Celia Keenan-Bolger

Early life and education

Keenan-Bolger was born in Detroit, Michigan, the eldest of three children. She has a sister, Maggie, and a brother, Andrew.

She trained as a youth at the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit and the Detroit School of Arts High School. She also attended Interlochen Center for the Arts. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan's musical theatre performance program.

Career

Keenan-Bolger's regional credits include Johanna in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration in 2002, along with productions at the Goodman Theatre, TheatreWorks and Sundance Theatre Program. In 2003, she originated the role of Clara Johnson in the pre-Broadway world premiere of the Craig Lucas/Adam Guettel musical The Light in the Piazza at Seattle's Intiman Theatre and Chicago's Goodman Theatre. Her Off-Broadway credits include Kindertransport, Little Fish and Summer of '42.

She appeared on the concept cast album of Bright Lights, Big City. She has sung in concert at the Lincoln Center American Songbook Series and at the Michigan Theatre with Audra McDonald. Keenan-Bolger performed as Martha in the 2005 The Secret Garden World AIDS Day benefit concert.

In 2005, Keenan-Bolger made her Broadway debut starring in William Finn's musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, where she originated the role of Olive Ostrovsky. For this performance, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She had appeared in the musical from its beginning at the Barrington Stage Company (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) in July 2004, to the Off-Broadway production at the Second Stage Theatre in January through March 2005. With the original Broadway cast, she returned to The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee for a four-week limited engagement run at the Wadsworth Theatre in Los Angeles from May through June 2007.

She appeared on Broadway in the revival of Les Misérables as street waif Éponine from October 2006 to April 2007, for which she received a Drama Desk Award nomination. She also participated in a reading of Shrek The Musical as Princess Fiona in 2007.

Keenan-Bolger appeared in the Playwrights Horizons production of the new musical Saved with music and lyrics by Michael Friedman and a book by John Dempsey and Rinne Groff in 2008. She appeared in Bachelorette at the Second Stage Theatre and in Adam Bock's A Small Fire, opposite Michele Pawk and Reed Birney.

Keenan-Bolger starred as Mary Flynn in the Encores! production of Merrily We Roll Along, which played at the New York City Center from February 8 through 19, 2012.

In 2011, she starred in the New York Theatre Workshop production of Peter and the Starcatcher, a stage adaptation of the 2004 best-selling children's novel of a similar name. She reprised the role of Molly in the Broadway transfer production of Peter and the Starcatcher, which played at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre from March 28, 2012, through January 20, 2013. Keenan-Bolger received Drama Desk Award and Tony Award nominations for her performance.

Keenan-Bolger played Laura Wingfield in the American Repertory Theater production of The Glass Menagerie alongside Cherry Jones, Zachary Quinto and Brian J. Smith, from February 2, 2013, through March 17, 2013. Keenan-Bolger reprised her role in the production's Broadway transfer, which ran from September 5, 2013, through February 23, 2014, at the Booth Theatre. She received a third Tony Award nomination for her performance.

Keenan-Bolger starred in the Lincoln Center production of Sarah Ruhl's The Oldest Boy, which began performances at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater on October 9, 2014.

She participated in a reading of The Brave Little Toaster: The Musical as the titular character. Others involved included Carol Channing, reprising her role as the Ceiling Fan. In early 2015, she appeared in a live reading of Eric Carle's Animals, Animals for the Autistic Children's Trust in Bangor, Maine.

In 2016, Keenan-Bolger played Varya in the Roundabout Theatre Company production of The Cherry Orchard.

She starred on Broadway in To Kill a Mockingbird as Scout, which opened in December 2018 and closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She received a Tony Award for Featured Actress in a Play, a Drama Desk Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, and a Drama League Award nomination for her performance. Keenan-Bolger reprised her role when the Broadway production reopened in October 2021 and played her final performance on January 2, 2022.

In November 2020, Keenan-Bolger was announced as part of the cast of HBO's new series The Gilded Age. She played Mrs. Bruce in the first season of the show, and it was announced that she would return as a series regular for season 2, which was filmed in 2022.

In 2024, Keenan-Bolger starred on Broadway in Paula Vogel's Mother Play, opposite Jessica Lange and Jim Parsons. The production, a part of Second Stage Theatre's 2023–2024 season, ran at the Hayes Theatre, with previews beginning April 3, before opening on April 25th, 2024. She received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play and won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play. The production closed on June 16, 2024, after its limited run.

On April 29, 2025, it was announced that Keenan-Bolger would be awarded the 2025 Isabelle Stevenson Award, a non-competitive Tony Award, in recognition for her long history of advocacy work through the arts.

Personal life

Keenan-Bolger has been married to actor John Ellison Conlee since 2010. They have a son, born in 2015.

She became an end-of-life doula in 2022 and was the end-of-life doula for Gavin Creel, a close friend of hers.

Acting credits

Film

Television

• Wolverine: The Long Night, Agent Sally Pierce, 2018 (scripted podcast)

Theatre

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. [http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/newseason/sondheim/cast.html#sweeney The Kennedy Center Official Site]
2. Hernandez, Ernio. (June 14, 2003). "That's Amore: Guettel-Lucas Musical, ''The Light in the Piazza'', Opens in Seattle June 14".
3. (November 11, 2005). "Chase, Pasquale, Cavenaugh and More Join All-Star ''Secret Garden'' Benefit Concert".
4. (May 10, 2005). "2004-2005 Tony Nominations Announced; ''Spamalot'' Garners 14 Nominations".
5. Hernandez, Ernio. (March 20, 2005). "Finals: ''The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee'' Closes Off-Broadway; Next Round Is Broadway".
6. (April 3, 2007). "Original ''Spelling Bee'' Cast to Reunite for Musical's L.A. Debut".
7. Lipton, Brian Scott. (April 25, 2007). "2007 Drama Desk Award Nominations Announced".
8. (December 19, 2006). "More ''Miz'': ''Les Misérables'' Revival Extends Broadway Run".
9. Gans, Andrew. (August 10, 2007). "Keenan-Bolger and Sieber Are Part of Aug. 10 ''Shrek'' Reading".
10. Jones, Kenneth. (June 3, 2008). "Gotta Have Faith: ''Saved'', the Musical, Opens in NYC June 3".
11. Hetrick, Adam. (July 12, 2010). "''Bachelorette'', with Keenan-Bolger, Waterston and Herlihy, Begins Off-Broadway July 12".
12. Jones, Kenneth. (January 6, 2011). "Adam Bock's ''A Small Fire'', With Pawk, Birney, Keenan-Bolger, Williams, Opens Jan. 6".
13. Gans, Andrew. (October 11, 2011). "Encores! ''Merrily'' to Feature Colin Donnell, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Betsy Wolfe, Elizabeth Stanley".
14. Rosky, Nicole. (February 16, 2012). "Christian Borle, Adam Chanler-Berat, Celia Keenan-Bolger to Return for Broadway's PETER AND THE STARCATCHER".
15. Denette, Kelsey. (September 28, 2012). "PETER AND THE STARCATCHER Sets Final Broadway Performance for January 20, 2013".
16. Gans, Andrew. (April 29, 2011). "56th Annual Drama Desk Nominations Announced; ''Book of Mormon'' Scores 12 Nominations".
17. "Nominations / 2012 / Actress (Featured Role – Play)".
18. Hetrick, Adam. (October 18, 2012). "Zachary Quinto, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Brian J. Smith Join Cherry Jones for A.R.T.'s ''Glass Menagerie''".
19. Hetrick, Adam. (April 25, 2013). "''The Glass Menagerie'', With Cherry Jones and Zachary Quinto, Will Arrive on Broadway in September".
20. Cox, Gordon. (April 29, 2014). "Tony Nominations: 'Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder' Makes a Killing (FULL LIST)".
21. (August 6, 2014). "Celia Keenan-Bolger and More to Star in Lincoln Center's THE OLDEST BOY; Cast Complete!".
22. Clement, Olivia. (October 16, 2016). "''The Cherry Orchard'' with Diane Lane Opens Tonight on Broadway".
23. McPhee, Ryan. (April 25, 2019). "Nominations for the 2019 Drama Desk Awards Announced; ''Oklahoma!'', ''Tootsie'', ''Rags Parkland'' Lead the Pack".
24. Gans, Andrew. (June 10, 2021). "''To Kill a Mockingbird'' Will Reopen on Broadway With Original Stars Jeff Daniels and Celia Keenan-Bolger".
25. "Audra McDonald, Kelli O'Hara, Celia Keenan-Bolger & More Join HBO's The Gilded Age".
26. (August 2022). "'The Gilded Age' Season 2: The Cast, Release Date & More You Need to Know".
27. (May 16, 2024). "Meet the celebrity-led, Tony-nominated 'Mother Play' Broadway cast".
28. Evans, Greg. (2025-04-29). "Celia Keenan-Bolger To Receive 2025 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award For Advocacy Work".
29. Henderson, Kathy. (January 3, 2011). "A Small Fire's Celia Keenan-Bolger on Saying 'I Do' in Real Life and Onstage". [[Broadway.com]].
30. Gioia, Michael. (May 11, 2015). "Celia Keenan-Bolger and John Ellison Conlee Welcome Baby Boy and Post First Picture!". [[Playbill]].
31. Wontorek, Paul. (May 20, 2025). "Small Acts, Big Impact: 2025 Special Tony Winner Celia Keenan-Bolger’s Legacy of Compassion".
32. "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at The Kennedy Center".
33. [https://www.abouttheartists.com/artists/283906-celia-keenan-bolger Celia Keenan-Bolger Theatre Credits and Profile] AboutTheArtist
34. "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at The Second Stage Theatre".
35. "The Secret Garden at the Manhattan Center Studios".
36. "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Broadway, 2005)".
37. "Les Miserables (Broadway, 2006)".
38. "Original Spelling Bee Cast to Play L.A.’s Wadsworth Theatre".
39. "Saved at Playwrights Horizons".
40. "Bachelorette at McGinn-Cazale Theatre".
41. "A Small Fire at Playwrights Horizons".
42. "Peter and the Starcatcher at New York Theatre Workshop".
43. "Merrily We Roll Along at New York City Center".
44. "Peter Starcatcher (Broadway, 2012)".
45. "The Glass Menagerie at the American Repertory Theater".
46. "The Glass Menagerie (Broadway, 2013)".
47. "The Oldest Boy at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater".
48. "The Cherry Orchard (Broadway, 2016)".
49. "A Parallelogram at Second Stage Theatre".
50. "To Kill a Mockingbird (Broadway, 2018)".
51. "Mother Play (Broadway, 2024)".
52. "Tony Winners Celia Keenan-Bolger and Tony Shalhoub to Take on Sophocles' Antigone Off-Broadway".
53. (May 16, 2019). "''Be More Chill'' Leads Broadway.com Audience Choice Award Winners; ''Pretty Woman'', ''Mockingbird'' Also Take Top Prizes". Broadway.com.
54. "Celia Keenan-Bolger Will Receive the 2025 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award".