Jenn Colella is a comedian, actor, and singer. Jenn is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and describes her sexual orientation as “mostly gay”. She is arguably most recognized for originating the role of Captain Beverley Bass in the Broadway musical Come from Away. For her performance in this role, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 2017. Though she did not win the Tony that year, she did win a Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for her performance.
Before Jenn Colella rose to fame on Broadway, she started out her career solely as a comedian. Colella grew up in South Carolina and graduated with a dual degree in speech and drama from a local college. Later, she pursued and eventually earned a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of California, Irvine. Once she graduated, she pursued her career in standup comedy in Los Angeles and performed at the Laugh Factory. Before her success became renowned on Broadway due to her role in Come From Away, Colella performed in many original productions and workshops- both Off-Broadway and on Broadway. Some of those include Urban Cowboy, High Fidelity, and Chaplin.
From 2013-2015, Jenn Colella played the supporting role of Anne in the Broadway musical If/Then at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. She commented that she was very eager to perform the role and was “…thrilled to have the opportunity to play a gay character…” She later stated that If/Then is “…a very real look at a comtemporary lesbian relationship. You don’t see a lot of that in musical theater.” Jenn Colella’s career beautifully paints her efforts to implement genuinity in her work by accepting roles that have meaning to her. Jenn Colella continues to be an activist for the LGBTQ+ community and is a role-model for many.