HEATHER E. CUNNINGHAM

Heather E. Cunningham has performed in New York City for the Soundtrack Series, Young Playwrights, Threads New Works Series, Kef Productions, The American Theatre of Actors, Newfangled Productions, New York Theatre Workshop, Young Mindz Productions, Confluence Theatre Company, The Vital Theatre, and New York Play Development, among others. She has lent her voice to Johnny Palmetto, Net Detective and Storywave and her "image" to commercials, Manchurian Candidate and Saturday Night Live among other New York City film and television productions. In addition to regional theatre and national tours, her residency at the historic Hedgerow Theatre included appearances in over a dozen productions, including The Good Woman of Setzuan, Silence, Cole/Noel – “Let’s Fall in Love,” Camino Real, Cat Among the Pigeons, and Macbeth. Other favorite credits: Unveiling, Comedy 101, Women Who Dare, Evita, Four Dogs and a Bone and the short film Re-Union. Heather has performed in cabaret venues around the city, and her solo debut Boy Wanted  was performed at Don't Tell Mama in New York City in 2003. In October 2003 she and two other women formed River Heights Productions.  They had their first production, Catholic School Girls in March of 2005 and their second Mrs. California, in March of 2006.  Heather is continuing the RHP mission statement with her new company, Retro Productions, whose first production in February of 2007 was Still Life by Emily Mann.  Heather's performance as Cheryl in Still Life was named one of '07s "Performances to Remember" by Back Stage East.  In 2007-2008 Retro had it's first two show season (What I Did Last Summer by A. R. Gurney and Mill Fire by Sally Nemeth) at its new home, the Spoon Theater, where RP is a resident company.  For this season RP garnered 6 NY Innovative Theater Award nominations. In '08-'09 RP's season included The Tender Trap by Max Shulman and Robert Paul Smith and When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?  The '09-'10 season included Holy Days by Sally Nemeth and The Desk Set by William Marchant, which was nominated for 6 2010 NY Innovative Theater Awards including one for Heather who co-designed the props.  RP will started the '10-'11 season with Benefactors by Michael Frayn, which received a total of 4 2011 NY Innovative Theatre Awards nominations including Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role for Heather.  In May of 2011 RP presented Dear Ruth.  The '11-'12 season begins with The Runner Stumbles and ends with Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean.

Heather was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her father, Jack, is a former set designer and her mother, Rebecca, is a retired professor of costume design and construction at Brooklyn College, as well as the author of the costume text The Magic Garment, Principles of Costume Design. Always knowing she wanted to be in the theatre, Heather won many performance scholarships to both the Berkeley Carroll School where she went to 7th through 12th grades, and Denison University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance. Heather's first public performance was singing "Away in a Manger" for Christmas Services when she was so young she barely remembers it.