Beth Malone

Elizabeth Ann "Beth" Malone (born January 2, 1969) 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.

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. Malone played the title role in Annie in middle school, and participated in theatre at Douglas County High School. 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.

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, California, where she began performing in television commercials and performing in many shows in the greater Los Angeles area. Malone is married to Rochelle Schoppert, a music technician.

Malone made her Broadway debut in Ring of Fire in 2006. She appeared Off-Broadway in the musical Bingo: A Winning New Musical at St. Luke's Theatre in 2005. She appeared Off-Broadway in The Marvelous Wonderettes at the Westside Theatre as Betty Jean in 2008.

Malone played the title role in Annie Get Your Gun in the Music Circus at the Wells Fargo Pavilion, Sacramento, California in August 2011, and again at the San Diego Musical Theatre in May 2014. She played the title role in The Unsinkable Molly Brown at The Denver Center Theatre Company in September and October 2014.

Malone has 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." 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.

Malone originated the role of (Big) Alison in the musical Fun Home, from workshops, to the 2013 Off-Broadway production at the Public Theater. She continued the role in the 2015 Broadway production at the Circle in the Square Theatre, which concluded its Broadway engagement on September 10, 2016. Critic Steven Suskin called her performance "the glue that holds the show together." She received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance.

• Lunch Shift, debut solo album, 2008