Stephanie Bissonnette, a dancer and choreographer featured in the Broadway musical “Mean Girls the Musical,” has died at 32, the show announced on Twitter on Monday.
Bissonnette had been diagnosed in 2019 with medulloblastoma, a rare form of brain cancer that is most commonly found in children.
“Our hearts are broken as the Mean Girls community mourns the loss of Stephanie Bissonnette. Our original Dawn Sweitzer, Stephanie was part of our Broadway company from our first performance to our last,” the official account for “Mean Girls” tweeted.
“She filled our theater with her laughter and friendship, inspired us with her fighting spirit and bravery, and graced our stage with the fiercest talent Broadway has ever knownOur thoughts and prayers are with Stephanie’s family, friends, and the entire Mean Girls community during this time. We will miss her profoundly and encourage everyone to do something they love today in Stephanie’s honor,” the statement continued.
Bissonnette returned to “Mean Girls” in 2019, nine months after undergoing surgery and radiation treatment for the cancer. The show shuttered in March 2020 due to the COVID pandemic.
She told Survivor.net that on the one-year anniversary of her surgery, her castmates had a champagne toast for her in the dressing room.
Bissonnette was active in performance charities, including Broadway Bares and taught contemporary musical theater dance at the Broadway Dance Center in New York City, according to Playbill. She was also one of the featured stars of “Ensemble,” a documentary about Broadway dancers one year after the COVID shutdown.
