‘SNL’ alum Ana Gasteyer to lead Northwestern Homecoming Parade

Ana Gasteyer, a 1989 Northwestern grad who went on to fame as a “Saturday Night Live” player and a “Wicked” star, will return Evanston as grand marshal of the university’s Homecoming Parade next week.

Gasteyer will ride in the lead car as the parade works its way down Sheridan Road from Lincoln to Chicago on Friday. The parade kicks off at 6 p.m., followed by a pep rally at 6:45, where Gasteyer will reveal the homecoming king and queen.

During her 1992-2002 run on “SNL,” Gasteyer developed several signature characters, including the middle-school music teacher who sang pop hits alongside Will Ferrell and a Lilith Fair poetess. She played one of the two NPR hosts interviewing Alec Baldwin about his “schweddy balls” and impersonated newsmakers including Martha Stewart, Celine Dion and Hilary Clinton.

She played Ephaba in“Wicked” on Broadway and originated the role in the Chicago production.