Lisa Howard is an American actress and singer. Howard is most known for playing

Siobhan Siobhán is a female name of Irish origin. The most common anglicisations are Siobhan (identical to the Irish spelling but omitting the acute accent over the 'a'), Shavawn, Shebahn, Shevaun and Shivaun. A now uncommon spelling variant is Siubh ...

in '' The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2'' and Rona Lisa Peretti in ''

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee ''The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee'' is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by William Finn, with a book written by Rachel Sheinkin, created by Rebecca Feldman with additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional ...

''. ''Spelling Bee'' went on to win many awards, including the

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

for Best Ensemble. She created the character of Jenny in the new Broadway musical ''

It Shoulda Been You ''It Shoulda Been You'' is a musical with music by Barbara Anselmi and book A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audio ...

'', receiving a nomination for the 2015

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical was an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. The award w ...

Early life

Howard was raised in

Akron Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 census. The Akron metropolitan area, covering Summit and Portage counties, had ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, and graduated from

Firestone High School Firestone Community Learning Center (Firestone CLC), previously known as Harvey S. Firestone High School, is a public high school located on the northwest side of Akron, Ohio. It is one of seven high schools in the Akron Public Schools. The high ...

. She played softball, soccer, volleyball, and a little basketball in her youth. She went on to graduate from

University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is a performing and media arts college of the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. Initially established as the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in 1867, CCM is one of the ...

with a BFA in musical theatre.

TV and film

In 2009, she appeared in the TV series ''

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from September 28, 2006, to April 14, 2010. It is based on the Colombian telenovela ''Yo soy Betty, la fea' ...

'' in the episode '' Plus None'' as Dominatrix. In 2012, she was cast as Siobhan, a member of an Irish coven, in '' The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2''.

''Covita''

On October 6, 2020, the

Lincoln Project The Lincoln Project is an American political action committee (PAC) founded in December 2019 by moderate conservatives and former Republican Party members who oppose U.S. President Donald Trump and Trumpism. During the 2020 presidential elect ...

released a video called ''Covita'' a parody of '' Evita'' criticizing Donald Trump for failing to protect staff from the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Lisa Howard sang the vocals for this video.

Stage roles

Howard originated the role of Jenny Steinberg in the Broadway production of

David Hyde Pierce David Hyde Pierce (born David Pierce; April 3, 1959) is an American actor. Known for his portrayal of psychiatrist Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Frasier'' from 1993 to 2004, he received four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting A ...

-directed ''

''. Howard played the older sister of a Jewish bride, played by

Sierra Boggess Sierra Marjory Boggess (; born May 20, 1982) is an American actress, singer, and figure skater. She is best known for originating the role of Ariel in ''The Little Mermaid'' on Broadway, and for her multiple appearances as Christine Daaé in ' ...

, whose wedding with

David Burtka David Michael Burtka (born May 29, 1975) is an American actor and chef. Early life David Burtka was born in Dearborn, Michigan, the son of Deborah A. Zajas (died 2008) and Daniel Burtka. He is of Polish descent. He grew up in Canton, Michigan, ...

's character is disrupted when her ex-boyfriend shows up at the wedding. Additional cast members included

Tyne Daly Ellen Tyne Daly (; born February 21, 1946) is an American actress whose six-decade career included many leading roles in movies and theater. She has won six Emmy Awards for her television work, a Tony Award, and is a 2011 American Theatre Hall of ...

and Harriet Harris. For her performance, Howard was nominated for the 2015

. Playbill Online named her performance of ''Jenny's Blues'' at the 2015 Tony Awards one of the show's "greatest moments," and ''Rolling Stone'' called it one of the ceremony's best moments.

Broadway

* ''

'' (2005) – Rona Lisa Peretti * ''

South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

'' (2008) – Lt. Genevieve Marshall/Ensemble * ''

9 to 5 Working time or laboring time is the period of time that a person spends at paid Wage labour, labor. Unpaid work, Unpaid labor such as personal housework or caring for children or pets is not considered part of the working week. Many countri ...

'' (2009) – Missy/Ensemble * ''

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert ''The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'' is a 1994 Australian road comedy film written and directed by Stephan Elliott. The plot follows two drag queens (played by Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce) and a transgender woman (Terence St ...

'' (2011) – Diva/Ensemble (replacement) * ''

'' (2015) – Jenny Steinberg (April 14 – August 9, 2015) * '' Escape to Margaritaville'' (2018) – Tammy

Off-Broadway

* ''The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee'' (2005) – Rona Lisa Peretti * ''

Silence! The Musical ''Silence! The Musical'' is a 2005 musical created by Jon Kaplan and Al Kaplan as a parody of the 1991 Academy Award-winning film '' The Silence of the Lambs'', which is in turn based on 1988 novel of the same name by Thomas Harris. The musical ...

'' (2005) – Catherine Martin * ''

Sunday in the Park with George ''Sunday in the Park with George'' is a 1984 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting '' A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La G ...

'' (2016) – Nurse * ''

Titanique ''Titanique'' (sometimes stylized as ''Titaníque'') is a jukebox musical featuring music of Celine Dion, with a book by Tye Blue, Marla Mindelle, and Constantine Rousouli. The musical is a parody of the 1997 film ''Titanic (1997 film), Titanic' ...

'' (2024) – The Unsinkable Molly Brown

Regional/National tours

* ''

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

'' ( St. Louis MUNY, 2003) – Stepsister * ''The Gift of the Magi'' (

Olney Theatre Center Located in Olney, Maryland, the Olney Theatre Center is one of the two official state theaters of Maryland. Olney Theatre Center is situated on in the middle of the Washington–Baltimore–Frederick "triangle." There are three indoor venues: th ...

, 2003) – City Her * ''The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee'' (

Barrington Stage Company Barrington Stage Company (BSC) is a regional theatre company in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. It was co-founded in 1995 by Artistic Director Julianne Boyd, and former Managing Director Susan Sperber in Sheffield, Massachusetts. ...

, 2004) – Rona Janet * ''

Les Miserables LES or Les may refer to: People * Les (given name) * Les (surname) * L.E.S. (producer), hip hop producer Space flight * Launch Entry Suit, worn by Space Shuttle crews * Launch escape system, for spacecraft emergencies * Lincoln Experimental ...

'' (St. Louis MUNY, 2007) – Madame Thénadier * ''

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas ''Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas'' is a 1977 television special directed by Jim Henson, based on the 1971 children's book of the same name by Russell Hoban, itself inspired by "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry. The special features charact ...

'' (

Goodspeed Opera House Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. Its landmark Goodspeed Opera House is a distinctive feature of ...

, 2008) – Mrs. Gretchen Fox * ''

'' (

Ahmanson Theatre The Ahmanson Theatre is one of the four main venues that compose the Los Angeles Music Center. Shows at this theater are produced by Center Theatre Group. History The theatre was built as a result of a donation from Howard F. Ahmanson Sr, the ...

, 2008) – Missy/Ensemble * '' Jim Henson's Emmet Otter'' (Goodspeed Opera House, 2009) – Mrs. Gretchen Fox * ''

Legally Blonde ''Legally Blonde'' is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Robert Luketic and written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, based on Amanda Brown's novel. It stars Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis, Victo ...

'' (St. Louis MUNY, 2011) – Paulette * ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...

'' (

Pittsburgh CLO Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (Pittsburgh CLO) is a nonprofit professional theater company based in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Despite its name, the organization presents musical theatre classics rather than ...

, 2011) * ''

'' (

George Street Playhouse George Street Playhouse is a theater company in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in the city's Civic Square, New Brunswick, Civic Square government and theater district and resident at the newly built New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. The GSP is o ...

, 2011) – Jenny Steinberg * ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * ''Wicked'' (Maguire novel), a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', a 1997 novel series collaboration between Australian children's authors Paul Jennings and Morris ...

'' (Munchkinland Tour, 2022) – Madame Morrible * ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1986 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

'' (

Guthrie Theater The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The concept of the theater was born in 1959 in a series of discussions among Sir Tyrone Gut ...

, 2023) – Witch

References

External links

Official site
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Lisa 21st-century American actresses American musical theatre actresses University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music alumni Living people Actresses from Akron, Ohio 1975 births