Danielle Ferland

Danielle Ferland (born January 31, 1971) is an American actress and singer, best known for originating the role of Little Red Ridinghood in Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods on Broadway.

Career Ferland attended Frank Scott Bunnell High School in Stratford, Connecticut, from 1985–1989 and attended New York University.

She made her Broadway debut at age 13 as Louise in Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George (1984). She next appeared off-Broadway in Paradise! (1985). In 1987 she was the singing child star in Woody Allen's Radio Days.

She returned to Broadway, originating the role of Little Red Riding Hood in the 1987 musical Into the Woods. For her performance in Into the Woods she received the 1988 Theatre World Award and also was nominated for the 1988 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical. She reunited with the original cast for three performances in 1989, which were filmed for the Season 10 premiere episode of PBS’s American Playhouse.

Other credits include The Crucible (1991), Fredrika in A Little Night Music Lincoln Center Revival in 1991, Uncommon Women and Others (1994), Tartuffe at the Delacorte Theatre in 1999, A Year with Frog and Toad (2003), Engaged (2004), She Stoops to Conquer at the Irish Repertory Company in 2005, the concert and recording of the York Theatre production of Summer of '42 (2006), Like Love, New York Music Festival, 2007 and All My Sons (2008).

She teaches Master Classes including in 2009 at the Boston Children's Theatre.

Ferland narrated an audio book version of A Mile In My Flip-Flops written by Melody Carlson.

Since 2010, she has often performed in Sondheim Unplugged. She has sung for each of their three volumes, singing “Children and Art” in the second volume, “Hello Little Girl” in the first, and “It Takes Two” in the third. “Sondheim Unplugged NYC Sessions Volume 3” was nominated for a Grammy for the 2024 ceremony.

In 2011 she directed A Year with Frog and Toad with Boston Children's Theatre.

In 2012 Ferland starred in the Baltimore CenterStage and Westport Country Playhouse production of Into the Woods as the Baker's Wife.

In 2014 Ferland played the role of Estelle in HBO's drama The Normal Heart.

In 2015 Ferland appeared in Season 1 of the Netflix show Marvel's Jessica Jones.

In 2021, she appeared in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s film adaptation of Jonathan Larson’s Tick, Tick… Boom!.

Personal life Ferland was born in Derby, Connecticut. She married Michael Goldstein ca. 2002; they have two sons. Production Role Location Category 1983

Playwrights Horizons Off-Broadway 1984-1985 Booth Theatre Broadway 1987-1989 Into the Woods Little Red Ridinghood Martin Beck Theatre Broadway 1990 A Little Night Music Fredrika Armfeldt David H. Koch Theater New York City Opera 1991-1992 The Crucible Mercy Lewis Belasco Theatre Broadway 1992 A Little Hotel on the Side Pervenche Belasco Theatre Broadway 1994 Sunday in the Park with George Louise St. James Theatre Broadway

The Wizard of Oz Dorothy Gale Actors Theatre of Louisville Regional Into the Woods Little Red Ridinghood Broadway Theatre Broadway 1999 The Secret Garden Martha North Shore Music Theatre Regional 2003 A Year With Frog and Toad Bird, Turtle, Squirrel, Mother Frog, Mole Cort Theatre Broadway 2008-2009 All My Sons Lydia Lubey Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre Broadway 2012 Into the Woods The Baker’s Wife Westport Country Playhouse / Baltimore Center Stage Regional, 25th Anniversary Production

Filmography

Awards and nominations