Broadway's Lauren Elder in Quarterfinals of Hollywood Bowl Competition

Broadway actress and singer-songwriter, Elder has made it to the quarterfinals in the Audacy Opening Act competition, with a grand prize of opening the We Can Survive concert at the Bowl, as well as a cash prize of $10,000.

The competition is decided by public voting on the Opening Act website, located here. Votes can be cast once a day by logging in with a Facebook account or a credit card. You can also purchase additional votes. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the American Foundation For Suicide Prevention. Elder has advanced through six rounds, beating out thousands of musicians, and is now in the top 1% of the competition.

"I'm so incredibly grateful for the support I've been shown by my family, friends, and fans," said Lauren."I entered this competition on a whim, thinking it would be such a cool, full circle moment. I still can't believe I've gotten this far!"

Elder has garnered support from celebrity friends like actor Alan Cumming, American Idol Melinda Doolittle, and actress Alison Luff, who have all asked their fans to vote for Lauren. She must be in first place on September 1st at 11pm ET in order to advance to the Semifinals.

Held annually, We Can Survive has featured major acts, like Doja Cat, Coldplay, and Black Eyed Peas, among others in past years. The concert raises money for the fight for suicide prevention, a cause that is close to Elder's heart.

"I have struggled with suicidal thoughts for most of my life," she said. "Organizations like AFSP are such important resources, and I'm so proud to be helping raise money for them."

Lauren Elder is an actress, director, singer-songwriter, and world champion whistler (Masters of Musical Whistling 2017)

Lauren has been seen on Broadway in the revivals of Side Show and Hair and in the West End in Hair. She played Mary in the world premiere production of Mary and Max, a new musical by Bobby Cronin and Crystal Skillman, at Theatre Calgary, where she won the BroadwayWorld Regional Award for Best Actress in a musical. Other Theater: Hair (Shakespeare in the Park/NY Public Theater), The Village of Vale (Lincoln Center), Orange Star Smasharoo; Regional: Side Show (Kennedy Center, La Jolla Playhouse), Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival; TV: Law & Order SVU, Louie, Boardwalk Empire, Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, 2009 Tony Awards. Lauren directed a critically hailed, immersive off-off-Broadway production of RENT at The Secret Theatre in Queens. Lauren is also a private acting, voice, and career coach and on faculty at NY Film Academy and A Class Act. She performs regularly in nightclubs around NYC, including 54 Below, Joe's Pub, Birdland, and is one of the hosts of Monday's at the Club - a weekly Spontaneous Cabaret Curated on the Fly at Alan Cumming's Club Cumming. Her debut album can be found on iTunes and Spotify! laureneldermusic.com

Need more Los Angeles Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...