# Asmeret Ghebremichael

Asmeret Ghebremichael is an American actress, director, and singer, known for her work in The Notebook, Submissions Only, and The Book of Mormon.

## Early life and education

Ghebremichael grew up in Churchill, Pennsylvania, with her parents and younger sister. As a child, she trained in dance and musical theatre at the Abby Lee Dance Company and was taught by Abby Lee Miller. Ghebremichael attended Woodland Hills High School and earned a B.S. in communications from New York University.

## Career

Ghebremichael made her Broadway debut in 1999, playing Rusty, Wendy Jo, Urleen, and the Ensemble (varying) in Footloose. She later appeared in the ensembles of Wicked and Spamalot (she also played the minstrel) on Broadway, as well as Lone Star Love and In the Heights (for which she won a Drama Desk Award) off-Broadway. In 2007, she played Pilar in Legally Blonde on Broadway. The show was filmed for TV, and in 2008 she began also understudying the roles of Shandi and Brooke Wyndham.
Ghebremichael also appeared on the reality competition show Legally Blonde: The Musical – The Search for Elle Woods twice. The show closed in 2008, and after appearing in the film Confessions of a Shopaholic, she began playing Raina Pearl in the web series Submissions Only. She also played Shawanda in the original Broadway cast of Elf: The Musical.
In 2011 she appeared in the ensemble of The Book of Mormon on Broadway. She later played Nabulungi on Broadway, and in the show's West End production, which she started in February 2016. In 2015, she appeared as a munchkin in The Wiz Live! on NBC. In 2017 she joined the West End cast of Dreamgirls as Lorrell Robinson.

## Theatre credits

| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
| 1999 | Footloose | Rusty (u/s)/Wendy Jo (u/s)/Urleen (u/s)- (replacement) | Broadway, Feb 14 – August 25, 1999 |
| 2004 | Lone Star Love | Ensemble | off-Broadway |
| Unknown | Wicked | Ensemble- (replacement) | Broadway |
| Unknown | Spamalot | Minstrel- (replacement) | Broadway |
| 2007 | In the Heights | Ensemble | off-Broadway |
| 2007 | Legally Blonde | Pilar/Shandi (u/s)/Brooke Wyndham (u/s) | Broadway, July 2, 2007 – October 19, 2008 |
| 2010 | Elf | Shawanda | Broadway, November 14, 2010 – January 2, 2011 |
| 2011 | The Book of Mormon | assistant dance captain/Nabulungi (u/s) | Broadway, March 24, 2011 – November 25, 2012 |
| 2013 | The Book of Mormon | Nabulungi | Broadway, Aug 6 – December 1, 2013 |
| 2015 | The Book of Mormon | Nabulungi | West End, Nov. 2015–2016 |
| 2016 | Sweet Charity | Nickie | Off-Broadway, November 2, 2016 - January 8, 2017 |
| 2017 | Dreamgirls | Lorrell Robinson | West End, March 23, 2017 - January 12, 2019 |

## Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2007 | Legally Blonde: The Musical | Pilar | Filmed stage production |
| 2008 | Legally Blonde: The Musical – The Search for Elle Woods | Self | 2 episodes |
| 2010–14 | Submissions Only | Raina Pearl | 14 episodes |
| 2014 | Los Feliz, 90027 | Self | unaired pilot |
| 2015 | Trevor Moore: High in Church | Singer | TV movie |
| 2015 | The Adventures of Lillian Kate | Alexi | 3 episodes |
| 2015 | The Wiz Live! | Munchkin | TV movie |
| 2022 | WeCrashed | Renee | |

## Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2008 | The Drummer | Ivy | Short |
| 2009 | Confessions of a Shopaholic | Alette Receptionist | |
| 2009 | Red Hook | Asmeret | |
| 2014 | Russian Broadway Shut Down | Lesbian | Short |
| 2015 | Sad Studs | Blood Donor | Short |

## Discography

| Year | Title | Notes |
| 2010 | Elf (Original Broadway Cast Recording) | Featured vocals |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
| 2007 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Ensemble Performance | In the Heights | Won |
| 2017 | Lucille Lortel Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Sweet Charity | Nominated |
| 2017 | Chita Rivera Awards | Outstanding Outstanding Female Dancer in an Off-Broadway Show | Sweet Charity | Nominated |