Born and raised in Richmond Heights, a small suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, Jen… Read Full Bio ↴Born and raised in Richmond Heights, a small suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, Jenn caught the acting bug at a summer day camp between the 4th and 5th grade, playing 'a whitewasher' in TOM SAWYER. Years later, appearing in her first Broadway show, FOOTLOOSE, Jenn discovered her dance partner was the boy who played Tom!

Jenn attended NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, graduating summa cum laude with a B.F.A and a double-major in Drama and Sociology. Jenn was one of four students in her class designated as an 'Artist & Scholar'. While at NYU, she had the privilege of studying Sanford Meisner's acting technique under his student, Lauri Peters. She was also fortunate in college to be cast as Sonya in NYU's main stage production of UNCLE VANYA and as Dot in a studio production of SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE.

After graduation, Jenn's first professional job was playing Anne Frank, touring the country performing primarily for young audiences in American Family Theater's ANNE FRANK, A VOICE HEARD. She then toured both Europe and North Amerca as the shy drama student Serena Katz in FAME, earning a National Broadway Theater Award nomination for the Best Actress in a Musical and recording her first original cast 'album'. She has appeared in numerous developmental project in New York City, most notably playing Amy March in the pre-Broadway production of LITTLE WOMEN, Juliet, and Marthe in the York Theater's presentation of the Richard Rodgers Development Aware recipent, DEVIL IN THE FLESH

Jenn made her Broadway debut in FOOTLOOSE where she played Urleen and understudied the female lead, Ariel. She then appeared Off-Broadway in the ensemble (featured as The Statue Of Liberty) and understudying the young lead, Mary, in REEFER MADNESS.

Jenn returned to Broadway as Brenda in the ensemble of HAIRSPRAY -- which marked her next original cast recording. She left HAIRSPRAY to appear in the Broadway production of A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD. In this delightful adaptation of Arnold Lobel's beloved children's books, Jenn portrayed various denizens of the forest including a bird, a mouse and a little frog. Jenn was overjoyed to return to HAIRSPRAY in the role she originally understudied, Tracy's gum-chewing, saddle-shoed, side-kick Penny Pingleton.

Graduating from side-kick to leading lady status, Jenn went on to play TWO leading roles in the hit 'Elvis musical' ALL SHOOK UP - the love-struck Natalie and her alter-ego Ed. Next up was her high flying adventure as Jane in Disney's TARZAN®. Now, Jenn will be treading the boards as Marie in Mark Twain's newly discovered, farcical comedy IS HE DEAD.

When she's not busy working, Jenn enjoys practing yoga and pilates, bike-riding, hiking, and voraciously reading. In the summer months, you can often find her in Central Park playing second base for her team in the Broadway Show League. She and her husband, Curtis Cregan, also enjoy spending time at their country home in the Catskill mountains.

Jenn Gambatese Lyrics