Lorna Courtney

Lorna Annetta Courtney (born October 12, 1998) is an American stage actress. She is best known for playing the title role of Juliet on Broadway in the musical & Juliet, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

Early life and education Courtney grew up in the South Ozone Park neighborhood of Queens, New York. Courtney began singing at an early age, performing in gospel choirs as a way to overcome her shyness.

Courtney attended LaGuardia High School, a public high school specializing in the performing arts, where she studied opera. She obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan, where she majored in musical theatre. She joined the cast in May 2019 as an understudy for the lead roles of Alana Beck and Zoe Murphy. Lorna was then cast in West Side Story in the role of Rosalia and as the understudy for Maria. She performed in the show until theaters were mandated to shut down by Governor Andrew Cuomo on March 12, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In May 2022, Courtney was cast in her first professional leading role as Juliet in the North American premiere of & Juliet (a jukebox reimagining of the Shakespeare play featuring pop songs by Max Martin in which Juliet does not die). The musical played a pre-Broadway engagement at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto, Ontario, between June 22 and August 14, 2022. Courtney debuted the role on Broadway when the show transferred to the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on November 17, 2022. She received critical acclaim; The New York Times theater critic Jesse Green noted Courtney's "blow-you-away performance". As part of the original Broadway cast recording, Courtney recorded a duet of "Since U Been Gone" with the song's original recording artist Kelly Clarkson. At the 76th Tony Awards, she was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical for & Juliet.

In May 2025, it was announced that Courtney would be playing Veronica Sawyer in the Off-Broadway revival of Heathers: The Musical at New World Stages for a limited summer run from June until September. It was extended and she performed until December 2025. Courtney made her international debut in the world premiere production of The Greatest Showman: The Musical as Anne Wheeler at the Bristol Hippodrome from March 2026.

In July 2026, it was announced that Courtney would be taking over the role of Janet, currently played by actress Stephanie Hsu, in the current Broadway production of Rocky Horror at Studio 54. She starts performances August 25th, 2026.

Stage credits

Acting credits

Television

Discography All credits adapted from Apple Music and Spotify.

As featured artist

Singles

Cast Recordings & Soundtracks & Juliet - Original Broadway Cast Recording (2022)

Awards and nominations +List of awards and nominations Year Work Award Category Result 2022 & Juliet Dora Award Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role 2023 Tony Awards Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical Clive Barnes Awards Theatre Artist Award BroadwayWorld AwardsBest Lead Performer in a Musical