Audra McDonald

Which was a big scandal because they double cast the role and the other woman was a 23 or 24 year old white woman. And so this is Fresno land of like Devin Nunes.

Right. So, yeah. So people would call the box office and say, is the black or the white one on tonight? I'm not even kidding. But, you know, in my estimation, I just wanted to be on Broadway. I just wanted to do theater, and I wanted to be on Broadway, and I didn't care what I did. As long as I got to be on Broadway, that was the goal, you know?

Right. So, yeah. So people would call the box office and say, is the black or the white one on tonight? I'm not even kidding. But, you know, in my estimation, I just wanted to be on Broadway. I just wanted to do theater, and I wanted to be on Broadway, and I didn't care what I did. As long as I got to be on Broadway, that was the goal, you know?

Right. So, yeah. So people would call the box office and say, is the black or the white one on tonight? I'm not even kidding. But, you know, in my estimation, I just wanted to be on Broadway. I just wanted to do theater, and I wanted to be on Broadway, and I didn't care what I did. As long as I got to be on Broadway, that was the goal, you know?

It was guided primarily as a means of sort of like to be therapy for me because I was a hyperactive child who was having a lot of problems in school, not socializing well, considered very overdramatic. And... But not functioning well, you know? And they were told, let's try Ritalin. This was 1976, 77. Let's try Ritalin.

It was guided primarily as a means of sort of like to be therapy for me because I was a hyperactive child who was having a lot of problems in school, not socializing well, considered very overdramatic. And... But not functioning well, you know? And they were told, let's try Ritalin. This was 1976, 77. Let's try Ritalin.

It was guided primarily as a means of sort of like to be therapy for me because I was a hyperactive child who was having a lot of problems in school, not socializing well, considered very overdramatic. And... But not functioning well, you know? And they were told, let's try Ritalin. This was 1976, 77. Let's try Ritalin.

And my parents thought, no, we don't want to, I'm not judging anybody who does do it. And my parents weren't either. They just said, we don't think that's right for our girl. But they knew that I liked to sing. And they had gone to see a show at this dinner theater and said, why don't you go and audition for that? And that lit me up.

And my parents thought, no, we don't want to, I'm not judging anybody who does do it. And my parents weren't either. They just said, we don't think that's right for our girl. But they knew that I liked to sing. And they had gone to see a show at this dinner theater and said, why don't you go and audition for that? And that lit me up.

And my parents thought, no, we don't want to, I'm not judging anybody who does do it. And my parents weren't either. They just said, we don't think that's right for our girl. But they knew that I liked to sing. And they had gone to see a show at this dinner theater and said, why don't you go and audition for that? And that lit me up.

Yeah. Um, so the dinner theater had their main stage where they would have the musicals and then they had a smaller stage where they would do plays called the second space. And, um, They were doing The Miracle Worker, and I auditioned and got cast as sort of the servant black girl, slave girl. I don't think she's a slave, but she's a servant girl in The Miracle Worker.

Yeah. Um, so the dinner theater had their main stage where they would have the musicals and then they had a smaller stage where they would do plays called the second space. And, um, They were doing The Miracle Worker, and I auditioned and got cast as sort of the servant black girl, slave girl. I don't think she's a slave, but she's a servant girl in The Miracle Worker.

Yeah. Um, so the dinner theater had their main stage where they would have the musicals and then they had a smaller stage where they would do plays called the second space. And, um, They were doing The Miracle Worker, and I auditioned and got cast as sort of the servant black girl, slave girl. I don't think she's a slave, but she's a servant girl in The Miracle Worker.

And I guess I just went and auditioned without telling my parents whatever. And when I got cast, they said, you will absolutely not be playing that role. Absolutely not. And I was upset. And they said, you'll understand when you're older, but we don't want you doing that. And so they put their foot down. And I understand it. I understand why they did that. You know, my parents were educators.

And I guess I just went and auditioned without telling my parents whatever. And when I got cast, they said, you will absolutely not be playing that role. Absolutely not. And I was upset. And they said, you'll understand when you're older, but we don't want you doing that. And so they put their foot down. And I understand it. I understand why they did that. You know, my parents were educators.

And I guess I just went and auditioned without telling my parents whatever. And when I got cast, they said, you will absolutely not be playing that role. Absolutely not. And I was upset. And they said, you'll understand when you're older, but we don't want you doing that. And so they put their foot down. And I understand it. I understand why they did that. You know, my parents were educators.

My dad ended up being associate superintendent of schools in Fresno, California before he retired. And my mom worked at California State University. for years, and, like, I remember trying to watch Little Rascals, and they were like, no, no, no, no, no, you're not watching that.

My dad ended up being associate superintendent of schools in Fresno, California before he retired. And my mom worked at California State University. for years, and, like, I remember trying to watch Little Rascals, and they were like, no, no, no, no, no, you're not watching that.

My dad ended up being associate superintendent of schools in Fresno, California before he retired. And my mom worked at California State University. for years, and, like, I remember trying to watch Little Rascals, and they were like, no, no, no, no, no, you're not watching that.

You know, they, you know, pride in who I was and pride in being a black person and not demeaning myself in a society that, you know, sought to demean and separate and other black people was something they were very... very adamant about making sure that I had pride in myself in that way. And so, no, I remember trying to thinking about trying to audition for showboat as well.