Spencer Kayden
Encyclopedia
Spencer Kayden is an American
actress and writer. Kayden is most notable for playing Little Sally in the popular Broadway
musical Urinetown
and for her membership in the recurring cast of comedians on sketch comedy series MADtv
.
. Kayden grew up in Orange County, California and went on to study drama at Northwestern University
in Chicago. She joined the Chicago cast of Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind
and moved to New York in 1993 to start the New York run of the show. Kayden received critical acclaim and notice for her performance in the musical Urinetown
, where she played Little Sally, the pig-tailed girl who helps explain the plot. It is from her theater performances that she was discovered by Fox
executives and cast as a featured performer on MADtv.
Kayden also played the role of Mrs. Pepper in the popular Nickelodeon
kids series Blue's Clues
.
and nominations for Tony, Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk Awards for her performance as Little Sally in Urinetown
.
. She has been married to actor Mark Harelik
since 2004, and they have one child together.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress and writer. Kayden is most notable for playing Little Sally in the popular Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical Urinetown
Urinetown
Urinetown: The Musical is a satirical comedy musical, with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and book by Kotis. It satirizes the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement, and municipal politics...
and for her membership in the recurring cast of comedians on sketch comedy series MADtv
MADtv
MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first...
.
Biography
Spencer Kayden was born in 1971 in Costa Mesa, CaliforniaCosta Mesa, California
Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 109,960 at the 2010 census. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to a primarily suburban and "edge" city with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light...
. Kayden grew up in Orange County, California and went on to study drama at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in Chicago. She joined the Chicago cast of Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind
Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind
Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind: 30 Plays in 60 Minutes is the longest running show in Chicago and the only open-run Off-Off-Broadway show in New York. Starting in 1988, the show has run 50 weekends of the year since then...
and moved to New York in 1993 to start the New York run of the show. Kayden received critical acclaim and notice for her performance in the musical Urinetown
Urinetown
Urinetown: The Musical is a satirical comedy musical, with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and book by Kotis. It satirizes the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement, and municipal politics...
, where she played Little Sally, the pig-tailed girl who helps explain the plot. It is from her theater performances that she was discovered by Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
executives and cast as a featured performer on MADtv.
Kayden also played the role of Mrs. Pepper in the popular Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
kids series Blue's Clues
Blue's Clues
Blue's Clues is an American children's television show airing on the Nickelodeon family of channels. The show premiered on September 8, 1996 and airs on Nick Jr. and other channels, although production of new episodes ceased by 2006. Versions of the show have been produced in other countries,...
.
Career
Kayden received the 2001 Clarence Derwent Award, the Outer Critics Circle AwardOuter Critics Circle Award
The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets...
and nominations for Tony, Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk Awards for her performance as Little Sally in Urinetown
Urinetown
Urinetown: The Musical is a satirical comedy musical, with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and book by Kotis. It satirizes the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement, and municipal politics...
.
Personal life
Kayden is the sister of film director Michael AlmereydaMichael Almereyda
Michael Almereyda is an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer. His most well known work is Hamlet , starring Ethan Hawke.-Early life:...
. She has been married to actor Mark Harelik
Mark Harelik
Mark Harelik is an American television, film, and stage actor, as well as a playwright.-Career:Harelik has appeared in the films Election, Jurassic Park III and For Your Consideration; He was the voice of Rogers in The Swan Princess, and he has played parts on the television sitcoms Seinfeld,...
since 2004, and they have one child together.