Lisa Howard (American actress)


Lisa Howard is an American actress and singer. Howard is most known for playing Siobhan in and Rona Lisa Peretti in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Spelling Bee went on to win many awards, including the Drama Desk Award for Best Ensemble. She created the character of Jenny in the new Broadway musical It Shoulda Been You, receiving a
nomination for the 2015 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical.

Early life

Howard was raised in Akron, Ohio, and graduated from Firestone High School. She played softball, soccer, volleyball, and a little basketball in her youth. She went on to graduate from University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music with a BFA in musical theatre.

TV and film

In 2009, she appeared in the TV series Ugly Betty in the episode Plus None as Dominatrix. In 2012, she was cast as Siobhan, a member of an Irish coven, in .

Stage roles

Howard originated the role of Jenny Steinberg in the Broadway production of David Hyde Pierce-directed It Shoulda Been You. Howard played the older sister of a Jewish bride, played by Sierra Boggess, whose wedding with David Burtka's character is disrupted when her ex-boyfriend shows up at the wedding. Additional cast members included Tyne Daly and Harriet Harris. For her performance, Howard was nominated for the 2015 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. Playbill Online named her performance of Jenny's Blues at the 2015 Tony Awards one of the show's "greatest moments," and Rolling Stone called it one of the ceremony's best moments.

Broadway