Jessica Grové

Jessica Grové is a Broadway actress originally from Hilliard, Ohio, who has performed in such Broadway shows as The Wizard of Oz, Les Misérables, and Thoroughly Modern Mille. She also appeared in Off-Broadway productions of Bye Bye Birdie, The Pursuit of Persephone, and more recently Iron Curtain. Jessica's regional theatre credits include Notre Dame de Paris in Las Vegas and Fiddler on the Roof in Oklahoma City. On December 02, 2007 she starred in a benefit concert held at the Hilliard Davidson High School Performing Arts Center for the newly formed Jessica Grové Fund for the Performing Arts, begun to benefit the high school theatre programs of Hilliard Davidson High School, Hilliard Darby High School, and Hilliard Bradley High School. She is currently set to play Libby in the Broadway version of Busker Alley.

Biography

Early life

Jessica Grové was raised in Hilliard, Ohio, and gained her first performance credits at the age of 3, performing in The Music Man with her parents at a local Columbus, Ohio park. She then joined Imaginating Dramatics Co., a small traveling theatre company, performing at libraries and on the Fourth of July, and later The Columbus Children's Theatre, where she first played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. At the age of 7, she first performed on the Hilliard Davidson High School stage in The Sound of Music.

Broadway

While she performed in several Davidson productions, including The King and I, Jessica began to turn her sights on Broadway, auditioning for a role in The Secret Garden at the age of ten. She did not win that particular part, but at the age of 15, she once again became Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, but this time on Broadway with Mickey Rooney. Jessica moved to New York City, where she lived with her mother, taking breaks from national tours to go to high school at Hilliard Davidson.

After spending her senior year in 2000 performing in Notre Dame de Paris in Las Vegas, Jessica graduated from Davidson and prepared to go to New York University. However, over the next four years she won roles in Les Misérables and Les Misérables, and never received her degree in musical theatre.

Production credits

Broadway

Busker Alley

• By: Richard and Robert Sherman
• Director: Tony Walton
• Role: Libby¹
• Other Actors: Jim Dale
• Dates Played: 2008-Present

Thoroughly Modern Millie

• By: Jeanine Tesori (Music), [...] Scanlan (Lyrics and Book), and Richard Morris (Book)
• Director:
• Roles: Rita, New Modern, and Miss Dorothy²
• Other Actors:
• Dates Played: 2004

Les Misérables

• By: Claude-Michel Schönberg (Music and Book), Herbert Kretzmer (Lyrics), and Alain Boublil (Lyrics and Book)
• Director:
• Role: Eponine³
• Other Actors:
• Dates Played: 2001

The Wizard of Oz

• By: L. Frank Baum (Concept and Original Novel)
• Director:
• Role: Dorothy⁴
• Other Actors: Roseanne, Mickey Rooney, Eartha Kitt
• Dates Played: 1997-99

Off-Broadway

Iron Curtain

• By: Stephen Weiner (Music), Peter Mills (Lyrics), and Susan DiLallo (Book)
• Director:
• Role: Masha⁵
• Other Actors:
• Dates Played: 2006

The Pursuit of Persephone

• By: Peter Mills (Music, Lyrics, and Book) and Cara Reichel (Book)
• Director:
• Role: Ginerva King⁶
• Dates Played: 2005

Bye Bye Birdie

• By: Charles Strouse (Music), Lee Adams (Lyrics), and Michael Stewart (Book)
• Director:
• Role: Kim MacAfee⁷
• Dates Played: 2004

Regional

Fiddler on the Roof

• By: Jerry Bock (Music), Sheldon Harnick (Lyrics), and Joseph Stein (Book)
• Director:
• City: Oklahoma City
• Role: Hodel⁸
• Dates Played: 2006

Notre Dame de Paris

• By: Richard Cocciante (Music) and Luc Plamondon (Lyrics); Influenced by the novel Notre Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo
• Director:
• City: Las Vegas
• Roles: Fleur-de-Lys, Esmeralda⁹
• Dates Played: 1999-2000

Charitable events

Broadway Comes Home Benefit Concert

On December 2, 2007, Jessica Grové and a score of Broadway and local Ohio performers held a benefit concert at Hilliard Davidson High School in Hilliard, Ohio to kick off the Hilliard Education Foundation's Jessica Grové Fund for the Performing Arts. The fund will benefit theatre students at Hilliard Davidson High School, Hilliard Darby High School, and Hilliard Bradley High School. The four performers, one of whom was fellow Broadway star Dan Cooney, performed hits from classic Broadway shows, as well as three pop songs and a combination with The Columbus Children's Niña Choir. All ticket sales and private donations were used to launch the Grové Fund, which will help to eliminate financial barriers for talented theatre students. The fund and concert were both developed by Jessica's father, with support from the Hilliard Davidson and Hilliard Darby theatre staffs. The concert was featured, in advance of the performance, in the article "Concert to benefit theatre departments", published by ThisWeek Community Newspapers on November 22, 2007.

See also

• Hilliard Davidson High School
• Les Misérables
• The Wizard of Oz
• Thoroughly Modern Millie
• Fiddler on the Roof
• Notre Dame de Paris
• The Pursuit of Persephone
• Iron Curtain
• Bye Bye Birdie
• Busker Alley
• Broadway
• T.J. Gerckens
• Mandy Fox

External links

• Jessica Grové's Official Website
• Cast Albums of Jessica Grové
• Official Bio on Broadway World
• Busker Alley Aims for Broadway Bow in 2008-2009 Season from Broadway.com