“Know that the people auditioning you actually want you to be the solution.” – Laura Benanti
Tony Award-winning actress Laura Benanti has been a mainstay on Broadway since making her debut in the 1998 production of The Sound of Music. Twenty years later, she has recently replaced Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle in Lincoln Center Theater revival of My Fair Lady. Speaking with The Stage about her career, Benanti reveals her audition advice and reflects on how she would change the theater industry.
When asked for her best audition advice, Benanti points out that the individuals conducting the audition want you to succeed. She explains, “Know that the people auditioning you actually want you to be the solution. They’re rooting for you. They’re not coming in to judge you and be horrible to you. Also, if you don’t get it, most of the time it is in no way personal at all.”
From a more hopeful perspective, Benanti speaks about what she would change about the theater industry if she had the power to change it. She reveals, “If I could wave a magic wand, ticket prices would be affordable so that people could bring their families, and it doesn’t become theatre for a rich audience. It can be more theatre for the masses. Also, actors would be able to truly make a living from their craft, Off-Broadway and on Broadway.”
