Beth Malone
{{short description|American actress and singer (born 1969)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Beth Malone
| image = Beth Malone.JPG
| caption = Malone about to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Mile High Stadium, October 2016.
| birth_name = Elizabeth Ann Malone
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|01|02}}
| birth_place = Auburn, Nebraska, U.S.
| occupation = {{hlist|Actress|singer}}
| spouse = Rochelle Schoppert
| website =
}}
Elizabeth Ann "Beth" Malone (born January 2, 1969){{cite web |title=Person Details for Beth A Malone |url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K5ZC-2P4 |website=FamilySearch.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304211336/https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K5ZC-2P4 |archive-date=March 4, 2016}} is an American actress and singer known for her work in Broadway, off-Broadway and regional theatre. She originated the role of Alison Bechdel in the musical Fun Home, for which she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.{{cite web|title=Beth Malone (Performer)|url=https://www.playbill.com/person/beth-malone-vault-0000071834|website=Playbill|publisher=Playbill Inc.|access-date=3 June 2022}}
Life and education
She was born in Auburn, Nebraska, and raised in Castle Rock, Colorado, the daughter of Peggy and Bill Malone. Her mother is a professional country music singer.{{cite web |title=Special Western Music Guest: Peggy Malone |url=http://www.cowboypoetry.com/peggymalone.htm |website=CowboyPoetry.com |access-date=April 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150609215416/http://www.cowboypoetry.com/peggymalone.htm#Peggy |archive-date=June 9, 2015}} Malone played the title role in Annie in middle school, and participated in theatre at Douglas County High School.{{cite web |last=Moore |first=John |title=Denver's Molly Brown is Denver's Beth Malone |url=http://www.denvercenter.org/blog-posts/news-center/2014/05/14/denver%27s-molly-brown-is-denver%27s-beth-malone |website=DenverCenter.org |access-date=April 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920041326/http://www.denvercenter.org/blog-posts/news-center/2014/05/14/denver's-molly-brown-is-denver's-beth-malone |archive-date=September 20, 2015 |date=May 14, 2014}} Malone first attended Loretto Heights College for musical theatre. When the school closed in 1989 while she was there, she decided not to continue, because she was successful finding work without a degree. She later completed her degree through the University of Northern Colorado in 1996 and earned an MFA in Acting from UC Irvine in 2000.{{cite web |title=Beth Malone Nominated for Best Actress Tony Award in 'Fun Home' |url=https://www.arts.uci.edu/beth-malone-nominated-best-actress-tony-award-%E2%80%9Cfun-home%E2%80%9D |website=UCI School of the Arts |access-date=July 1, 2022 |date=April 29, 2015}}
She began her career working at the Country Dinner Playhouse at the age of 16. Malone moved to New York City at age 21. After a period of not finding work, she returned to Aspen, Colorado, where she was able to play a wide variety of roles. She received her Equity card performing in a production of Baby. She later moved to Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, where she began performing in television commercials and performing in shows in Greater Los Angeles. Malone is married to Rochelle Schoppert, a music technician.{{cite web |last=Oksenhorn |first=Stewart |title=At the corner of Aspen and Broadway |url=https://www.aspentimes.com/news/at-the-corner-of-aspen-and-broadway/ |website=The Aspen Times |access-date=July 1, 2022 |date=July 3, 2009}}{{cite web |last=Oksenhorn |first=Stewart |title=Beth Malone: From the inside out |url=https://www.aspentimes.com/news/beth-malone-from-the-inside-out/ |website=The Aspen Times |access-date=July 1, 2022 |date=January 16, 2011}}{{cite web|last1=Gans| first1=Andrew|title=DIVA TALK: Beth Malone On Creating a Fun Home and Becoming an Unsinkable Molly Brown| url=https://www.playbill.com/article/diva-talk-beth-malone-on-creating-a-fun-home-and-becoming-an-unsinkable-molly-brown-com-331954|website=Playbill|publisher=Playbill Inc.|access-date=July 1, 2022}}{{cite web |last=Paulson |first=Michael |title='Fun Home,' the Musical, Takes Alison Bechdel's Life to Broadway |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/12/theater/fun-home-the-musical-takes-alison-bechdels-life-to-broadway.html |website=The New York Times |date=April 8, 2015}}
= Activism =
Malone performs regularly at benefits for LGBTQ groups and nonprofits.{{cite web |last=Rothaus |first=Steve |date=May 15, 2017 |title=Out Broadway star Beth Malone to sing for LGBTQ fans during Aqua Girl festival |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/gay-south-florida/article150567327.html |access-date=December 3, 2017 |website=Miami Herald}} She is also involved in organizations that advocate for gender equality, like the Aqua Foundation.{{cite web |last=Arnold |first=JW |date=May 17, 2017 |title=Singer Reflects on Life On and Off the Stage |url=https://southfloridagaynews.com/Music/singer-reflects-on-life-on-and-off-the-stage.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171204222914/https://southfloridagaynews.com/Music/singer-reflects-on-life-on-and-off-the-stage.html |archive-date=December 4, 2017 |access-date= |website=South Florida Gay News}} When she was performing in Fun Home, she purposefully made time to talk with young people who were struggling with embracing their identities.
Career
Malone made her Broadway debut in Ring of Fire in 2006. She appeared off-Broadway in Bingo: A Winning New Musical at St. Luke's Theatre in 2005.{{cite book |last=Dietz |first=Dan |title=Off Broadway Musicals, 1910-2007 |date=2010 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0786457311 |page=50 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fgOqZWHCLbUC&pg=PA50 |chapter=Bingo}} She appeared off-Broadway in The Marvelous Wonderettes at the Westside Theatre as Betty Jean in 2008.{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |title=Alvin, Malone and Matlock Will Be The Marvelous Wonderettes Off-Broadway |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/alvin-malone-and-matlock-will-be-the-marvelous-wonderettes-off-broadway-com-152297 |website=Playbill |access-date=July 1, 2022 |date=August 7, 2008}} She also released her first solo album, Lunch Shift, in 2008.{{Cite web |title=The Lunch Shift: Beth Malone |url=https://www.amazon.ca/Lunch-Shift-Beth-Malone/dp/B001383O0Q |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20081030075451/http://www.amazon.ca:80/Lunch-Shift-Beth-Malone/dp/B001383O0Q |archive-date=2008-10-30 |access-date=2025-04-28 |website=Amazon.ca}}
She played the title role in Annie Get Your Gun in the music circus at the Wells Fargo Pavilion in Sacramento, California in August 2011,{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |title=Beth Malone, Edward Watts, Heather Lee Star in Music Circus Annie Get Your Gun, Beginning Aug. 9 |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/beth-malone-edward-watts-heather-lee-star-in-music-circus-annie-get-your-gun-beginning-aug-9-com-181580 |website=Playbill |access-date=July 1, 2022 |date=August 9, 2011}} and again at the San Diego Musical Theatre in May 2014.{{cite web |last=Purcell |first=Carey |title=Annie Get Your Gun, Featuring Beth Malone and Steve Blanchard, Opens May 10 in San Diego |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/annie-get-your-gun-featuring-beth-malone-and-steve-blanchard-opens-may-10-in-san-diego-com-218179 |website=Playbill |access-date=July 1, 2022 |date=May 10, 2014}}
She played the title role in The Unsinkable Molly Brown at Denver Center Theater Company in September and October 2014,{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |title=Beth Malone Is The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Opening Tonight |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/beth-malone-is-the-unsinkable-molly-brown-opening-tonight-com-330873 |website=Playbill |access-date=July 1, 2022 |date=September 19, 2014}} as well as in The Muny's production in July 2017.{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |title=Complete Casting Announced for the Muny's Molly Brown, Starring Beth Malone |url=http://www.playbill.com/article/complete-casting-announced-for-the-munys-molly-brown-starring-beth-malone |website=Playbill |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507091609/http://www.playbill.com/article/complete-casting-announced-for-the-munys-molly-brown-starring-beth-malone |archive-date=May 7, 2017 |date=May 3, 2017}} She played the lead in an industry reading in November 2017 at the Roundabout Theatre Company.{{cite web |last=McPhee |first=Ryan |title=Beth Malone Leads Roundabout Reading of The Unsinkable Molly Brown |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/beth-malone-leads-roundabout-reading-of-the-unsinkable-molly-brown |website=Playbill |date=November 28, 2017}}
Malone originated the role of Alison Bechdel in Fun Home, from workshops to the 2013 off-Broadway production at The Public Theater.{{cite web|last=Gioia|first=Michael|title=Michael Cerveris, Judy Kuhn, Alexandra Socha Among Cast of Fun Home; Other Public Theater Casting Announced, Too|url=https://www.playbill.com/article/michael-cerveris-judy-kuhn-alexandra-socha-among-cast-of-fun-home-other-public-theater-casting-announced-too-com-208341|work=Playbill|access-date=July 1, 2022|date=August 8, 2013}} She continued the role in the 2015 Broadway production at the Circle in the Square Theatre, which closed on September 10, 2016. Critic Steven Suskin called her performance "the glue that holds the show together."{{cite web |last=Suskin |first=Steven |title=ON THE RECORD: Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron's Fun Home |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/on-the-record-jeanine-tesori-and-lisa-krons-fun-home-com-215208 |website=Playbill |access-date=July 1, 2022 |date=February 23, 2014}} She received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance.
Malone played the Angel in certain performances in the Broadway revival of Tony Kushner's play Angels in America at the Neil Simon Theatre. The limited engagement began previews on February 23, opened on March 25, and closed on July 15, 2018.{{Cite news|url=https://www.broadway.com/buzz/190848/beth-malone-more-to-join-nathan-lane-andrew-garfield-in-angels-in-america/|title=Beth Malone & More to Join Nathan Lane & Andrew Garfield in Angels in America|last=Lefkowitz|first=Andy|date=2018-01-09|work=Broadway.com|access-date=2018-01-10|language=en}}{{cite web |last=Musbach |first=Julie |title=Beth Malone Joins ANGELS IN AMERICA, Full Cast Announced |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Beth-Malone-Joins-ANGELS-IN-AMERICA-Full-Cast-Announced-20180109 |website=BroadwayWorld |date=January 9, 2018}}
= ''Beth Malone: So Far...'' =
In 2011, Malone created a one-woman cabaret show titled Beth Malone: So Far. The show tells her life story, "from her offbeat childhood in small-town Colorado, to her not-quite-normal entrance into acting, to her left-of-center adult life." Malone describes this production as an "autobiographical tale about what it was like for [her] to be a rural lesbian in the '70s."{{cite web |last=Eisenbach |first=Helen |date=April 27, 2015 |title=Caught in the Act |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/beth-malone-a-timeline_b_7133020 |access-date=July 1, 2022 |website=The Huffington Post}} The one-hour production takes the audience on a journey through her teenage years and young adulthood, highlighting her relationship with her father and how their relationship changed when she came out.{{cite web |last=Moore |first=John |date=April 6, 2017 |title=The evolving Beth Malone: So Far … So Good |url=https://www.denvercenter.org/news-center/the-evolving-beth-malone-so-far-so-good/ |access-date=July 1, 2022 |website=DenverCenter.org}} Although there are several emotional moments in the show, Malone's presentation is mostly comedic. She has toured with the show in several locations, including Aspen, Colorado, at the Wheeler Opera House in 2011, and in New York City in 2012 at the Davenport Theatre.{{cite web |last=Moore |first=Sarah |date=March 7, 2012 |title=Beth Malone…So Far to Play 45th Street Theatre |url=https://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/beth-maloneso-far-to-play-45th-street-theatre_52004.html |website=TheaterMania}}
Theatre credits
Filmography
class="wikitable sortable"
|+Film |
Start year
! Production ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
---|
2006
| Room 101 | |
2009
| Intelligent Life: Change Your Mind, Change Your World | Narrator |
2011
| Hick | Sherri |
2016
|Carol Bock |
2017
| Herself | Documentary{{cite news |author= |date=July 2018 |title=TransFamily of NW PA Between the Shades Film Screening Pride Kickoff on June 29 |url=https://www.eriegaynews.com/news/article.php?recordid=201807betweentheshadesscreening |access-date=2023-07-24 |work=Erie Gay News}} |
2019
|Tesla |
2021
|Attorney |
2021
| "Sunday" Legend #6 |
2025
| {{TBA}} |
class="wikitable sortable"
|+Television |
Start year
! Production ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
---|
2003
| One Minute Soap Opera | Various | Series regular |
Unknown
| What's On | Host | TV Guide Channel |
2004
| Marge Bolton/Kelly McClaren | 2 episodes |
2005
| Ms. Striker | Episode: "The Prefect of Wanganui" |
rowspan="2"|2015
| Self/Alison Bechdel | Episode: "Ed Helms/Alison Bechdel/Fun Home/Brad Wilk" |
The Good Wife
| Pro-Life Activist | Episode: "Restraint" |
2016
| Claudia Monarch | 8 episodes |
2017
| Bull | Tessa Snyder | Episode: "The Devil, The Detail" |
rowspan="2"|2019
|Samantha |Episode: "The All-American" |
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
|Doctor |Episode: "We Dream of Machine Elves" |
2020
|Melanie Caan |2 episodes |
2021
| All Rise |Sylvia Arthur |Episode: "Caught Up in Circles" |
Awards and nominations
class="wikitable" |
align="center"
! style="background:#B0C4DE"| Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE"| Award ! style="background:#B0C4DE"| Category ! style="background:#B0C4DE"| Nominated Work ! style="background:#B0C4DE"| Result |
2002
| Best Featured Actress in a Musical | You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown | {{nom}} |
2013
| Ovation Award | Best Lead Actress in a Musical | Seven Brides for Seven Brothers | {{won}} |
2015
| rowspan="2"|Fun Home | {{nom}} |
2016
|{{nom}} |
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|1543334}}
- {{IBDB name}}
- {{iobdb name|30830}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malone, Beth}}
Category:Actresses from Nebraska
Category:American musical theatre actresses
Category:21st-century American actresses
Category:21st-century American singers
Category:Actresses from Colorado
Category:People from Auburn, Nebraska
Category:People from Castle Rock, Colorado
Category:University of Northern Colorado alumni
Category:University of California, Irvine alumni
Category:American lesbian actresses
Category:20th-century American actresses
Category:20th-century American singers
Category:20th-century American women singers
Category:21st-century American women singers
Category:Singers from Nebraska
Category:Singers from Colorado
Category:LGBTQ people from Nebraska
Category:LGBTQ people from Colorado