Kate Reinders

Kate Reinders (born December 10, 1980[1]) is an American actress and singer, who has performed as lead and understudy in several Broadway shows. Reinders was born in Seattle, Washington, but raised in Spring Lake, Michigan. She attended Western Michigan Christian High School, graduating in 1998.

Kate Reinders
Reinders at Broadway on Broadway in 2006
Born (1980-12-10) December 10, 1980[1]
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
Years active1995–present
Children1

She is best known for appearing as Miss Jenn in the Disney+ musical mockumentary series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019-2023), and for appearing on stage as Portia in the original Broadway cast of Something Rotten!, for which she was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2016.

Career

Reinders' Broadway debut was in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer as a swing and understudy for characters Amy Lawrence and Becky Thatcher. She next joined the 2002 Broadway revival of Into the Woods as an understudy for Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Milky White, and Rapunzel. Her first starring role was in the 2003 revival of Gypsy as June; she went on to play Caroline in the 2005 jukebox musical Good Vibrations.

Reinders played Glinda in the 2005 Chicago production of Wicked, alongside Ana Gasteyer as Elphaba; for this role, she received a Joseph Jefferson Award nomination for Best Actress in a Principal Role. She and Gasteyer finished their runs in the Chicago company on January 22, 2006. On May 30, 2006 Reinders replaced Megan Hilty as Glinda in the Broadway production.[2] While playing this role she performed "Popular" in a Daily Double about Wicked on an all-celebrity episode of Jeopardy!. TV personality Nancy Grace gave the correct question. Reinders ended her run on January 7, 2007, along with former Chicago co-star Ana Gasteyer.

Reinders performed in the show Party Come Here, which ran as part of the Williamstown Theatre Festival from July 25 through August 5, 2007. She appeared in the play The Fabulous Life of a Size Zero at the Off-Broadway DR2 Theater in 2007.[3]

Reinders was also a member of the band Tastiskank, along with Sarah Litzsinger.[4] Reinders and Litzsinger co-starred opposite Constantine Maroulis in an independent TV pilot called Teachers. She also had a recurring role as Ginger on the third season of the television series Ugly Betty. Reinders starred as a regular character, "Paula Morgan", on the Lifetime series Sherri starring former The View co-host Sherri Shepherd. The show premiered on October 5, 2009.

Reinders returned to the Gershwin Theatre on October 27, 2008, and took part in The Yellow Brick Road Not Taken, a selection of scenes and songs cut from early drafts of the musical Wicked.[5]

Reinders appears in the Mohegan Sun commercial "Everyone's Invited", singing to the tune of the Rick James song "Super Freak" alongside former Wicked co-star Saycon Sengbloh.[6] She appears in the concert revue For The Record: Baz Luhrmann in Los Angeles, presented by ROCKLA for Show at Barre. It opened February 12, 2011, and closed June 30, 2011, with Jenna Leigh Green, Arielle Jacobs, and Tracie Thoms.[7] Reinders voices the character Jezebel in the video game Saints Row: Gat out of Hell.

Reinders originated the role of Portia in the Broadway musical comedy Something Rotten!, which opened April 22, 2015, at the St. James Theatre.[8] Her last performance was on July 16, 2016.[9]

Reinders was seen recently on Broadway as the standby for Corky in Meteor Shower.

It was announced on October 8, 2018, that Reinders would assume the role of Cynthia Weil in the Broadway production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, replacing Kara Lindsay on October 19.[10] As of 2019, she has been portraying Miss Jenn in the Disney+ series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.[11][12]

Personal life

Reinders was born on December 10, 1980, in Seattle, Washington. She married fellow actor Andrew Samonsky in May 2016.[13][14] Reinders gave birth to her son Luke in 2017.[15]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1995 While You Were Sleeping Beth
2004 Kinsey Female Student #1
2008 Gerkie Kate short
Transferants Mother short
2009 Freegan Love Her Friend short
2011 Certainty Mary
2013 Grudge Match Groupie in Bar
2014 Such Good People Chloe
#Stuck Alex
2015 Russell Madness Colleen

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2005 Blind Justice Kim Chenowith 1 episode
2006 Jeopardy! Glinda 1 episode
2008 Teachers Katherine Holland TV movie
Ugly Betty Ginger 2 episodes
2009 Sherri Paula 7 episodes
2011 Modern Family Princess 1 episode
2012–13 Work It Kelly 13 episodes
2013 Anger Management Hope 1 episode
2019–23 High School Musical: The Musical: The Series Miss Jenn[16] Main role (Season 1-2, 4)

Guest star (Season 3)

Video games
Year Title Role
2015 Saints Row: Gat out of Hell Jezebel Mephistopheles

Theatre
Year Show Role Notes
2001 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Swing
u/s Amy Lawrence
u/s Becky Thatcher		 Broadway, April 26 – May 13, 2001
Hair Baystreet Theater
2002 Into the Woods Snow White Los Angeles
u/s Cinderella
u/s Milky White
u/s Rapunzel
u/s Little Red Ridinghood		 Broadway, April 30 – November 2002
A Year with Frog and Toad Various Off-Broadway, November 2002 – January 2003
2003 Gypsy June Broadway, May 1, 2003 – May 30, 2004
2004 Nerds New York Stage and Film, July 15–18, 2004
2005 Good Vibrations Caroline Broadway, February 2 – April 24, 2005
Wicked Glinda Chicago production, 2005–2006
2006 Broadway, May 30, 2006 – January 7, 2007
2007 Party Come Here Williamstown Theatre Festival, July 25 – August 5, 2007
The Fabulous Life of a Size Zero Off-Broadway
2008 The Yellow Brick Road Not Taken Performer Broadway, October 27, 2008
2011 For the Record: Baz Luhrmann Show at Barre, Feb. 12 – June 30, 2011
2015 Something Rotten! Portia Broadway, April 22, 2015 – July 16, 2016
2018 Beautiful: The Carole King Musical Cynthia Weil Broadway, October 2018 – February 2019

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Nominee Result
2005 Joseph Jefferson Award Best Actress in a Musical Wicked Nominated
2007 HBO Comedy Arts Festival Breakout Award TASTiSKANK comedy duo (w/ Sarah Litzsinger) Won
2016 Grammy Awards Best Musical Theater Album Something Rotten! Nominated

References
  1. Merrell, Sue (July 5, 2009). "Profile: 'Wicked' actress Kate Reinders makes magic on stage". The Grand Rapids Press. Reinders, 29
  2. Simonson, Robert (May 30, 2006). "Kate Reinders to Join Broadway's Wicked on May 30 as New Glinda". Playbill.
  3. Gans, Andrew (May 18, 2007). "Wicked's Reinders to Be Part of Fabulous Life of a Size Zero Cast". Playbill. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  4. Gans, Andrew (April 5, 2007). "Litzsinger and Reinders to Bring TastiSkank to the George Street Playhouse". Playbill. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  5. Gans, Andrew (October 24, 2008). "Henry, Parker, Reichard and Reinders Join Line-Up for Yellow Brick Road Not Taken Concert". Playbill. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  6. "Mohegan Sun – Super Freak". Splendad.com.
  7. Propst, Andy (February 3, 2011). "Jenna Leigh Green, Arielle Jacobs, Kate Reinders, et al. Set for For the Record: Baz Luhrmann". TheaterMania.
  8. "Something Rotten! Cast & Creative". Broadway.com.
  9. Wiener, Iris (July 18, 2016). "Meet the New Class of Broadway's Something Rotten!". Playbill.
  10. McPhee, Ryan (October 8, 2018). "Kate Reinders to Join Broadway's Beautiful: The Carole King Musical". Playbill.
  11. Petski, Denise (February 15, 2019). "'High School Musical': Disney+ Sets Cast, Starts Production On Streaming Series Reboot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  12. Harnick, Chris (February 15, 2019). "Meet the Cast of Disney's High School Musical: The Musical: The Series". E! News. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  13. Fierberg, Ruthie (March 28, 2016). "Broadway's Andrew Samonsky and Kate Reinders Are Engaged!". Playbill.
  14. Spaner, Whitney (July 3, 2016). "Inside Kate Reinders and Andrew Samonsky's Disney World Wedding". Playbill.
  15. Wong, Curtis M. (December 13, 2019). "How Motherhood Helped 'High School Musical' Star Kate Reinders Land Her Dream Role". HuffPost.
  16. Dinh, Christine (February 15, 2019). "'High School Musical' TV Show Cast Announced: 'Andi Mack's Sofia Wylie & More Join". Hollywood Life. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
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