Kristy Cates is best known for her role as Elphaba in the Chicago production of Wicked and as the original understudy in the 2003 Broadway production.
21 Facts About Kristy Cates
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Kristy Cates last appeared on Broadway as Grandma Josephine in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
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Kristy Cates was immediately cast as the singing rooster in the Christmas pageant.
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Kristy Cates performed in community theater productions around her native Northern California, spending 7 years with the Pinole Young Actors group.
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Kristy Cates auditioned for, and was accepted to, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where she spent four years, graduating with a BFA in Musical Theater in 1999.
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Kristy Cates was roommates and friends with Shoshana Bean, a fellow Wicked alum.
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Kristy Cates worked at several regional theaters such as the Lucille Lortel White Barn Theatre, North Bay Opera, the Playhouse on the Green, Merry-Go-Round Playhouse and at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Conference.
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Kristy Cates played Ruth Wallis along with other characters.
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The post went viral, and caught the attention of lyricist Chris Giordano, who adapted Kristy Cates's commute into a musical number, with composer Ryan Edward Wise.
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Kristy Cates was cast in the musical Wicked as an ensemble member and understudy for the role of Elphaba, which was played by Idina Menzel.
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Kristy Cates can be heard on the Original Broadway Cast recording of the show.
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Kristy Cates then returned to the Broadway production and played her final performance on May 29,2005.
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Kristy Cates then became the standby Elphaba in the Chicago sit-down production of the musical, to Ana Gasteyer of Saturday Night Live.
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On January 24,2006, Kristy Cates replaced Gasteyer in the lead role.
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Kristy Cates appeared at the Taste of Chicago and sang the National Anthem on Veterans Weekend at a Chicago Bears football game.
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Kristy Cates left the show on December 10,2006, and was replaced by her standby, Dee Roscioli.
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Kristy Cates sang the National Anthem for the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox games in spring 2007.
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Kristy Cates was cast as Marty in a production of Grease that played in St Louis at The Muny from June 25 to July 3,2007.
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Kristy Cates took part in the reading of a new musical called City of Light.
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In February 2010, Kristy Cates starred as Susan in the Lyric Theatre at the Plaza production of the Stephen Schwartz musical Snapshots in the Plaza District of Oklahoma City.
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Kristy Cates currently serves as the Creative Director of the New York Film Academy Musical Theatre School and has produced or directed student productions of Spring Awakening, Chess, Wedding Singer and Carousel.