Kendra Kassebaum

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Kendra Kassebaum

Born	May 12, 1973 (1973-05-12) (age 35) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.

Kendra Kassebaum (born May 12, 1973) is an American theatre actress who has performed in many different musicals (both Broadway and non), and is most noted for her role as Glinda in the first national tour and Broadway cast of Wicked.

[edit] Biography

Kendra Kassebaum was born May 12, 1973, in St Louis, Missouri. Her parents are Susie and Dave Kassebaum, and she has one brother, Nicholas. Kendra went to St. Martin of Tours Catholic Elementary School for grades kindergarten to eighth grade.Kendra pursued sports and dancing and did not begin performing until she entered Notre Dame High School. She graduated from high school in 1991. On her graduation day, she received the "Best Actress" award.

Kassebaum then attended Southwest Missouri State University, where she received her B.F.A. in Performing Arts. Afterwards, she toured with Grease briefly before moving to New York City. She received her Equity card quickly and began to pursue acting, but she also earned money by working as a nanny.

Kassebaum debuted on Broadway on September 5, 2000. Since then, she has performed on Broadway in RENT (first as Mark's Mom, then as Maureen Johnson). She was also seen in the 2002 Broadway revival of Assassins, and has toured with Grease and A Chorus Line. She has also performed in numerous regional shows.

Kassebaum originated the role of Glinda in the first national tour of Wicked. Interestingly, she grew up watching the The Wizard of Oz, and her favorite part was when Glinda came down in her bubble. She was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Best Actress in a Regional Performance for her role in Wicked, but lost to then co-star Stephanie J. Block. Kassebaum left the tour in September 2006 after spending a year and a half in the role and was replaced by Megan Hilty.

Kassebaum was seen as Amy in the Seattle production of the Stephen Sondheim musical Company at the 5th Avenue Theatre, starring alongside actor Hugh Panaro. The production ran from October 17, 2006 through November 5, 2006.^[1]

On January 9, 2007, Kassebaum reprised her role as Glinda in the Broadway production of Wicked, replacing Kate Reinders, alongside her former co-stars Julia Murney, Sebastian Arcelus, David Garrison, and Logan Lipton. She and co-star Julia Murney had their final performances with the Broadway company on October 7, 2007. Kassebaum was replaced by Annaleigh Ashford. ^[2]

Kendra appeared as Lorraine in Adam Bock's The Receptionist with former Wicked co-star, Jayne Houdyshell. The show took place at stage 1 of The Manhattan Theater Club. The Receptionist opened October 30, 2007, and ended on December 30, 2007. ^[3]

On May 13, 2008 Kassebaum once again returned to the role of Glinda in the Broadway company of Wicked and is currently starring alongside former tour co-star Stephanie J. Block.^[1]