


EMILY HARDESTY
Actor | Singer | Dancer
About Me
Hey there! I'm Emily. I grew up in Peoria, IL, where I got my start doing living room productions for nobody in particular (standout selections being dramatic interpretation of the Nutcracker soundtrack and one woman Catholic Mass-- yes, you read that right). I loved to play pretend.
When I was 16, my parents took me to see the Next to Normal Tour in Chicago. A genuine theatre dork by then, it was MY show. Alice Ripley was out, but it didn't even matter (much). I wept because, duh, N2N, but also because it finally hit me that people "do" this! Like, for real. And that's the story of how one girl's ultimate quest to play Diana began.
In all seriousness, it's the luckiest thing in the world that I get to "do" this for real every day! When I'm not playing pretend, I'm probably scoping out the nearest hiking spot, DIYing, or trying to eliminate plastics from my life (this is my new hobby- let's save that planet, shall we?).
I graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a BFA in Musical Theatre and, after several summers spent performing in the mountains, I finally decided to give the big city a try! Proud to report New York City and I are getting along fabulously.
Thanks for stopping by!
Headshot & Resume
Click An image to download PDF
News
Scroll through to see what I'm up to!

February '20
UPTA
So excited to head to Memphis again (went the first time in '18) for United Professional Theatre Auditions.
Upcoming

Swing!
November '19 - ongoing
This November, I opened my first show in New York City at St. Luke's Theatre off-broadway! Every Wednesday, I get to play onstage with some of the most hilarious and generous folks in this city.
Recent
Media
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Contact
Can't wait to hear from you!
You can reach me at...
