Charissa Bertels

CHARISSA BERTELS is currently on tour with If/Then starring Idina Menzel, Anthony Rapp & LaChanze. She was also recently seen in the cast of Encores' Lady Be Good, starring Tommy Tune, as well as the subsequent cast album. As part of the singing ensemble for Encores' production of Gentleman Prefer Blondes, her work can be heard on the cast album featuring Megan Hilty. She workshopped Kathie Lee Gifford's musical Saving Aimee (later seen as Scandalous on Broadway) as well as premiering the work at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle. She made her Broadway debut in the original Broadway cast of Benj Pasek & Justin Paul's Tony-nominated musical A Christmas Story, with direction by John Rando and choreography by Warren Carlyle and later reprised her role at Madison Square Garden.

Charissa made her debut as a producer with the new musical Academia Nuts at NYMF, garnering awards for Best New Musical, Best Director, and two Best Actor awards. She produced a concert of new works from participants of the BMI musical theatre writing workshop entitled “Musical Speed Dating” at The Duplex and regularly hosts Composer Salons to encourage new writers. She is currently collaborating on her original one-woman musical My 80-Year-Old Boyfriendwith writers Christian Duhamel and Ed Bell.

She is also proud to be a teaching artist for the New York Film Academy's musical theatre department - it brings her great joy to share her knowledge and passion for musicals with the talented students she is honored to work with.

Her greatest artistic passion is for new musicals and she is a sight-singing ninja. www.charissabertels.com