Whitney Meyer
It’s been less than six months since Whitney Meyer took her first steps onto the Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre stage, and already she’s returning.
Whitney debuted at Beef & Boards as Cosette in the highly-acclaimed production of
Les Misérables last season. Now she’s back, taking on the role of the wealthy debutante Hope Harcourt in
Anything Goes, opening April 3.
“I have never performed in this show before and am so excited to do it,” she said.
And Whitney is also thrilled to play a role she’s wanted since she saw the recent revival of Anything Goes on Broadway.
“After seeing the show I knew I would love to get the chance to play the role of Hope Harcourt someday – and I'm so happy that I get to here at the B&B,” she said.
“I love many things about the role of Hope Harcourt. The songs are lovely and it is always a thrill getting to play a girl who is falling in love or in this case, realizing she already is in love,” Whitney remarked.
“In this show, Hope has the choice in front of her of either fulfilling an expectation her mother has for her or following her own heart and falling madly in love. I wish to portray – through the role of Hope – that there is no better choice than following your heart.”
She will also once again share the stage with familiar cast members, who became her first contact with Beef & Boards a few years ago.
“I was performing in Illinois at The Little Theatre on the Square doing a new show called Baggy Pants Burlesque when I first met a fellow cast member, Doug Stark. I quickly learned that he was attached to a theatre in Indianapolis where he was the owner and Artistic Director – Beef & Boards,” Whitney said.
“After our show closed in Illinois, I headed back to NYC and whenever I saw auditions come up for Beef & Boards, I was there! Turns out, I had many co-actor friends who had also worked at Beef & Boards and had only rave reviews!”
She’s also thrilled to share the stage with another face that’s familiar to audiences at Beef & Boards.
“Funny coincidence, another fellow actor from the Baggy Pants Burlesque show is also in Anything Goes – the hilarious Jack Milo,” Whitney remarked. “I'm so excited and honored to share the stage with Doug and Jack again!”
Born in Florida, Whitney lived most of her life in Tennessee before relocating to New York City to pursue her performing career, which began when she was a child.
“I’ve been performing my whole life,” she said. “I started singing in church, then started singing in school, and then started performing in our community theatre.”
Whitney went on to earn her Bachelor of Music degree in Musical Theatre from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.
“I’ve been performing professionally for about 11 years.”
Her career has included playing Angelina in the original Off-Broadway cast of Angelina Ballerina the musical. Her favorite roles include playing Sandy in Grease, and playing opposite her husband, Nathan, which she’s had the opportunity to do on more than one occasion.
“We played Link and Amber in
Hairspray, and
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat where he was Joseph and I was in the ensemble, understudying the Narrator,” Whitney said, adding they've also performed together on cruise ships.
They met at Belmont University while pursuing their music degrees. “Once I saw his face and heard his voice…I was done for,” she admitted.
“Nothing is better than doing what you love with the one that you love!”
When she’s not performing, Whitney enjoys (not surprisingly) bluegrass music, Hot Yoga and “having game night.”
And while she’s back in Indianapolis, she looks forward to exploring the area more.
“I had never been to Indianapolis prior to performing in Les Misérables,” Whitney said.
“I am excited to return and finally get to visit the Children's Museum and the Museum of Art! I have heard great things about both places.”
