Women Who Shaped KinnelonLaura Benanti

The Broadway and television star — and Tony Award winner — who learned to perform on Kinnelon stages.

From a Kinnelon stage to a Tony.

Born July 15, 1979 · Actress · Singer · Tony Award winner

Before the Broadway marquees and the television roles, Laura Benanti was a Kinnelon kid in the school musical. She grew up here, graduated from Kinnelon High School, and learned her craft on local stages — proof, still on our own streets, that a world-class career can begin in a small-town theater.

Kinnelon

Documented

A Kinnelon kid on a Kinnelon stage

Laura Benanti was born on July 15, 1979, and raised in Kinnelon. She graduated from Kinnelon High School in 1997, and she honed her craft close to home — in Kinnelon High School productions and at The Barn Theatre in nearby Montville, one of the country's oldest continuously operating theaters. The training ground was local; the talent traveled.

Broadway & beyond

Documented

To Broadway — and a Tony

From those local stages Laura Benanti built a celebrated career across Broadway, film, and television, earning a Tony Award along the way and becoming one of the most recognizable performers to come out of Kinnelon. We keep to the public record here, and celebrate the part of the story that belongs to this town: that it started on a stage a few minutes from home.

A world-class career that began on a Kinnelon stage.

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This history grows with you

We keep living people's pages to the public record. If you have a verifiable detail of Laura Benanti's Kinnelon years — a production, a teacher, a stage — we'd love to add it, with a source:

  • Kinnelon High School / local productions she appeared in

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Sources

Compiled from publicly available sources; where accounts differ, the most widely documented version is used. Community corrections welcome.

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