The World of Theater: The Business of Acting

Lauren Blackman and Hugh Jackman at Radio City Music Hall

Broadway Actress

2/18/25

Lauren Blackman is an accomplished Broadway actress who sits down with Mirav to bring you inside the world of a professional performer. Lauren, a California native, came to New York as a young adult studying at Syracuse University before landing in New York City. Lauren has performed in numerous theater productions, on and off Broadway, including three world premiers (Anastasia, Lempicka, and Little Dancer) and other notable Broadway productions like The Music Man (U/S Marian, next to Hugh Jackman) and Radio City Christmas Spectacular (Mrs. Clause). Read more about Lauren's many accomplishments on her website. 

For those with an interest in musical theater, look no further: Lauren paints a clear picture of the working actor's life. She touches on important topics like agents, castings, auditions, and the physical and mental challenges of performing. But aside from the nitty gritty, she talks about the immensely rewarding aspects of being on stage and seeing the impact a show has on the audience. For her, it all boils down to "giving the dream back to somebody else."

Topics
00:24 Introduction
00:52 How did you discover theater?
03:50 Regional theater vs. Broadway
06:11 Do you need formal training?
10:02 Finding auditions
11:10 Agents
13:26 How do you deal with rejections?
14:59 Preparing for an audition
17:34 A typical day in rehearsal and performance
22:36 Physically challenging work
26:21 Biggest challenges
28:15 Biggest reward?
31:58 The nitty gritty, money
35:37 Do you have opportunities for growth?
37:06 Advice for breaking in
37:36 What do you wish you had known?
38:21 Favorite role you've played?
41:57 A little more nitty gritty: managers and kickbacks

Resources
Actors Access
Playbill Jobs
Broadway Express
Broadway World

Music credit: Kate Pierson & Monica Nation