Biography

Stacey Hardke is a Los Angeles-based actor. Born and raised in San Diego, California, Hardke attended the University of San Diego. She went in expecting to declare as an English major, but ended up being placed in the theater-focused preceptorial group during orientation. By the middle of the second semester she was hooked, and declared Theater Arts as her major. While attending USD, she appeared in The Old Globe's MFA production of An Absolute Turkey. She was the recipient of the Irving Parker Award for Excellence in Theatre and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theater Arts. During a summer abroad program, Stacey studied classical acting and clowning at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, a leading British drama school located in West London.

After college she acted at small regional theaters in the San Diego area. At North Coast Rep, she appeared in Time Stands Still and Becky's New Car. In 2010, Stacey was awarded the San Diego REP's Carol Corolla Fellowship for Emerging Artists. Playing the role of Penny in Hairspray at the San Diego REP provided Stacey the opportunity to receive her Equity Card.

Shortly thereafter, Stacey moved to New York City to continue to pursue a career in theater. There she met her mentor Duane Boutté, a Broadway actor, teacher and director. She lived in New York City for four years doing regional theater, studying comedy and long-form improv at Upright Citizens Brigade Training Center, and performing around the city with her improv team Sad Jazz. She was a member of the ensemble at The NYC Modern-Day Griot Theatre Company and appeared in Attention Shoppers and See, Hear, Taste, Touch. At the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, she appeared in Davis McCallum's production of The Legend of Minnie Willet. She also became an Associate Artist at the Worcester Shakespeare Company, where she played Desdemona in Othello and Portia in The Merchant of Venice.

Stacey relocated from New York City to Los Angeles in spring 2015 to pursue a career track in film and television. Still passionate about long-form improvisation, Stacey is on several indie teams that perform around LA. She also celebrates the Southern California lifestyle enjoying gardening, hiking, as well as snowboarding at Big Bear Lake.

The organization PATH (People Assisting the Homeless) is very close to Stacey's heart. In 2014, she had an opportunity to develop and appear in a play, No Place Like Home about PATH with Circle Circle DOT DOT, a theater company that creates new works based on interviews in the San Diego community.
- IMDb mini biography by: Steven P. Le Vine

Stacey Hardke is a Los Angeles-based actor, singer, and comedy writer. Born and raised in San Diego, California, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts from the University of San Diego, where she received the Irving Parker Award for Excellence in Theatre. She continued her education at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), studying classical acting in West London.

After college, Stacey performed extensively in regional theatre and received the San Diego REP's Carol Corolla Fellowship for Emerging Artists. Her stage work includes productions with San Diego REP, North Coast Repertory Theatre, and Diversionary Theatre on the West Coast, as well as The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center (Connecticut), Modern-Day Griot Theatre Company (New York City), Worcester Shakespeare Company (Massachusetts), and the Theatre Workshop of Nantucket on the East Coast.

Stacey also trained in improv and sketch comedy, performing at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in both Los Angeles and New York. In addition to acting, she writes and performs comedy music with Femmedy Trio, a feminist musical comedy group she co-founded with Dahlya Glick and Gabi Van Horn. Their work has been featured by the Comedy Bureau and recognized on its "100 Best Things in Comedy We Witnessed in 2021." Their credits include performances at the Comedy Central Stage, Women in Comedy Festival, Austin Sketch Fest, the Hollywood Improv, and The PIT, and they have shared the stage with artists such as Sasheer Zamata, Nicole Byer, Andy Erikson, Josh Radnor, and Margaret Cho.

Together, Femmedy Trio developed and starred in the independent film High & Lonesome Ladies, which screened at the Fargo Film Festival, Los Angeles Comedy Film Festival, DC Shorts Film Festival, and Portland Comedy Film Festival. The film was also a semi-finalist at Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival and nominated for the LA Independent Women Film Awards.

Commercially, Stacey has appeared in campaigns for ESPN: Fantasy Football, Netflix x Glass Onion: White Claw, and more. Off-screen, she is a member of the San Diego Women's Foundation, advocating for the Boys to Men Mentoring Network and other philanthropic initiatives. She also engages in community-based theatre, including presenting at the La Jolla Playhouse's Without Walls Festival in partnership with PATH (People Assisting the Homeless).

She continues to work in theatre, film, television, and voiceover while developing new projects.
- IMDb mini biography by: Steven P. Le Vine

Long form improvisation at Upright Citizens Brigade has been the key to my social life and my happiness for several years.

As a freshman at USD, I was invited to play a small walk-on, sight-gag role as a dominatrix the MFA's production of Georges Feydeau's "An Absolute Turkey." Without those grad student actors to look up to, without a glimpse into their process, I think my life as an actor would be very different. I subsequently had the tremendous privilege of working closely with top-notch directors Richard Seer, Kirk Jackson, Sabin Epstein, and Robert Barry Fleming for several transformative years.

I have unbelievably supportive, easy-going parents who instilled a deep sense of independence in me. From my dad I learned the importance of politeness in all situations. He is extremely cool-headed, even under extreme circumstances, and his calmness and eloquence give him such power. Similarly, my mom's advice to me was always, "kill them with kindness." It became my go-to strategy to diffuse any tense situation. My parents also encouraged me to volunteer at theaters I wanted to work at, offering to assist the director or help build sets on weekends, so the artistic team could see I was dedicated and interested in learning. I think that advice instilled a work ethic in me, and in some cases, gave me an invaluable opportunity to observe what goes on behind closed doors.

As a freshman at USD, I was invited to play a small walk-on, sight-gag role as a dominatrix the MFA's production of Georges Feydeau's "An Absolute Turkey." Without those grad student actors to look up to, without a glimpse into their process, I think my life as an actor would be very different. I subsequently had the tremendous privilege of working closely with top-notch directors Richard Seer, Kirk Jackson, Sabin Epstein, and Robert Barry Fleming for several amazing years.

When I was a child I grew up living next door to 80's country singer Juice Newton. Her daughter Jessica and I were best friends for many years. Once or twice a year I would join their family on road trips throughout CA, NV, AZ, and UT while Juice was on tour with her band. Juice and her husband Tom always made me feel like part of the family. I would watch Juice warm up in her trailer, apply her makeup, set up and rehearse with the band, and then deliver a flawless and intimate performance. She always invited us kids to come up onstage after the show to sing "The Goodbye Song" and take a bow with her, which was incredibly special. What strikes me now looking back is how effortless it all was for Juice. Whether she was singing for 200 people or 2,000, she was completely calm and gracious at every performance.