Emily Skeggs is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 2015 for playing the role of Medium Alison in Fun Home.Clarke, David. BWW "Interview: Emily Skeggs Talks 'Fun Home' 's Humor and Universal Relatability" broadwayworld.com, March 27, 2015, accessed April 30, 2015
Career Skeggs played Muriel in Take Me Along at the Off-Broadway Irish Rep in 2008. Jones, Kenneth. "Irish Rep's 'Take Me Along' Revival Opens Feb. 28 in NYC", playbill.com, February 28, 2008 The production was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival. That year she also performed in the musical Ripcords at the New York International Fringe Festival in August.Jones, Kenneth. " 'Ripcords', a Musical Drama of Post-War Secrets, Reveals Itself at FringeNYC", playbill.com, August 10, 2008
Skeggs played Rebecca in the Huntington Theatre Company (Boston, Massachusetts) production of Our Town in December 2012.Hetrick, Adam. "David Cromer's 'Our Town' Opens at Boston's Huntington Theatre Company Dec. 12", playbill.com, December 12, 2012Emily Skeggs bio israelistage.com, accessed April 30, 2015 She returned to the Irish Rep in 2014 in the musical Transport, in which she played "Polly Cantwell"." 'Transport' Listing" , irishrep.org, accessed May 1, 2015 Also in 2014, she appeared in the Signature Theatre Company's production of And I and Silence as Young Dee.Gordon, David. "Naomi Wallace's 'And I and Silence' Opens at Signature Theatre", theatermania.com, August 26, 2014
Skeggs was the understudy in the Off-Broadway production of Fun Home in 2013 for the roles of Joan and Medium Alison. She replaced Alexandra Socha (who departed the show for personal reasons) in the role of Medium Alison in November 2013.Champion, Lindsay. Alexandra Socha Departs Fun Home; Understudy Emily Skeggs to Assume the Role of Medium Alison", broadway.com, November 27, 2013 She reprised this role for the Broadway production in 2015, when she made her Broadway debut. Skeggs was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical,Gans, Andrew. Playbill.com, April 28, 2015 and received a Theatre World Award for her performance.Viagas, Robert. "Broadway Siblings Megan and Robert Fairchild Among 71st Annual Theatre World Award Winners" playbill.com, May 5, 2015
In 2017, she played the role of activist Roma Guy (when young) in ABC's miniseries When We Rise (2017). The eight-part series is about the LGBT civil rights movement in the United States over several decades.
Skeggs starred in the critically acclaimed comedy Dinner in America, which premiered at Sundance in 2020. She earned praise for her performance opposite Kyle Gallner. The film developed a cult following in 2024 after it was rediscovered and gained popularity on TikTok, particularly for her rendition of the film's original song "Watermelon".
Credits Theatre YearTitleRoleLocationCategoryNotesUnknownDancing at Lughnasa RoseMercutio TroupeRegional2008Take Me AlongMuriel McComberIrish Repertory TheatreOff-Broadway2008RipcordsSusan DaviesNew York International Fringe FestivalRegional2012Our TownRebecca GibbsHuntington Theatre2013Fun HomeMedium Alison/JoanPublic TheaterOff-BroadwayUnderstudy2013–2014Medium AlisonReplaced Alexandra Socha2014TransportPolly CantwellIrish Repertory TheatreOff-Broadway2014And I And SilenceYoung DeeSignature TheatreOff Broadway2015–2016Fun HomeMedium AlisonCircle in the Square TheatreBroadway2025Big BearHeleneThe Elysian TheaterLos Angeles
Film YearTitleRoleNotes2010Mad Mooney's LakeKateShort2011Meat Me in PlainvilleEmmaShort2011Tron Wayne Gacy2016Don't Think TwiceShy Sarah2016The AntsLuAlso writer and producer2017A Lack of Dating in BrooklynJocelynShort2018Mile 22MIT2018The Miseducation of Cameron PostErin2020Dinner in AmericaPatty
Television YearTitleRoleNotes2015Late Night with Seth MeyersMedium AllisonEpisode: "Ed Helms/Alison Bechdel/Fun Home/Brad Wilk"2016SalemBilly4 episodes2017When We RiseYoung Roma Guy7 episodes2019Love You to DeathEsme StollerTV movie
Video games YearTitleRoleNotes2016Peter Panic
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated Work Result 2011 LaGuardia Alumni and Friends Award Outstanding Graduate in Drama Nicole DuFresne Award Outstanding Student in Theatre 2011–2013National Youth Theatre Award Best Actress in a Musical City of Angels EVVY Award Best Actress Macbeth Best Supporting Actress Much Ado About Nothing Dancing at Lughnasa 2015 Tony AwardTony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical Fun Home Theatre World Award 2016Grammy AwardBest Musical Theater Album
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