Kara Lynn Massey (born February 16, 1985), known professionally as Kara Lindsay, is an American stage actress and singer, best known for her roles as Katherine Plumber in ''

Newsies ''Newsies'' (released as ''The News Boys'' in the United Kingdom) is a 1992 American musical historical comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and directed by choreographer Kenny Ortega in his film directing debut. Loosely based on ...

'' (2012) and

Glinda Glinda is a fictional character created by L. Frank Baum for his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's 1900 children's classic ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', and is the most powerful sorceress in the Land of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Coun ...

in ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * ''Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' ser ...

'' (2014, 2016, 2018, 2019).

Education

Kara Lynn Lindsay was born in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

, and attended Greece Athena High School, studying under acclaimed director and teacher Judith Ranaletta, before studying at

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

, where she received a BFA in acting/musical theatre.

Career

In 2009, Lindsay appeared as

Laura Laura may refer to: People * Laura (given name) * Laura, the British code name for the World War I Belgian spy Marthe Cnockaert Places Australia * Laura, Queensland, a town on the Cape York Peninsula * Laura, South Australia * Laura Bay, a bay on ...

in a

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 ...

production at the

Paper Mill Playhouse Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theater with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey on the Rahway River. Due to its relatively close location to Manhattan, it draws from the pool of actors (and audience members) who live in ...

of ''

Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books is a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adolescence in the Midwestern United States, American M ...

'' with

Melissa Gilbert Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1963) is an American actress, television director, producer, politician, and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. Gilbert began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s, appearing in numerous co ...

, who played Laura in the original television series, as "Ma". Lindsay originated the role of Katherine Plumber in ''

'', a Disney musical written for the stage by

Harvey Fierstein Harvey Forbes Fierstein ( ; born June 6, 1952) is an American actor, playwright and screenwriter. He is best known for his theater work in ''Torch Song Trilogy'' and ''Hairspray'' and movie roles in ''Mrs. Doubtfire'', '' Independence Day'', and ...

, in 2011. The character is the fictional love interest of protagonist Jack Kelly, but Lindsay said she drew inspiration for her portrayal from the real-life investigative journalist,

Nellie Bly Elizabeth Cochran Seaman (born Elizabeth Jane Cochran; May 5, 1864 – January 27, 1922), better known by her pen name Nellie Bly, was an American journalist, industrialist, inventor, and charity worker who was widely known for her record-breaki ...

. She continued her role when ''Newsies'' moved to Broadway and played her final performance on February 2, 2014. From April 2 to November 23, 2014, Lindsay played the role of

in the second national tour of ''

'', where she starred opposite Laurel Harris as Elphaba. She then reprised the role of Glinda on Broadway on December 16, 2014, until January 31, 2016, when she was replaced by Carrie St. Louis, who had previously replaced her on tour as Glinda. On November 1, 2016, Lindsay returned to the role of Glinda on Broadway, replacing Carrie St. Louis. She returned to the 2nd national tour of ''Wicked'' in 2018, and exited the company, alongside

Jackie Burns Jackie or Jacky may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackie (given name), a list of people and fictional characters named Jackie or Jacky ** Jackie, current ring name of female professional wrestler Jacqueline Moore ** Jackie Lee ( ...

, on February 24, 2019, in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

Personal life

In 2008, Lindsay and Kevin Massey met at the final callbacks for ''Little House on the Prairie''. They began dating around 2009, when the show went on tour, and became engaged after the tour had ended. Lindsay married Massey on June 2, 2013. Together they have a son, Emerson Charles Massey, who was born on November 12, 2019. Lindsay and Massey appear annually at the Disney

Epcot Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unreal ...

International Festival of Arts in Orlando, Florida.

Filmography

Television

Theater

References

External links

karalindsay.com
Kara Lindsay's official website
Profile
broadway.com; accessed January 10, 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lindsay, Kara American stage actresses Living people Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts alumni 1985 births Greece Athena High School alumni People from Rochester, New York