Kate Reinders facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kate Reinders
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Reinders at Broadway on Broadway in 2006
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| Born | December 10, 1980 Seattle, Washington, U.S.
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| Years active | 1995–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Andrew Samonsky
(m. 2016) |
| Children | 1 |
Kate Reinders (born December 10, 1980) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her work on Broadway and in TV shows.
You might know her best as Miss Jenn in the Disney+ musical series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. She also played Portia in the Broadway show Something Rotten!. For this role, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2016.
Contents
Kate Reinders' Acting Journey
Early Broadway Roles
Kate Reinders started her Broadway career in 2001. Her first show was The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. She was a "swing" and "understudy" for two characters. An understudy learns a role and is ready to perform if the main actor cannot. A swing learns many roles and can step in for different actors.
Next, she joined the 2002 Broadway revival of Into the Woods. She was an understudy for several main characters, including Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood. Her first main role was as June in the 2003 show Gypsy. Later, she played Caroline in the 2005 musical Good Vibrations.
Playing Glinda in Wicked
In 2005, Kate played Glinda in the Chicago production of Wicked. She starred alongside Ana Gasteyer, who played Elphaba. Kate was even nominated for an award for her role as Glinda.
On May 30, 2006, Kate took over the role of Glinda in the Broadway production of Wicked. While playing Glinda, she sang the song "Popular" on a special celebrity episode of the TV show Jeopardy!. She finished her run as Glinda on January 7, 2007.
Other TV and Stage Work
Kate has appeared in various TV shows. She had a recurring role as Ginger in the third season of Ugly Betty. She also played Paula Morgan in the TV series Sherri.
She was part of a band called Tastiskank with Sarah Litzsinger. Kate also voiced the character Jezebel in the video game Saints Row: Gat out of Hell.
Something Rotten! and High School Musical
In 2015, Kate created the role of Portia in the Broadway musical comedy Something Rotten!. The show opened on April 22, 2015. She performed in it until July 16, 2016.
More recently, Kate played Cynthia Weil in the Broadway show Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Since 2019, she has been starring as Miss Jenn in the popular Disney+ series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.
Kate Reinders' Life
Kate Reinders was born on December 10, 1980, in Seattle, Washington. She married fellow actor Andrew Samonsky in May 2016. They welcomed their son, Luke, in 2017.
Kate Reinders' Performances
Film Roles
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | While You Were Sleeping | Beth |
| 2004 | Kinsey | Female Student #1 |
| 2011 | Certainty | Mary |
| 2013 | Grudge Match | Groupie in Bar |
| 2015 | Russell Madness | Colleen |
Television Roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Blind Justice | Kim Chenowith | 1 episode |
| 2006 | Jeopardy! | Glinda | 1 episode |
| 2008 | 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 | Main role (Season 1-2, 4)
Guest star (Season 3) |
Video Game Roles
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Saints Row: Gat out of Hell | Jezebel Mephistopheles |
Theatre Roles
| 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 |
| 2002 | Into the Woods | u/s Cinderella u/s Milky White u/s Rapunzel u/s Little Red Ridinghood |
Broadway, April 30 – November 2002 |
| 2003 | Gypsy | June | Broadway, May 1, 2003 – May 30, 2004 |
| 2005 | Good Vibrations | Caroline | Broadway, February 2 – April 24, 2005 |
| 2005 | Wicked | Glinda | Chicago production, 2005–2006 |
| 2006 | Wicked | Glinda | Broadway, May 30, 2006 – January 7, 2007 |
| 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
Kate Reinders has been recognized for her talent:
| 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 |
