Lara Teeter (born February 3, 1955) is an American dancer, actor, singer, theater director and college professor.

Biography

Born in Guthrie, Oklahoma, Teeter earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from

Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, graduate master's degrees and docto ...

. He made his

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 ...

debut in the short-lived 1980 musical '' Happy New Year'', followed by another short-lived musical, the stage adaptation of ''

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' is a 1954 American musical film, directed by Stanley Donen, with music by Gene de Paul, lyrics by Johnny Mercer, and choreography by Michael Kidd. The screenplay, by Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, and Do ...

'', which ran on Broadway in 1982 for five performances. For his third stage effort, the 1983 revival of ''

On Your Toes ''On Your Toes'' (1936) is a musical with a book by Richard Rodgers, George Abbott, and Lorenz Hart, music by Rodgers, and lyrics by Hart. It was adapted into a film in 1939. While teaching music at Knickerbocker University, Phil "Junior" Dolan ...

'' he won critical recognition and a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, as "The Hoofer" and "Junior", originally played by Ray Bolger in 1936. He also won the 1983 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Debut Performance. The show ran for 505 performances."'On Your Toes' Broadway Production"
playbillvault.com, accessed September 29, 2015 Additional Broadway credits include ''

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas ''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'' is a musical with a book by Texas author Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and music and lyrics by Carol Hall. It is based on a story by King that was inspired by the real-life Chicken Ranch in La Grang ...

'' and ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 187 ...

'' (chorus). Off-Broadway and national touring credits include the Scarecrow in '' The Wizard of Oz'' (in 1998), '' The Robber Bridegroom'', ''

She Loves Me ''She Loves Me'' is a musical with a book by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. The musical is the third adaptation of the 1937 play '' Parfumerie'' by Hungarian playwright Miklós László, following the 194 ...

'' as Kodaly in 1987 at the Ahmanson Theatre, ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play '' Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons ...

'' as Henry Higgins at the North Shore Music Theatre (Beverly, Massachusetts) in 1999, '' Little Shop of Horrors'', ''

Follies ''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Fol ...

'' in 2005 as "Buddy" and ''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of Claremore, Indian Territory, in 1906, it tell ...

'' (national tour). He appeared with the

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...

in '' Naughty Marietta'' in 1979 as "Private Silas Slick" and ''

The Most Happy Fella ''The Most Happy Fella'' is a 1956 musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Frank Loesser. The story, about a romance between an older man and younger woman, is based on the 1924 play '' They Knew What They Wanted'' by Sidney Howard. The show i ...

'' at

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...

in 1991 as "Herman". He performed in many productions at St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre, commonly called

The Muny The St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre (commonly known as The Muny) is an amphitheatre, amphitheater located in St. Louis, Missouri. The theatre seats 11,000 people with about 1,500 free seats in the last nine rows that are available on a first ...

, in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, Missouri, including "Scuttle" in ''The Little Mermaid'', with his daughter playing "Flounder" in 2011. Teeter commented “At Webster, I teach it. At the Muny, I do it..." He performed the role of Don in '' Singin' in the Rain'' at the Muny in 1995. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2000 portraying Henry Higgins in a tribute to the work of Lerner and Loewe and his

Lyric Opera of Chicago Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the leading opera companies in the United States. It was founded in Chicago in 1954, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox, Nicola Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, with a season that included Maria ...

debut in 2001 performing the role of Steve Sankey in '' Street Scene''. His regional directing credits include ''

'' (Opera Pacific) in 1989, ''

'', at both the San Bernardino Civic Light Opera and the Light Opera Works of Chicago (in 2002),Murphy, H. Lee
"Light Opera Works' `Pirates' is old hat for artistic director"
''Chicago Tribune'', December 27, 2002 '' Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris'' (Hollywood Cinegrill) and ''

'' (Fullerton Civic Light Opera) in 1994. Teeter was the artistic director of Light Opera Works (Evanston, Illinois), starting in August 1999, and directed many shows there, starting with the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta ''The Gondoliers'' in May 2000 and including ''

Ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott J ...

'' (Light Opera Works of Chicago) in 2003 and '' Candide'' (Light Opera Works of Chicago) in 2004.Behrens, Web
"In 'Candide,' Light Opera tackles show with many faces"
''Chicago Tribune'', August 13, 2004

Teaching

Teeter's academic credits include positions at

California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...

, where he helped start the pilot program for a BFA in Musical Theatre and was an associate professor with the theatre and dance department. He held positions at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

and

Shenandoah University Shenandoah University is a private university in Winchester, Virginia. It has an enrollment of approximately 4,000 students across more than 200 areas of study in six schools: College of Arts & Sciences (including the Division of Education and Le ...

. Since 2007 he has been a faculty member at The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at

Webster University Webster University is a private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, Missouri. It has multiple branch locations across the United States and countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa. It offers undergraduate and graduate program ...

, Missouri, where he now serves as an associate professor of theatre and head of musical theatre.

Select recordings

Teeter's recordings include ''

'' (Broadway Revival Cast, 1983), '' Lady, Be Good!'' (Studio Cast, Roxbury Recordings, 1992), ''The Musicality of Rodgers & Hart'' (Compilation, 1997) and '' The Wizard of Oz'' (Original New York Cast, 1998 Grammy nomination).Mandelbaum, Ken
"Ken Mandelbaum's Musicals On Disc: TVT's Paper Mill Pair: 'Follies' & 'Oz'"
Playbill, October 4, 1998 *''On Your Toes'' (1983) *''Lady Be Good'' (1992) *''The Wizard of Oz'' (Grammy Award nominated) (1998)

Personal

Teeter is married to Kristen, a dancer who is also a teacher of jazz and contemporary dance classes. They married at a

Sonoma Valley Sonoma Valley is a valley located in southeastern Sonoma County, California, in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Known as the birthplace of the California wine industry, the valley is home to some of the earliest vineyards a ...

winery, with cast members from the tour of ''The Wizard of Oz'' attending, and celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary in 2013. They have four children.Russell, Stefene
"A Full House: The Teeter Family Signs Up For Adventure"
''St. Louis Magazine'', March 21, 2013

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Teeter, Lara 1955 births Living people American male dancers American male musical theatre actors American theatre directors Oklahoma City University alumni Ponca City High School alumni Male actors from Tulsa, Oklahoma Webster University faculty 20th-century American dancers 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American dancers 21st-century American male actors