Laura Benanti to Guest on 'Downstage Center' 5/30

The American Theatre Wing and XM Satellite Radio proudly present an interview with Tony® nominee Laura Benanti, on their weekly theatrical interview show, "Downstage Center," on XM's On Broadway (XM Channel 28).

Benanti will appear as the special guest on Friday, May 30 at 6 p.m. The show will repeat on Saturday, May 31 at noon, Sunday, June 1 at 7 p.m., and Wednesday, June 4 at midnight (all times eastern; transmission is simultaneous across the country).  The program becomes available as streaming audio and podcast from www.americantheatrewing.org and iTunes beginning Monday afternoon, June 2.

Broadway's newest Gypsy Rose Lee, Laura Benanti, talks about playing the title role in Gypsy both last summer at City Center and again this year on Broadway, including her thoughts on formidable author and director Arthur Laurents, as well as a few facts about the real Gypsy and Rose that didn't make it into the musical.  Benanti also discusses her vocal training under the tutelage of her mother (who unlike Rose expressly forbid young Laura from turning pro in her youth); her big break understudying Rebecca Luker in The Sound of Music -- and playing a romantic role opposite someone 45 years her senior; how she handled her first professional disappointment, at the fate of the musical Time and Again; the serious injury -- and nasty rumors -- that plagued her during the revival of Into the Woods and nearly derailed her performance in Nine; and what it was like, after playing many period roles, for this Jersey girl to play a girl from New Jersey in The Wedding Singer.

Laura Benanti made her Broadway debut just out of high school, leading the cast of Rodger & Hammerstein's long awaited The Sound of Music revival. Since then, Benanti went on to star in Swing!, the commemorative theatrical homage to the Duke Ellington era of Jazz music, Into the Woods, opposite Vanessa Williams, and the revival of Nine, opposite Antonio Banderas, playing the role of his muse.  In 2006, Benanti also starred in the five-time Tony Award nominated musical The Wedding Singer. Benanti's off-Broadway credits include Time and Again for the Manhattan Theatre Club, and Wonderful Town for City Center's Encores! Series. Benanti performed "Anne" in A Little Night Music directed by Scott Ellis at the Los Angeles Opera House, and starred as "Perdita" in the Williamstown Theatre Festival's production of The Winter's Tale. Benanti currently stars opposite Patti LuPone in Broadway's Gypsy.

Each new "Downstage Center" is regularly broadcast at 6 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays at noon, Sundays at 7 p.m. and Wednesdays at 12 a.m. (all times EST). Following the initial run on XM, each program is made available for free, on-demand, internationally as both streaming audio and podcast on ATW's Web site, www.americantheatrewing.org.

The American Theatre Wing is best known as the creator of the Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards®, which it presents annually with The Broadway League.  The Wing's other activities, dedicated to recognizing excellence and supporting education in theatre, include "Working in the Theatre," now in its 29th year of telecasts on CUNY TV in New York and on other national cable outlets; "Downstage Center," an hour-long weekly interview program on XM Satellite Radio; "Guides to Careers in the Theatre," a video series developed for schools and libraries; a grants and scholarship program to New York City schools and not-for-profit theatre companies, which has awarded more than $2.5 million since its inception; the Theatre Intern Group, a career development program for young professionals; and SpringboardNYC, a two-week college-to-career boot camp for young performers moving to NYC.  Visitors to www.americantheatrewing.org can view or download an archive of "Working in the Theatre" and the career guides and listen to "Downstage Center", all as free, on-demand streaming audio and podcast. Sondra Gilman is Chairman of the Board of the American Theatre Wing; Doug Leeds is President of the Board and Howard Sherman is Executive Director.

XM is America's number-one satellite radio company with more than 9 million subscribers. Broadcasting live daily from studios in Washington, D.C., New York City, the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Toronto and Montreal, XM's lineup includes more than 170 digital channels of choice from coast to coast: the most commercial-free music, premier sports, talk, comedy, children's and entertainment programming; and the most advanced traffic and weather information. For more information about XM hardware, programming and partnerships, please visit www.xmradio.com. 

Photo by Linda Lenzi.

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