance" was a camp stock character in vaudeville and burlesque. The play is a production of Lincoln Center Theater that prem ...

''. The following year, she joined the cast of the Broadway production of ''Wicked'', in the role of Glinda. In early 2015, she played Sibyl in the romance '' Private Lives'' at Hartford Stage, followed by Elizabeth, a Mormon wife, in the ''

Encores! Encores! is a Tony-honored concert series dedicated to performing rarely heard American musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, Encores! has revived shows by Irving Berlin, Rodgers & Ha ...

'' revival of '' Paint Your Wagon''.Isherwood, Charles
''Paint Your Wagon'', Starring Keith Carradine, Opens at Encores!"
''The New York Times'', March 19, 2015

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barber, Jenni Actresses from Ohio People from Mansfield, Ohio University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni Living people American stage actresses American television actresses Singers from Ohio 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American singers 1983 births