Jennifer R. Blake is an American actress and producer who has performed in television, film and musical theatre.

Career

Jennifer Blake is a notable alumna of The

Boston Conservatory Boston Conservatory at Berklee (formerly The Boston Conservatory) is a private performing arts conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in dance, music, and theater. Boston Conservatory was founded o ...

, where she earned a BFA in Musical Theatre and has appeared in television, film and musical stage plays in Boston, New York and Los Angeles. She produced and starred in the role of ''

Mindy McCready Malinda Gayle McCready (November 30, 1975 – February 17, 2013) was an American country music singer. Active from 1995 until her death in 2013, she recorded a total of five studio albums. Her debut album, 1996's '' Ten Thousand Angels'', w ...

'' in ''McCready The Musical'' at Spirit Studio in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, May–June, 2015, reimagined and iterated during the Hollywood Fringe Festival, Los Angeles, June, 2016, and reprised Off-Broadway at The Triad Theater, New York City, September, 2016. She was also co-creator and co-producer of the show in New York City. She co-starred in '' Behaving Badly'' (2014). She guest-starred in the prime-time comedy series ''

How to Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life) ''How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)'' is an American single-camera sitcom created by '' Accidentally on Purpose'' creator Claudia Lonow that aired on ABC from April 3 to June 26, 2013. The series was produced by 20th Cen ...

'' in the role of Nirvana on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

. She also guest-starred in the NBC comedy ''

Marlon (TV series) ''Marlon'' is an American television sitcom that stars Marlon Wayans, Essence Atkins, Notlim Taylor, Amir O'Neil, Bresha Webb, and Diallo Riddle. On May 13, 2016, it was ordered to series. The series premiered on August 16, 2017, on NBC. On Sep ...

'' starring ''

Marlon Wayans Marlon Lamont Wayans (born July 23, 1972) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for his work with his brother Shawn Wayans on The WB sitcom ''The Wayans Bros.'' (1995–1999) and the comedy films ''Don't Be a M ...

'' (2017). One of her most notable roles in musical theatre has been as the character Susan in the 2010 Los Angeles premiere of '' itle of show', at the

Celebration Theatre The Celebration Theatre is a 501(c)(3) non-profit theatre company in Los Angeles, founded in 1982. The company is located in West Hollywood, on the west end of Theatre Row, and specializes in works representing the LGBTQ+ experience. History Ce ...

. She was called in for an audition and remarkably learned the role in three weeks. Her performance was awarded Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Musical by StagesceneLA.''2009–2010 StageSceneLA Scenies''
/ref> Jennifer Blake was also critically esteemed for her lead role in ''

Side By Side By Sondheim ''Side by Side by Sondheim'' is a musical revue featuring the songs of composer Stephen Sondheim. Its title is derived from the song "Side by Side by Side" from ''Company''. History The musical had its origins when David Kernan was asked by Cle ...

'' at The Attic Theatre, Los Angeles, and was awarded Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast/Musical by StageSceneLA. She was in the original cast of the

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

New York City production of '' The Donkey Show'', in the roles of Disco Girl/Swing for Hellen/Vinnie/Mia/Oberon. She earned critical acclaim for her 2013 role of Caroline (Ma) in '' Prairie-Oke!'' at the Cavern Club Theatre, Los Angeles. and for her 2012 lead role in '' Are You There God? It's Me, Karen Carpenter'' at the Hudson Mainstage (Los Angeles), reprised in 2013 at the Palm Canyon Theater (Palm Springs, CA). She appeared in a musical based upon the life of ''

Charles Bukowski Henry Charles Bukowski ( ; born Heinrich Karl Bukowski, ; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a German Americans, German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambien ...

'', '' Bukowsical!'', (Swing) at the Sacred Fools Theater Company, Los Angeles, a production which was taken to New York City and presented at the

New York International Fringe Festival The New York International Fringe Festival, or FringeNYC, was a fringe theater festival and one of the largest multi-arts events in North America. It took place over the course of a few weeks in October, spread on more than 20 stages across se ...

, and the show was awarded as Outstanding Musical. She participated in the original cast recording. Other notable roles include ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...

'' in the role of Jeannie at the Bay Street Theatre, New York; ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...

'' in the role of Mary Magdalene at The Attic Theatre, Los Angeles; ''

Chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

'' in the Ensemble and in the role of Vanity Fair Reporter at The Lyric Theatre, Boston; and '' Ex(it) Wounds'' at IO Mainstage, Los Angeles.; ''

The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1692 to 1693. Miller wrote ...

'' in the role of Betty Parris at the ''

Alabama Shakespeare Festival The Alabama Shakespeare Festival (ASF) is among the ten largest Shakespeare festivals in the world. The festival is permanently housed in the Carolyn Blount Theatre in Montgomery, Alabama. ASF puts on 6-9 productions annually, typically includin ...

''; '' Grease'' in the role of Marty at the West Virginia Public Theatre; and ''

The Will Rogers Follies ''The Will Rogers Follies'' is a Musical theatre, musical with a book by Peter Stone (writer), Peter Stone, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Cy Coleman. It focuses on the life and career of humorist and performer Will Rogers, ...

'' in the role of Ziegfeld Girl at the Galveston Island Outdoor Musicals, Texas. Her television appearances have included ''

Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...

'', broadcast on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

, Sketch Artist; ''

Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy, romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO, based on Sex and the City (newspaper column), the newspaper column and 1996 book by Candace Bushnell. It premiered in th ...

'', Co-Star; '' Contest Searchlight'', Co-Star; and in the series ''

'' in the role of Nirvana on

. She also sang on ''

Ryan Adams David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American Rock music, rock and Country music, country singer-songwriter. He has released 30 studio albums and three as a former member of Whiskeytown. In 2000, Adams left Whiskeytown and released ...

album '' Love is Hell'', B sides. She was producer/actor in "The Bar", a comedy web series about the South. In 2024, Jennifer booked the guest star role of Deena Milsap in the acclaimed HBO series The Righteous Gemstones. She shot this in Charleston, SC, with

Danny McBride Daniel Richard McBride (born December 29, 1976) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer. Known for his unique acting and writing style, the accolades he has received include nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and four Sat ...

at the helm, and actor

Michael Rooker Michael Rooker (born April 6, 1955) is an American actor who mainly plays roles of antagonists. He first rose to prominence for portraying the titular role in '' Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer'' (1986), and is best known for starring as Mer ...

starring as her husband, Cobb Milsap. Though her scenes made the director's cut, the studio decided to shorten the episodes for time.

Filmography

Awards

Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Musical for the role of Susan in '' itle of show' from StagesceneLA's Best of LA Theatre Awards 2009–2010 Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast/Musical for ''

'' from StagesceneLA's Best of LA Theatre Awards 2009–2010 Memorable Performance by an Ensemble Cast/Musical Spoof for '' Prairie-Oke'' from StagesceneLA's Best of LA Theatre Awards 2012–2013

Community volunteer activities

Blake has given generously of her time to children in need through CoachArt, Los Angeles, a non-profit organization offering free lessons in the arts and athletics to patients with chronic illnesses and their siblings, ages 6 – 18. She also traveled to Delhi, India, as a volunteer on a build in the Bawana district for

Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a U.S. non-governmental, and tax-exempt 501(C)(3) Christian nonprofit organization which seeks to build affordable housing. The international ...

International's Global Village Program. She produced the ''California for Alabama Benefit at MBAR'', which was for the victims of the 2011 tornadoes that killed hundreds and left thousands homeless or with significant damage. The event was to benefit the local charity California for Alabama: California residents by way of Alabama collecting and delivering donations to the areas of Alabama ravaged by the April 27, 2011 tornado outbreak. Among her other volunteer interests are East L.A. Classic Theatre, the nation's only Latino based Theater Company that offers professionally performed Shakespeare adapted for youth in underserved communities of color and ENRICHLA Interdisciplinary Garden Program, an Environmental Non-profit focused on helping students build a good work ethic, promoting thoughtful and healthy eating habits, and adding edible school gardens to public schools. She has also had a part in The Creative Coalition, the premier nonprofit, nonpartisan social and political advocacy organization of the entertainment industry. and The National Lab Network, a national initiative that connects K-12 teachers with science, technology, engineering and mathematics professionals to bring hands-on learning experiences to students in all 50 states

References

External links

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Jennifer R. Blake, Actor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Jennifer R. Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Actresses from Alabama American television actresses 21st-century American actresses American film actresses Boston Conservatory at Berklee alumni