Jodi Stevens is currently in the Broadway production of "Jekyll & Hyde." She has starred in the role of "Lucy" and has touched audiences with her impressive and stirring performances. An artist who continues to learn and grow with each character she creates, Jodi has had roles ranging from "Marlene Dietrich" in Barry Manilow's "Harmony" to Sheila in "A Chorus Line," to Lily St. Regis in "Annie."

Broadway may have been just across the river from Summit, New Jersey, where Jodi Meryl Stevens was born, but the road to the "Great White Way" was a bit circuitous. The family followed her dad's advertising career across the country and back again. When they finally settled in Bryn Mawr, PA, Jodi stepped on to the stage for the first time at Radnor High. She loved it: the voice, the dance, the set construction, the scripts, and the rehearsals. Upon graduation, she took it all with her to Penn State, where during her pursuit of a four year B.F.A. Degree in Theater Arts, Jodi began her preparation in earnest.

The tall striking actress attributes her musical abilities to her mother who was a singer and gave Jodi voice lessons at an early age, and to her grandfather, a well-known bandleader in the '40's and '50's.

Jodi auditioned for an Off-Broadway play, "My name is Pablo Picasso." The play ran for eight weeks at the South Street Theater with Jodi as Fernande Oliver, Picasso's model, mistress and confidante. Jodi had arrived in New York but she wasn't ready to remain there. She sought professional training from such skilled directors and teachers as Bill Esper and Tim Phillips, and worked with David Hickox on voice. Then she was on the road again.

At Atlantic City's Surfight Theater, Jodi became Sheila in "A Chorus Line," and Lady Jaque in "Me And My Girl." She returned to New York to take on the role of "Antigone" in "Antigone, The Musical." Between rehearsals and performances, Jodi continued her training with jazz and ballet classes. She joined the National tour of "Lend Me A Tenor," and did Tennessee Williams' "27 Wagons Full of Cotton." She then produced her own show and starred in it. At that point she was interested in producers and agents for her future in show business. She created the role of Doris, and unwed mother in "Body Shop," and received glowing reviews. She was then invited to be a guest artist at the Palm Beach Theater Shakespeare Festival, where she played Viola in "Twelfth Night." For the presentation of "Cardenio," the lost Shakespeare play, held at the Musical Theater Works in New York City, the same producer cast Jodi in the role of Leonella.

Connecticut came a-calling and Jodi played the role of "Lilly St. Regis" for five months in "Annie" at the Goodspeed Opera House. It was an exciting time for her. It was the Twentieth Anniversary Production directed by Martin Charnin. Afterward, she returned to New York for "Jekyll & Hyde" rehearsals and her long anticipated Broadway debut. The hardworking actress has continued to explore new dramatic endeavors She developed the character of Hildy Lincoln for the Hal Prince Workshop musical production "Eliot Ness in Cleveland," and performed in the workshops for "The Scarlet Pimpernel." She also starred as Pam the other woman in "Urban Cowboy." She will next create the role of Patsy Cline in the Broadway bound "Honky Tonk Angel."

No sooner had Jodi completed these projects that she was signed up by casting director Jay Binder for the role of Marlene Dietrich in "Harmony," and went on to create an imaginatively comedic rendition of the sultry singer for which she received praise and appreciation from audiences and media alike. She was selected to take on one of the lead roles in "Jekyll and Hyde," that of "Lucy," during Linda Eder's scheduled vacation.

Jodi's dream role would be that of a woman who is a survivor, who has overcome any and all obstacles that have been placed in her way. A woman who is strong, comes out on top and beats the odds. And in an ironic twist, Jodi's goal is to do film. She hopes to make it in Hollywood, or anywhere the work may take her. She says, "You have to make these things happen for yourself. Every experience is a journey, and hopefully you learn from it emotionally, physically and mentally."

Jodi is a warm and caring person. The sensitivity in her voice is exemplified by the sensitivity of her ears that continue to hear the cry for help from so many voices. While a teenager, she heard the silent plea of a young man who lay motionless beneath six feet of water in a mid-west community pool. She defied the jeers of disbelieving onlookers, dove to the bottom of the pool and dragged the man, twice her weight, to safety. She was honored by the town of Northbrook, Illinois for her heroism.

Today, in her spare time, Jodi does "Books on Tape" for the New York Public Library for the blind and visually handicapped. She helped to create and perform in "USO AIDS." The group, an Andrew Sisters like act, is a charitable organization that has worked at the Broadway Country Fair and similar fund raising events. Its aim is to sell "War Bonds" at "Equity Fights Aids" and "Broadway Cares" benefits.