# Meredith Braun

Meredith Braun (born 1973) is a New Zealand actress and singer. She began her career as a child actress in her native New Zealand before relocating to the UK and starring in a number of West End musicals and touring productions.

## Early life

As a child in Remuera, Auckland, Braun appeared in numerous stage productions plus occasional television shows (The Haunting of Barney Palmer) and advertisements.
Her mother studied at the Royal College of Music in the 1950s and at the age of 16 Braun moved from New Zealand to London. In 1989, Braun earned a place at London's prestigious Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts.

## Career

She began her West End career six months later with a lead role in short-lived musical Bernadette at the Dominion Theatre. Cameron Mackintosh then cast her as Eponine in Les Miserables, a role she played in both London and Manchester. In 1993, she was cast as Betty Schaeffer in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical version of Sunset Boulevard. Having been part of an audition process that involved 300 other potential actresses, Lloyd Webber said of Braun "When I saw Meredith and heard her I knew she was going to be a star".
Further shows in the West End included starring as Christine in The Phantom of the Opera plus Out of the Blue with Michael McCarthy and Killing Rasputin. Between 2000 and 2001, Braun starred as Lily in the RSC's production of The Secret Garden at both the Theatre Royal Stratford and the Aldwych Theatre, London.
Between 1995 and 1997, Braun returned home to her native Auckland, landing numerous roles in one of New Zealand's leading professional theatre companies, the Auckland Theatre Company. She came with the prestige as one of the starring names within New Zealand's theatre industry at the time.
Braun also appeared as Belle in Disney's 1992 holiday film The Muppet Christmas Carol opposite Michael Caine and the cast of The Muppets, and has done a number of television roles in the United Kingdom.
After a ten-year absence from performing, Braun released her debut solo album Someone Else's Story in 2012 - a mix of contemporary show songs and classical crossover material. The album features musical direction and arrangements by Paul Bateman (musical director for Sarah Brightman and Lesley Garrett), and was released on Stage Door Records on March 26, 2012.
In 2017, Braun released her second solo album When Love Is Gone featuring a new recording of the song of the same name she performed in The Muppet Christmas Carol marking the film's 25th anniversary. The album was released by Stage Door Records in November 2017.
Braun is currently the course director for The University of Chichester Conservatoire's BA (Hons) Musical Theatre (Music) Course, having previously been a lecturer for Musical Theatre Triple Threat course.

## Filmography
### Film and television

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1987 | The Haunting of Barney Palmer | Troy |
| 1992 | The Muppet Christmas Carol | Belle |
| 2003 | Doctors | Janine Lewis |
| 2007 | New Tricks | Nyreen |
| 2009 | Missing | Carrie Garrison |

### UK theatre credits

| Year | Title | Role | Theatre | Location |
| 1990 | Bernadette | Camille | Dominion Theatre | West End |
| 1991 | Les Misérables | Eponine | Palace Theatre | West End |
| 1992-93 | Les Misérables | Eponine | — | UK National Tour |
| 1993 | Sunset Boulevard | Betty Schaefer | Adelphi Theatre | West End |
| 1994 | Out of the Blue | Hideko | Shaftesbury Theatre | West End |
| 1998-99 | Killing Rasputin | Princess Irina | Bridewell Theatre | London |
| 1999-20 | The Phantom of the Opera | Christine | Her Majesty's Theatre | West End |
| 2000-01 | The Secret Garden | Lily | Aldwych Theatre / Theatre Royal Stratford East | West End / Stratford |
| 2002 | Cordelia | Jude | Royal National Theatre | London |
| 2003 | Forever Yours | Jennie | Southwark Playhouse | Off-West End |

### New Zealand theatre credits

| Year | Title | Role | Theatre | Location |
| 1985 | The Tempest | Ariel | | Auckland |
| 1985 | The Chalk Garden | Laurel | | Auckland |
| 1986 | The Cage Birds | Gossip | | Auckland |
| 1986 | The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole | Pandora | | Auckland |
| 1986 | Snoopy | Peppermint Patty | | Auckland |
| 1987 | Bugsy Malone | Blouse | | Auckland |
| 1987 | The Wizard of Oz | Dorothy | | Auckland |
| 1987 | Alice in Wonderland | Alice | | Auckland |
| 1987 | Jack the Ripper | Polly | | Auckland |
| 1988 | Fiddler on the Roof | Ensemble | | Auckland |
| 1995 | Sweet Charity | Charity Hope Valentine | Mercury Theatre | Auckland |
| 1995 | Footrot Flats | Jess | Mercury Theatre | Auckland |
| 1996 | Jesus Christ Superstar | Mary Magdalene | Mercury Theatre | Auckland |
| 1996 | The Sound of Music | Maria | Mercury Theatre | Auckland |
| 1997 | South Pacific | Nellie Forbush | Mercury Theatre | Auckland |

### Workshops

| Year | Title | Location |
| 1994 | Yusupov | Sydmonton Festival / Donmar Warehouse |
| 1994 | Jekyll | Prince of Wales Theatre |
| 2004 | The Far Pavilions | London |

## Personal life

Braun has three children by her first husband, musical director David White, twins born 1997–1998, and a son, Tiger Braun-White, a cellist, born 2003–2004. Her second husband, Bill Rea, is a marine architect.