Kate Morgan Chadwick


Kate Morgan Chadwick is an American actress and singer best known for her roles in Hail, Caesar!, Rated and Bed.

Early life and education

Chadwick grew up in La Mesa, California, the youngest of two children, with brother Teddy, born to parents Michele West Chadwick and the late Dr. David Chadwick, and attended the private Francis Parker School in San Diego. As a child, she performed at San Diego Junior Theatre. She continued acting in high school and college, earning a bachelor of arts degree in theater performance from Fordham College at Lincoln Center. She also trained at Upright Citizens Brigade, an improvisational and comedy group.

Career

Chadwick toured nationally on Broadway in 2009 in GREASE, co-starring as Frenchy with Taylor Hicks. The play was produced on tour by Paul Nicholas and David Ian. The following year, she performed in the a cappella musical comedy Perfect Harmony at Off-Broadway's Acorn Theater at Theater Row in New York City.
In 2012, Chadwick played the role of the lovelorn schoolteacher Samantha in Nobody Loves You at San Diego's Old Globe Theater, which The New York Times called "a delightful chamber musical." That year she also co-starred as Private Lindsay Skinner in Bad Apples, a rock musical premiere about Abu Ghraib at Circle X Theatre Company in Los Angeles.
In 2013, Chadwick performed the song "Surrender," accompanied by composer/lyricists Beth Thornley and Rob Cairns, at the 44th Annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards show. The following year, she co-wrote and produced the short film Dryve.
She performed with Josh Brolin in 2016's comedy film Hail, Caesar!, which was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the year's top 10 films.
Also in 2016, Chadwick co-starred in Echo Theater Company's world premiere of Sheila Callaghan's play Bed at the Atwater Village Theatre. Broadway World called it "a funny, sexy and unconventional romance with music." Jennifer Chambers directed. Also in 2016, she again played Private Skinner in the play Bad Apples, this time at ACT Theatre in Seattle.
In 2017, she starred in an immersive theater production of Amos: A Play With Music at the Bootleg Theatre in Los Angeles. Play reviewer Noah J. Nelson with No Proscenium described it as "a new work by the writing team of Eva Anderson and Michael Cassady set within the world of Ukraine’s EDM scene."
Chadwick was cast in the lead role as Rebecca for the 2017 world premiere of Part of the Plan, a musical written by Kate Atkinson and Karen Harris and featuring the songbook of Dan Fogelberg, at the James K. Polk Theatre in Nashville, Tennessee. Chadwick and co-star Harley Jay previewed the play on WTVF's "Talk of the Town" show on News Channel 5, Fox's affiliate in Nashville. Chadwick, along with fellow cast members, also interviewed on tape with Out & About Nashville.
Guest television appearances include a lead role in Lifetime's My Crazy Ex, plus appearances in the Showtime series Shameless and TNT's Major Crimes.
Chadwick is executive producer, co-writer and star of Oh, Baby! a short film green-lighted by Seed&Spark and in post production as of August 2019. It co-stars actor T.J. Linnard, with director and co-writer Brooke Trantor, producer and assistant director Danielle Argyros, executive producer Arden Grier, director of photography Kara Johnson, and unit production manager Courtney Stewart.

Reception

Chadwick received multiple reviews for her performance as Rebecca in the production of Part of the Plan. Out & About Nashville described her portrayal as "a powerful performance" that was "sweet, but incredibly strong." The Williamson Herald called the character of Rebecca "played brilliantly by Kate Morgan Chadwick," while Broadway World Nashville described the performance as "played with unyielding grace and authenticity by Kate Morgan Chadwick."
The Los Angeles Times, in its review of Bed at the Echo Theater Company in Los Angeles, in which Chadwick played the character Holly, called her performance "fiery" and the actors "convincing." LA Weekly wrote, "Chadwick’s conclusive and full-blooded portrayal of a character that comes off as sort of a charismatic, riot grrrl–reoriented Courtney Love by way of Kathleen Hanna." On State & Screen wrote, "Chadwick in particular has a magnetic stage presence."ArtsBeatLA called her portrayal of Holly as "played brilliantly by Kate Morgan Chadwick."
Theater critic Stephen Fife, writing about the Stage Raw Awards event in May 2017, described Chadwick, who appeared on stage in casual attire to accept her award, as "alive to the comic possibilities of the moment."
In a review of Bad Apples, LA Weekly wrote that Chadwick's role as Lindsay Skinner was "outstanding." Natalie Pace with Huffington Post, in its review ofBad Apples, wrote, "... I found myself close to tears in the third act, when Kate Morgan Chadwick sings, 'Nothing Sweeter Than Surrender'." LAist wrote that Chadwick's "comedic timing is sharp."

Acting recognition

Awards

Chadwick lives in Los Angeles with husband Clayton Apgar. She is the granddaughter of Margaret Lee Chadwick and Cmdr. Joseph Chadwick, founders of Chadwick School on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre