# Emily Skeggs

Emily Skeggs (born July 10, 1990) 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.

## Early life and education

She was born in New York City, the daughter of Susan (née Casserly) and Gary Skeggs. Her father is a graphic designer, and her mother works in business. Skeggs graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in 2008 and from Emerson College in 2012 with a degree in theatre and minor in writing. She wrote a play when she was six years old titled Star Girl, which was performed at her school.
At LaGuardia she played the role of Oolie/Donna in City of Angels, in a cast that included Azealia Banks. At Emerson, she played Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, Hero in Much Ado About Nothing, and Maid Marian in Robin Hood.

## Career

Skeggs played Muriel in Take Me Along at the Off-Broadway Irish Rep in 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.
Skeggs played Rebecca in the Huntington Theatre Company (Boston, Massachusetts) production of Our Town in December 2012. She returned to the Irish Rep in 2014 in the musical Transport, in which she played "Polly Cantwell". Also in 2014, she appeared in the Signature Theatre Company's production of And I and Silence as Young Dee.
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. 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, and received a Theatre World Award for her performance.
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

| Year | Title | Role | Location | Category | Notes |
| Unknown | Dancing at Lughnasa | Rose | Mercutio Troupe | Regional | |
| 2008 | Take Me Along | Muriel McComber | Irish Repertory Theatre | Off-Broadway | |
| 2008 | Ripcords | Susan Davies | New York International Fringe Festival | Regional | |
| 2012 | Our Town | Rebecca Gibbs | Huntington Theatre | Regional | |
| 2013 | Fun Home | Medium Alison/Joan | Public Theater | Off-Broadway | Understudy |
| 2013–2014 | Fun Home | Medium Alison | Public Theater | Off-Broadway | Replaced Alexandra Socha |
| 2014 | Transport | Polly Cantwell | Irish Repertory Theatre | Off-Broadway | |
| 2014 | And I And Silence | Young Dee | Signature Theatre | Off Broadway | |
| 2015–2016 | Fun Home | Medium Alison | Circle in the Square Theatre | Broadway | |

### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2010 | Mad Mooney's Lake | Kate | Short |
| 2011 | Meat Me in Plainville | Emma | Short |
| 2011 | Tron Wayne Gacy | | |
| 2016 | Don't Think Twice | Shy Sarah | |
| 2016 | The Ants | Lu | Also writer and producer |
| 2017 | A Lack of Dating in Brooklyn | Jocelyn | Short |
| 2018 | Mile 22 | MIT | |
| 2018 | The Miseducation of Cameron Post | Erin | |
| 2020 | Dinner in America | Patty | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2015 | Late Night with Seth Meyers | Medium Allison | Episode: "Ed Helms/Alison Bechdel/Fun Home/Brad Wilk" |
| 2016 | Salem | Billy | 4 episodes |
| 2017 | When We Rise | Young Roma Guy | 7 episodes |
| 2019 | Love You to Death | Esme Stoller | TV movie |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2016 | Peter Panic | | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
| 2011 | LaGuardia Alumni and Friends Award | Outstanding Graduate in Drama | | Won |
| 2011 | Nicole DuFresne Award | Outstanding Student in Theatre | | Won |
| 2011–2013 | National Youth Theatre Award | Best Actress in a Musical | City of Angels | Won |
| 2011–2013 | EVVY Award | Best Actress | Macbeth | Nominated |
| 2011–2013 | EVVY Award | Best Supporting Actress | Much Ado About Nothing | Nominated |
| 2011–2013 | EVVY Award | Best Supporting Actress | Dancing at Lughnasa | Nominated |
| 2015 | Tony Award | Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Fun Home | Nominated |
| 2015 | Theatre World Award | Theatre World Award | Fun Home | Won |
| 2016 | Grammy Award | Best Musical Theater Album | Fun Home | Nominated |