Mary Kate Morrissey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mary Kate Morrissey | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 18, 1989 |
| Education | Bishop Shanahan High School |
| Alma mater | Syracuse University |
| Occupations | Stage actress, acting and voice instructor |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Known for | Mean Girls musical Wicked musical |
| Spouse |
Trevor Blake (m. 2021) |
| Father | John Morrissey |
Mary Kate Morrissey (born June 18, 1989) is an American stage actress. Born in Pennsylvania, Morrissey began her career when she starred as Sheila in the musical Hair and Janis in the Mean Girls musical. She played Elphaba on the national tour of Wicked before serving as the Elphaba standby on Broadway and eventually taking on the role full-time.
Mary Kate Morrissey was born in Downingtown, Pennsylvania on June 18, 1989.[1][2] Her father is John Morrissey, a founding partner at Jackson Cross Partners.[3] She has Irish ancestry.[4][5] When asked how she decided what career path she wanted to follow, Morrissey said, "My grandfather used to sing on the Irish Radio and play in a band, and my dad would dress us up like the Rolling Stones when my brothers and sister and I were little and we would put on full-blown lip sync concerts. My parents recognized the performer bug in me and put me in the local high school's production of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, where my second-grade self played a sheep!"[1]
As a child, Morrissey learned how to play the trombone.[5] In her later school years, she took voice lessons and joined numerous choirs such as the Philadelphia All Catholic Chorus and her high school band.[1][6][4] She attended Bishop Shanahan High School in Downington, Pennsylvania and later attended Syracuse University, where she achieved a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Musical Theater.[1][6][7] While at Syracuse University, Morrissey played Meg March in a musical version of the novel Little Women.[8]
Morrissey saw Shoshana Bean and Megan Hilty act in Wicked on Broadway sometime around 2004. Since then, she has been a fan of the musical.[9]
