Meg Bussert (born October 21, 1949) is an American

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

and a

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

Early life

Born in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

,"Meg Bussert Biography"
filmreference.com, accessed April 19, 2015 Bussert received her BA degree from Purchase College and her

MAT A mat is a hard or soft floor covering that generally is placed on a floor or other flat surface. Mats serve a range of purposes including: * serving to clean items passed over it, such as a doormat, which removes dirt from the soles of shoe ...

from Manhattanville College.

Career

Bussert made her Broadway debut in the 1973 revival of '' Irene'' as the Debutante. "Meg Bussert Broadway Credits"
playbillvault.com, accessed April 19, 2015 She was the standby for Lettie and Hope Langdon in '' Something's Afoot'' in 1976. Her big break came in 1980 when she was cast in two revivals: ''

The Music Man ''The Music Man'' is a musical theatre, musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns a confidence trick, con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and ...

'' (with

Dick Van Dyke Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, entertainer and comedian. Dick Van Dyke on screen and stage, His work spans screen and stage, and List of awards and nominations received by Dick Van Dyke, his awards includ ...

) as Marian Paroo, and '' Brigadoon'' (with Martin Vidnovic) as Fiona MacLaren. She won the Theatre World Award for her performance in both, and a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nomination as Best Actress in a Musical for the latter. This revival of ''

'' closed after just 21 performances. Bussert appeared as Guinevere opposite

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. Having studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, he rose to prominence as an icon of the British New Wave. He received numerous a ...

as King Arthur in a national tour and 1981 Broadway revival of '' Camelot''. The production was taped for broadcast by

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

and she was nominated for a CableACE Award. In 2005 she was the standby for the character of Florence Foster Jenkins in the Broadway production of ''Souvenir''."Meg Bussert Credits"
broadwayworld.com, accessed April 19, 2015 Bussert's regional theatre credits include ''

'', '' South Pacific'' (US tour, 1985 as Nellie),'' Phantom'' (at the Westchester Broadway Theater in 1992), ''

Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., d ...

'', '' The Most Happy Fella'', and ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

''. In 2010, she performed in ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...

'' at the Ogunquit Playhouse as Mother Abbess. She had previously performed this role at the Paper Mill Playhouse in 2003. She performs in

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

s, recitals, and

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

s. In 2013 she performed in a concert performance at the Laurie Beechman Theatre (New York City), titled "Two Legit to Quit: a Riff-Free Evening". She has appeared in opera and operettas, including concert performances of ''The New Moon'' and ''The Firefly'' at the Town Hall, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera’s ''The Student Prince'' and the Mirvish’s North American tour of '' H.M.S. Pinafore''. She appeared in the Portland Opera production of ''Lucy's Lapses'' in 1990."Meanwhile Down on the Peninsula"
myculturallandscape.blogspot.com, July 25, 2010 Bussert presently is a full-time

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a position ...

in Vocal Performance teaching Acting and Music Theatre Studies at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development."Meg Bussert"
steinhardt.nyu.edu, accessed April 19, 2015

References

External links

* *
NYU faculty biography

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bussert, Meg American women singers American stage actresses American opera singers American cabaret singers State University of New York at Purchase alumni Manhattanville University alumni Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development faculty Actresses from Chicago 1949 births Living people American women academics