Ian Merrigan

{{Short description|American actor (born 1983)}}

{{infobox person

| name = Ian Merrigan

| education = North Carolina School of the Arts {{small|(BA)}}

| occupation = actor, playwright

}}

Ian Merrigan (born February 12, 1983) is an American actor, playwright and musician known for his roles in Paradise, The Chi, and his musical The Unfortunates.{{Cite web |last=Maas |first=Emily Longeretta,Jennifer |date=2025-03-04 |title=‘Paradise’ Finale: Sterling K. Brown and Dan Fogelman on That Killer Reveal, the ‘Bigger Mystery’ Ahead and Whether James Marsden Will Return |url=https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/paradise-finale-who-killed-cal-1236326728/ |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}

In Dan Fogelman's 2025 series Paradise, Merrigan portrayed Trent, the town's librarian. He gained recognition for his role in the unexpected conclusion of the first season.{{Cite web |last=Strause |first=Jackie |date=2025-03-04 |title=‘Paradise’ Creator, Star Answer Finale Cliffhangers and What to Expect in Season 2 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/paradise-finale-cliffhangers-creator-dan-fogelman-season-2-plan-1236153886/ |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}

His musical, The Unfortunates, co-created by Merrigan, Jon Beavers, Ramiz Monsef, Casey Hurt, and Kristoffer Diaz, premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2013.{{Cite web |date=2013-07-28 |title=Oregon Shakespeare Fest, 2013: the Bard, and more |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/oregon-shakespeare-fest-2013-the-bard-and-more/ |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=The Seattle Times |language=en-US}} It was later produced at ACT San Francisco in 2016 before being made available for theatrical licensing in 2021 with Uproar Theatrics.{{Cite web |date=2016-02-19 |title=Review: ‘The Unfortunates’ a surreal, sizzling musical |url=https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2016/02/19/review-the-unfortunates-a-surreal-sizzling-musical/ |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=East Bay Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Harms |first=Talaura |date=2021-06-02 |title=New Licensing Agent Uproar Theatrics Offers New Works With an All-Digital Materials Model |url=https://playbill.com/article/new-licensing-agent-uproar-theatrics-offers-new-works-with-an-all-digital-materials-model |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=Playbill.com}}