Shannon M. O’Bryan                                            I grew up in Louisville, KY. Started dancing at a very young age and fell in love! I have an unbelievably supportive family. My parents, Bill and Linda, my brother, Jeramie and his wife, Melinda and their amazing children, Conor and Riley along with my fiance, Brian, are my rocks.

          I attended the Youth Performing Arts School in Louisville for High School. Danced several hours every day and thought that I would one day become a company dancer. My mentor, Gail Benedict, was a very successful Broadway actress and a Peggy Sawyer in the original version of ‘42nd Street‘ and nudged me towards musical theatre. She encouraged me to go to college for musical theatre and work more on singing and acting. Singing still makes me nervous to this day, but I love creating these amazing roles onstage. I grew up obsessed with the old movie musicals and by switching to theatre, I felt like I was getting a taste of what it was like to be Ginger Rogers, Eleanor Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Doris Day, Cyd Charisse, or even Judy Garland. Gail had such a huge influence on me though and I couldn’t thank her enough…for my very first audition in New York was for ‘42nd Street‘ and I got the job. That’s when I began my own Peggy journey.
       ‘42nd Street‘ definitely holds a huge spot in my heart. Peggy was always my dream role and remains a dream to perform every night. I also love ‘White Christmas’ (Judy Haynes). ‘West Side Story’ is such a dream to dance and be a part of. I am still hoping to one day do ‘Crazy For You’ (Polly Baker) and ‘Singin’ In The Rain’ (Kathy Seldon). 

         I love hanging out and hoofing with the girls and Andy Lee in ‘Go Into Your Dance’. It’s such a perfect little number. I also love all of the simple scenes between Peggy and Julian. They are so honest and surprisingly potent for this particular style of musical. In our world it is so easy to become bitter and angry, but Peggy breathes life back into Julian and is a charming, simple little reminder of what a beautiful thing we are a part of. In the toughest of times (like today) we have the power of bringing a glimpse of happiness to thousands of people’s lives. We can actually make people happy and forget about everything else for a couple of hours every day. That’s a power that’s worth remembering and fighting for. Peggy saves him by reminding him of why he has spent his life doing what he does.

              I am a tomboy at heart and a huge lover of the great outdoors. I play and watch any sport I possibly can, I love camping and traveling with my fiance. Right now, my favorite thing to do is plan my upcoming wedding and scream and yell at my T.V. for the Yankees.

 What’s on your Ipod? That’s a pretty loaded question! I have a bit of everything on my ipod… from Rock, to Jazz, to oldies, to classical, to musicals, to alternative, to old country and everything in between. Brian (my fiance) is a rock drummer and I’m a very different kind of musician, so we have a huge respect for almost every type of music. It’s the most amazing way to express yourself. Check out Brian’s band, ‘Voice of the Population’ and a couple of our friends ‘Mr. North’, Michael Brunnock, and Toby Lightman.

With Todd Lattimore in 42ND STREET