PENGUIN REP THEATRE FUNDRAISER FEATURES STONY POINTER STEPHANIE COURTNEY, ACTRESS BEHIND PROGRESSIVE’S “FLO”

Progressive Insurance’s omnipresent advertisement icon Flo is known to most Americans by now, but did you know the actress behind Flo is a native of Rockland County?

On Monday, October 10, the woman behind Flo, Stony Point’s Stephanie Courtney, will come back home, appearing at a fundraiser for Penguin Repertory Theatre in Stony Point.

An on-stage interview between Courtney and a questioner will highlight several performances beginning 5:30 p.m. at the theatre. A buffet dinner at the Gilmore Sloane House at 6:45 p.m. and a chance to meet and greet with Courtney will cap the evening’s festivities.

Tickets for the fundraiser are $125. Contact penguinrep.org or 845-786 -2873 to make reservations.

So, how did Courtney come up with her interpretation of Flo? In a 2013 interview with the Rockland County Times Courtney said, “They wanted her very quirky and kind and helpful in the audition. So I went overboard on all three!”

She also credits her mom for some of Flo’s good-natured characteristics.

Courtney’s dad was a longtime North Rockland High School social studies teacher and her mom served as a district trustee.

Not surprisingly, Courtney was a standout stage performer at North Rockland High School according to her former drama instructor Michael Roth.

Courtney moved to L.A. 20+ years ago and worked her way through smaller productions for many years. She was a member of the well-known L.A. comedy troupe The Groundlings. Finally she had her big break in 2007 when she was cast as Flo by Progressive Insurance.