Jennifer Kristine Gillis | |
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Born | Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada | 26 April 1996
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Years active | 2013–present |
Jennifer Kristine Gillis (born 26 April 1996) is a Canadian singer, dancer and actress with an extensive resume in musical theatre, television, singing, radio, recording, and animated voice-over work. Gillis is most noted for performing in Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's CBC TV reality show Over the Rainbow [1] -a competition to be cast as the leading role of Dorothy Gale in Lloyd Webber's forthcoming production of The Wizard of Oz in Toronto, Ontario. [2] Being the youngest aspiring singer in the competition, she singularly represented her province of British Columbia and as a result was named the Top 6th musical theatre performer in all of Canada. [3] Since Over the Rainbow, Gillis sang the Canadian national anthem "O Canada" for the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario on Canada Day in 2013. She is a professional Canadian Musical Theatre Actress performing in roles such as Maria in West Side Story, Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Beth in Little Women, Millie Dilmount in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Gertrude McFuzz in Seussical, Ariel Moore in Footloose and more . [4]
Gillis was born and raised in Coquitlam, British Columbia, the older sister of Rachelle Gillis, also an actress, who has appeared in the Disney XD film Pants on Fire. She was involved in the performing arts industry from a very young age and at the age of seven, Gillis was scouted by Carrier Talent Management, a talent agency in Central Vancouver and began her career as a TV actress. On screen, Gillis appeared in many television commercials for toy companies such as Mattel (Barbie, Polly Pocket, and Fur Real Friends). Gillis then performed animated voice-over work. Gillis appeared in the TV series Bratz and also did many radio commercials for companies such as John Casablancas, Newland Homes, The Canadian Cancer Society, Shaw, and BLT DVD Productions. Gillis attended Gleneagle Secondary School, concentrating in the performing arts. Gillis appeared in many of her school's musical theatre productions, playing such roles as Millie Dilmount in the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie , Gertrude Mcfuzz in Seussical the Musical , [5] Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Ariel Moore in the musical Footloose . She graduated in 2014.
Since the age of six, Gillis trained with Lindbjerg Academy of Performing Arts in her hometown of Coquitlam, British Columbia for over 10 consecutive years, training and studying musical theatre-singing, dancing and acting. With the performing arts academy she toured all around Greater British Columbia performing in many professional productions.
Gillis has played leading roles all across Canada in Professional Canadian Musicals. Roles include Ariel in Disney's "The Little Mermaid," Maria in "West Side Story," Beth in "Little Women," Millie Dilmount in "Thoroughly Modern Millie," Ariel Moore in "Footloose," Miss. Dorothy Brown in "Thoroughly Modern Millie," Gertrude McFuzz in "Seussical," Diana in "Anne of Green Gables," Kim MacAfee in "Bye Bye Birdie," Little Red in "Into the Woods" to name select credits. Gillis recently began teaching musical theatre in her home province of British Columbia.
While still in school, Gillis was chosen from over 9,000 girls to be in the final ten and perform live, on the CBC reality TV show Over the Rainbow for the chance to play Dorothy Gale in Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's forthcoming musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz . [6] She was the youngest competitor in the competition and singularly represented her hometown of Coquitlam and province of British Columbia. [7]
Song | |
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Top 100 Audition (06/01/12) | "Over the Rainbow" (from The Wizard of Oz ) |
Top 20 Callback (06/21/12) | "The Trolley Song" (from Meet Me in St. Louis ) |
Top 10 Callback (08/30/12) | "On My Own" (from Les Miserables ) |
Week 1 Solo (09/16/12) | "Whistle Down the Wind" (from Whistle Down the Wind ) |
Week 1 Group (09/17/12) | "One" (from A Chorus Line ) |
Week 2 Solo (09/23/12) | "I'll Stand By You" (The Pretenders) |
Week 2 Group (09/24/12) | "Defying Gravity" (from Wicked ) |
Week 3 Solo (10/07/12) | "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (from Mary Poppins ) |
Week 3 Group (10/08/12) | "Anything You Can Do" (from Annie Get Your Gun ) |
Week 4 Solo (10/14/12) | "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (Queen) |
Week 4 Group (10/15/12) | "I Enjoy Being a Girl" (from Flower Drum Song ) |
Week 4 Sing Off (10/15/12) | "Tell Me On a Sunday" (from Tell Me On a Sunday ) |
On Canada's 146th birthday, Gillis was asked by the Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper and the Canadian Minister of Heritage James Moore to sing the Canadian national anthem to honour the country of Canada. Both the Prime Minister and Minister of Heritage saw Gillis on Over the Rainbow and felt that she would represent Canada perfectly. [8] Gillis sang the anthem bilingually in front of a live audience with over 80,000 people at Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Gillis sang alongside Canadian artists such as Carly Rae Jepsen, Chris Hadfield, Marie-Mai, Metric, La Radio La Radio, Terri Clarke and many more to celebrate the big day. After the ceremony Gillis was congratulated by Stephen Harper (and family), the Governor General of Canada and the Senator of Canada. [9]
Gillis recorded her version of the Canadian National Anthem "O Canada" that she sang for the Prime Minister and Canada's 146th birthday celebration.
Seussical, sometimes Seussical the Musical, is a musical comedy by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, based on the many children's stories of Dr. Seuss, with most of its plot being based on Horton Hears a Who!, Gertrude McFuzz, and Horton Hatches the Egg while incorporating many other stories. The musical's name is a portmanteau of "Seuss" and the word "musical". Following its Broadway debut in 2000, the show was widely panned by critics, and closed in 2001 with huge financial losses. It has spawned two US national tours and a West End production, and has become a frequent production for schools and regional theaters.
Thoroughly Modern Millie is a 1967 American musical-romantic comedy film directed by George Roy Hill and starring Julie Andrews. The screenplay, by Richard Morris based on the 1956 British musical Chrysanthemum, follows a naïve young woman who finds herself in a series of madcap adventures when she sets her sights on marrying her wealthy boss. The film also stars Mary Tyler Moore, James Fox, John Gavin, Carol Channing, and Beatrice Lillie.
Footloose is a 1984 American musical drama film directed by Herbert Ross and written by Dean Pitchford. It tells the story of Ren McCormack, a teenager from Chicago who moves to a small town, where he attempts to overturn the ban on dancing instituted by the efforts of a local minister.
Sutton Lenore Foster is an American actress. She is known for her work on the Broadway stage, for which she has won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical twice, in 2002 for her role as Millie Dillmount in Thoroughly Modern Millie, and in 2011 for her performance as Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, a role which she reprised in 2021 for a production in London and for which she received a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Her other Broadway credits include Grease, Little Women, The Drowsy Chaperone, Young Frankenstein, Shrek the Musical, Violet, The Music Man, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and Once Upon a Mattress. On television, Foster played the lead role in the short-lived ABC Family comedy-drama Bunheads from 2012 to 2013. From 2015 to 2021, she starred in the TV Land comedy-drama Younger.
Jennifer Laura Thompson is an American actress and singer, best known for her theatrical performances. She originated the role of Cynthia Murphy in the Tony Award-winning musical, Dear Evan Hansen, and received a Tony Award nomination for her performance as Hope Cladwell in Urinetown. She is also known for being the first replacement for Kristen Chenoweth as Glinda in Wicked on Broadway.
Leslie Marian Uggams is an American actress and singer. After beginning her career as a child in the early 1950s, she garnered acclaim for her role in the Broadway musical Hallelujah, Baby!, winning a Theatre World Award in 1967 and the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 1968. Uggams gained wider recognition for portraying Kizzy Reynolds in the television miniseries Roots (1977), earning Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations for her performance.
Gleneagle Secondary School, or simply Gleneagle, is a public coeducational high school located in Coquitlam, British Columbia, established in 1997. It is run by School District 43 Coquitlam. Gleneagle serves grades 9-12 and has an enrolment of about 1500 students. In addition to academic programs, Gleneagle offers specialty programs such as ACE-IT Culinary Arts and Hairdressing, the COAST outdoor education program, the grade 9 JumpstART art program, and the school district's TALONS gifted program.
Footloose is a 1998 musical based on the 1984 film of the same name. The music is by Tom Snow, the lyrics by Dean Pitchford, and the book by Pitchford and Walter Bobbie.
Lorna Want is a British theatre actress known mostly for her musical theatre roles in London's West End. She won a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for her performance in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. She has also appeared on television
Thoroughly Modern Millie is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori, lyrics by Dick Scanlan, and a book by Richard Morris and Scanlan. It is based on the 1967 film of the same name, which itself was based on the British musical Chrysanthemum, which opened in London in 1956. Thoroughly Modern Millie tells the story of a small-town girl, Millie Dillmount, who comes to New York City to marry for money instead of love – a thoroughly modern aim in 1922, when women were just entering the workforce. Millie soon begins to take delight in the flapper lifestyle, but problems arise when she checks into a hotel owned by the leader of a white slavery ring in China. The style of the musical is comic pastiche. Like the film on which it is based, it interpolates new tunes with some previously written songs.
The Little Mermaid is a stage musical produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, based on the 1989 film by Walt Disney Animation Studios and the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a mermaid who dreams of the world above the sea and gives up her voice to find true love. Its book is by Doug Wright, music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman, with additional lyrics by Glenn Slater. Its underwater setting and story about aquatic characters requires unusual technical designs and strategies to create gliding movements for the actors.
Carousel Theatre is a professional theatre company for young audiences located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The company stages plays for young people, families and educators at the Waterfront Theatre and Performance Works on Granville Island and tours to elementary schools across British Columbia and Canada. It was also the first Canadian theatre company to offer signing during its performances for the hearing impaired. Carousel Theatre is a member of PACT, the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres.
Bailey Noel Hanks Weidman is an American singer, actress, and dancer best known for winning MTV's Legally Blonde: The Musical – The Search for Elle Woods. She performed on Broadway as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical in 2008.
Robyn North is an English soprano and musical theatre actress. She trained at the Sandy Gray School of Dancing, and the London Studio Centre on full scholarship. Robyn is married to Neil Franklin.
Footloose is a 2011 American musical drama film co-written and directed by Craig Brewer. It is a remake of the 1984 film of the same name, and stars Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Andie MacDowell and Dennis Quaid. The film follows a young man who moves from Boston to a small Southern town and protests the town's ban against dancing. Filming took place from September to November 2010 in Georgia. It was released in Australia and New Zealand on October 6, 2011, and in North America on October 14, 2011. It grossed $15.5 million in its opening weekend and $63 million worldwide.
The Wizard of Oz is a 2011 musical based on the 1939 film of the same name in turn based on L. Frank Baum's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with a book adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeremy Sams. The musical uses the Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg songs from the film and includes some new songs and additional music by Lloyd Webber and additional lyrics by Tim Rice. It is the third stage musical adaptation of the film following the 1942 version for the St. Louis Municipal Opera and the 1987 version for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Over the Rainbow is a Canadian reality talent competition, which premiered on CBC Television on September 16, 2012. Based on the 2010 series Over the Rainbow in the United Kingdom, the series auditioned aspiring musical theatre performers for the role of Dorothy for a Toronto production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. The series was hosted by Daryn Jones. Arlene Phillips, Thom Allison, and Louise Pitre served as judges alongside Webber.
Diana Kaarina is a Canadian actress based in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is known for her voice acting work in animation and video games, notably as the voice of Barbie in the eponymous film series between 2010 and 2011. She is also active in theatrical performances.
Amanda Jeannette Bridel, known as AJ Bridel, is a Canadian actress and singer. She first rose to prominence as a finalist on Over the Rainbow, where she finished in third-place. Since then, Bridel originated the role of Lauren in the Canadian premiere of Kinky Boots at the Royal Alexandra Theatre and has appeared in several regional productions across Ontario. In 2022, Bridel started voicing the main character Pipp Petals in the My Little Pony series.
Danielle Wade is a Canadian actress and singer. She first rose to prominence for winning the 2012 Canadian reality television series, Over the Rainbow. She originated the role of Dorothy Gale in the Andrew Lloyd Webber production of The Wizard of Oz, which began performances at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in December 2012. She continued on in the role for the subsequent North American tour of The Wizard of Oz.