"I didn't breathe the entire time you were singing."
-Natalie Weiss, direct quote to Kennedy after watching her showcase performance
Kate Monster & Lucy the Slut
in Avenue Q
Kennedy is thrilled to be making her debut at the Dio Theatre in Pickney, Michigan this summer as Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut in the hit musical Avenue Q. Taking on two of the show’s leading roles, she brings heart, humor, and a few wild puppet antics to this clever and crowd-pleasing comedy.
About Kennedy!
Kennedy Vernengo is a non-union actor, singer, and all-around performer originally from the Chicagoland area. She earned her BFA in Musical Theatre from Oakland University and now proudly calls the Detroit area her home.
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Kennedy has performed professionally across Michigan and has toured the country bringing educational theatre to kids—something she’s incredibly passionate about (and not just because she gets to play dress-up for a living). Favorite roles include the puppet-wielding power duo Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut in Avenue Q, the intensely competitive Rona Lisa Peretti in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, the carefree Lisa in Mamma Mia!, Antonio in The Tempest, and a rotating cast of quirky humans in Almost, Maine. She’s also headlined several one-woman shows throughout Michigan, including her original cabaret A Trip Down Tin Pan Alley, a love letter to the golden age of American songwriters like Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and Irving Berlin.
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When she’s not on stage belting her heart out or wrangling puppets, Kennedy is likely working as a substitute teacher or camp counselor (yes, she does have the patience of a saint), hiking somewhere scenic, or sipping something overly complicated at a local coffee shop she discovered via Yelp rabbit hole. Fun fact: she once biked 150 miles across California on purpose, and spent a summer performing as Helen of Troy in Greece. Yes, in Greece. As in actual ruins, and actual sunburn.
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When downtime finally rolls around, she’s either planning her next adventure, scouring thrift stores for hidden gems, or deep into a reality TV binge with absolutely no shame.
