Episode #22 Stephanie Pope (Pippins, Jelly's Last Jam)
Stephanie Pope is an actress, singer, dancer, writer, director, choreographer, producer, voice actor, performance coach and a musical theater veteran with a career spanning over 35 years. She has appeared in over 10 Broadway shows and recently received both Connecticut Critics Circle Award and Regional Theater Award nominations for her portrayals of Camila Rosario in Lin Manuel Miranda's In The Heights at Playhouse On Park Theater and Tanya in North Carolina Theater's Production of Mama Mia!. Broadway and touring credits include the revival of Pippin, for which she received an Astaire Award nomination, an ACCA Award and the beloved Legacy Robe, Chicago (Velma Kelly),Thoroughly Modern Millie (Muzzy Van Hossmere), Fosse (Leading Player), Smokey Joe's Cafe (Brenda), A Funny Thing… Forum (Gymnasia), Kiss of The Spider Woman (Stand-by for Ms. Chita Rivera), Jelly's Last Jam (The Hunnies) and The Will Rogers Follies...just to name a few.Stephanie has the distinct honor of having been hand-picked to work with the legendary director/choreographer, Bob Fosse, along with his wife and muse, Gwen Verdon on her first two Broadway shows, the revival of Sweet Charity starring Debbie Allen and Bebe Neuwirth and Bob Fosse's Big Deal. She holds the distinct and treasured title of "Fosse Dancer" and is one of a handful of Fosse reconstructeurs teaching Fosse repertoire and Master Classes on behalf of The Verdon Fosse Legacy LLC.Stephanie has shared the stage with such luminaries as Debbie Allen, Chita Rivera, Ben Vereen, Donna McKechnie, MariLu Henner, Gregory Hines, Brian "Stokes" Mitchell Phylicia Rashad and Nathan Lane. She has worked with directors and choreographers such as Tommy Tune, Christopher Chadman, Chet Walker, Anne Reinking, Rob Marshall, Kathleen Marshall, Peter Gennaro, Michael Kidd, Michael Peters, Dianne McIntyre, Jerry Zaks, Lester Wilson, George C. Wolfe, Hal Prince, Alex Sanchez, Diane Paulus, Jason Sparks and Regina Taylor. In addition to her work on the stage, screen and television, Ms. Pope is a producer with several projects in development including a musical she is creating titled Grin and Bare It and an adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's A Touch of The Poet. She most recently produced a new play written by Lloyd Khaner, directed by Tonya Pinkins and starred Chuck Cooper and Robert Cuccioli for the 2021 TRU Virtual Play Reading Series.Her direction and choreography has earned her 3 Connecticut Critics Circle Awards nominations for Outstanding Choreography, Outstanding Production and Outstanding Ensemble for her production of Smokey Joe's Cafe at ACT of CT.She is the recipient of a BroadwayWorld Award for Outstanding Direction of a Play for Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill at Playhouse on Park Theater in Connecticut.Stephanie is also a certified Hot Yoga instructor who In 2008, in an effort to give back to her Harlem community, opened Bikram Yoga East Harlem, which she operated for eight years and was named one of the top 10 hot yoga studios in the country in 2011. She continues to teach hot yoga whenever her schedule permits incorporating her understanding of the human body learned through her years of dance training.When not performing, directing, producing or teaching hot yoga, Stephanie enjoys spending quality time with her husband, Aarne Lofgren and daughter, Mari.
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