Audra McDonald

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**Audra Ann McDonald** (born July 3, 1970) is an American actress and singer. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win all four acting categories. She has performed in musicals, operas, and dramas such as *A Moon for the Misbegotten*, *110 in the Shade*, *Carousel*, *Ragtime*, *Master Class* and *Porgy and Bess*.

As a classical soprano, she has performed in staged operas with the Houston Grand Opera and the Los Angeles Opera and in concerts with symphony orchestras like the Berlin Philharmonic and New York Philharmonic. In 2008 her recording of Kurt Weill's *Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny* with the Los Angeles Opera won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Album and the Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording. She has a close working relationship with composer Michael John LaChiusa who has written several works for her, including the Broadway musical *Marie Christine*, the opera *Send (who are you? i love you)*, and *The Seven Deadly Sins: A Song Cycle*. With her full lyric soprano voice, she maintains an active concert and recording career throughout the United States performing a wide repertoire from classical to musical theater to jazz and popular songs. In 2016, McDonald was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama. In 2017 she was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.

On television, McDonald portrayed Dr. Naomi Bennett as a main cast member of Shonda Rhimes's ABC television drama *Private Practice* from 2007–2011. She also portrayed the character of Liz Lawrence in Season 4 of *The Good Wife*, a role that she reprises as a main cast member in the spinoff series *The Good Fight*. In 2013 she performed the role of Mother Superior in *The Sound of Music Live!* opposite Carrie Underwood as Maria. She has twice been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for her portrayals of Susie Monahan in *Wit* opposite Emma Thompson in 2001 and for her performance of Ruth Younger in *A Raisin in the Sun* in 2008. In 2016 she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her performance in *Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill* for HBO in which McDonald portrayed jazz legend Billie Holiday. She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Program in 2015 for her work hosting the program *Live from Lincoln Center*.

On film she is best known for her portrayals of Maureen in *Ricki and the Flash* (2015) opposite Meryl Streep and Madame de Garderobe in the 2017 film version of Disney's *Beauty and the Beast*. She has been nominated five times for the NAACP Image Awards for her work in television and film.

## Early life and education

McDonald was born in West Berlin, Germany, the daughter of American parents, Anna Kathryn, a university administrator, and Stanley McDonald Jr., a high school principal. At the time of her birth, her father was stationed with the United States Army. McDonald was raised in Fresno, California, the elder of two daughters; her young sister, Alison, writes and directs for television and film. McDonald graduated from the Roosevelt School of the Arts program within Theodore Roosevelt High School in Fresno. She got her start in acting with Dan Pessano and Good Company Players, beginning in their junior company. In a feature article about her written when she was a child, she said that she knew she wanted to be involved in theater "when I had my first chance to perform with the Good Company Players Junior Company." She also said that the people who have had the most impact on her life are "Good Company director Dan Pessano and my mother." She studied classical voice as an undergraduate under Ellen Faull at the Juilliard School, graduating in 1993.

## Career

### Theatre

 File:Audra Mcdonald 1998.jpg
McDonald was a three-time Tony Award winner by age 28 for her performances in *Carousel*, *Master Class*, and *Ragtime*, placing her alongside Shirley Booth, Gwen Verdon and Zero Mostel by accomplishing this feat within five years. She was nominated for another Tony Award for her performance in *Marie Christine* before she won her fourth in 2004 for her role in *A Raisin in the Sun*, placing her in the company of then four-time winning actress Angela Lansbury. She reprised her *Raisin* role for a 2008 television adaptation, earning her a second Emmy Award nomination. On June 10, 2012, McDonald scored her fifth Tony Award win for her portrayal of Bess in Broadway's *The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess*, thus tying Angela Lansbury and Julie Harris. Her 2014 performance as Billie Holiday in *Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill* earned McDonald her sixth Tony award and made her the first person to win all four acting categories.

McDonald appeared as Lizzie in the Roundabout Theatre Company's 2007 revival of *110 in the Shade*, directed by Lonny Price at Studio 54, for which she shared the Drama Desk Award for Best Actress in a Musical with Donna Murphy. On April 29, 2007, while she was in previews for the show, her father was killed when an experimental aircraft he was flying crashed north of Sacramento, California.

McDonald is known for defying racial typecasting in her various Tony Award-winning and -nominated roles. Her performances as Carrie Pipperidge in Nicholas Hytner's 1996 revival of *Carousel* and Lizzie Curry in Lonny Price's 2007 revival of *110 in the Shade* made her the first black woman to portray those (traditionally white) roles in a major Broadway production. Of her groundbreaking work in encouraging diversity in musical theatre casting, she said in an interview for *The New York Times*, "I refuse to be stereotyped. If I think I am right for a role I will go for it in whatever way I can. I refuse to say no to myself. I can't control what a producer will do or say but I can at least put myself out there." In a *Talk of the Nation* interview on NPR, Asian-American actor Thom Sesma said McDonald's performance in *Carousel* "transcended any kind of type at all", proving her to be "more actress than African-American."

McDonald is also no stranger to the opera stage. In 2006 she made her opera debut at the Houston Grand Opera performing Francis Poulenc's *La Voix humaine* and the world premiere of Michael John LaChiusa's one-woman opera *Send (who are you? I love you)*. She had previously performed in the world premiere of John Adams' *I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky* which was given in concert, and can be heard on the 1997 recording of the opera. In 2007 she performed the role of Jenny Smith in Kurt Weill's *Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny* at the Los Angeles Opera. Her performance was recorded and won the Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording in 2009. She appeared in a revised version of George Gershwin's opera *Porgy and Bess*, at the American Repertory Theatre (in Cambridge, Massachusetts) from August through September 2011, and recreated the role on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, which opened on January 12, 2012 and closed on September 23, 2012. For this role, McDonald won her fifth Tony Award and her first in a Leading Actress category. This American Repertory Theater production was "re-imagined by Suzan-Lori Parks and Diedre Murray as a musical for contemporary audiences."

In 2014, she was featured in Lynn Nottage's short play *Poof!*, alongside Tonya Pinkins. It was produced for radio and podcast by Playing On Air.

She appeared at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown, Massachusetts, in Eugene O'Neill's play *A Moon for the Misbegotten* in August 2015, co-starring with her husband Will Swenson.

In 2016, McDonald starred on Broadway as the vaudeville performer Lottie Gee in a new musical titled *Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed* about the making of the 1921 musical *Shuffle Along.* *Shuffle Along* closed on July 24, 2016 and McDonald began a maternity hiatus at that time.

### *Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill*

McDonald played Billie Holiday on Broadway in the play *Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill* in a limited engagement that ended on August 10, 2014. After previews that began on March 25, 2014, the play opened at the Circle in the Square Theatre on April 13, 2014. Of the play, McDonald said in an interview:

> It's about a woman trying to get through a concert performance, which I know something about, and she's doing it at a time when her liver was pickled and she was still doing heroin regularly...I might have been a little judgmental about Billie Holiday early on in my life, but what I've come to admire most about her – and what is fascinating in this show – is that there is never any self-pity. She's almost laughing at how horrible her life has been. I don't think she sees herself as a victim. And she feels an incredible connection to her music – she can't sing a song if she doesn't have some emotional connection to it, which I really understand.
>
>

McDonald won the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for this role, making her the first person to earn six Tony Award wins for acting (not counting honorary awards) and the first person to win a Tony Award in all four acting categories. In her acceptance speech, "she thanked her parents for encouraging her to pursue her interests as a child." She also thanked the "strong and brave and courageous" African-American women who came before her, saying in part, "I am standing on Lena Horne's shoulders. I am standing on Maya Angelou's shoulders. I am standing on Diahann Carroll and Ruby Dee, and most of all, Billie Holiday. You deserved so much more than you were given when you were on this planet. This is for you, Billie."  This performance was filmed at Cafe Brasil in New Orleans and broadcast on HBO on March 12, 2016. McDonald received a 2016 Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for her role in the broadcast.

McDonald had planned to make her West End debut as Holiday in *Lady Day* in June through September 2016, but after becoming pregnant she postponed these plans. She performed in *Lady Day* in June 2017 through September 9, 2017, at the Wyndham's Theatre in the West End.

### Recordings and concerts

 File:Audra McDonald 2011.jpg
McDonald has maintained ties to her classical training and repertoire. She frequently performs in concert throughout the U.S. and has performed with musical organizations such as the New York Philharmonic and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Carnegie Hall commissioned the song cycle *The Seven Deadly Sins: A Song Cycle* for McDonald, and she performed it at Carnegie's Zankel Hall on June 2, 2004. She sang two solo one-act operas at the Houston Grand Opera in March 2006: Francis Poulenc's *La voix humaine* and the world premiere of Michael John LaChiusa's *Send (who are you? I love you)*. On February 10, 2007, McDonald starred with Patti LuPone in the Los Angeles Opera production of Kurt Weill's opera *Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny* directed by John Doyle. The recording of this production of *Mahagonny* won two Grammy Awards, for Best Opera Recording and Best Classical Album in February 2009.

In September 2008, American composer Michael John LaChiusa was quoted in *Opera News Online*, as working on an adaptation of Bizet's *Carmen* with McDonald in mind.

McDonald has recorded five solo albums for Nonesuch Records. Her first, the 1998 *Way Back to Paradise*, featured songs written by a new generation of musical theatre composers who had achieved varying degrees of prominence in the 1990s, particularly LaChiusa, Adam Guettel and Jason Robert Brown.

Her next album, *How Glory Goes* (2000), combined both old and new works, and included composers Harold Arlen, Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Kern. Her third album, *Happy Songs* (2002), was big band music from the 1920s through the 1940s. Her fourth album, *Build a Bridge* (2006), features songs from jazz and pop.

In May 2013, Audra McDonald released her first solo album in seven years, *Go Back Home*, with a title track from the Kander & Ebb musical *The Scottsboro Boys*. To coincide with the album's release, McDonald performed a concert at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City that aired on the PBS series *Live from Lincoln Center* titled *Audra McDonald In Concert: Go Back Home*.

At the 2010 BCS National Championship Game on January 7, McDonald sang *America the Beautiful* for the sold-out stadium fans to celebrate the final game of the college football season.

In May 2000, Audra McDonald appeared as "The Beggar Woman" in Lonny Price's concert version of Stephen Sondheim's *Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street*, performed at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, New York, with the New York Philharmonic with George Hearn and Patti LuPone. She reprised the role in some performances of the March 2014 Lincoln Center concert production, again directed by Price, this time opposite Bryn Terfel and Emma Thompson. She performed three concerts, titled "Audra McDonald Sings Broadway", in the Sydney Opera House in November 2015, which also included "The Facebook Song" by Kate Miller-Heidke.

### Television and film

McDonald has also made many television appearances, both musical and dramatic. In 2001, she received her first Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for the HBO film *Wit*, starring Emma Thompson and directed by Mike Nichols. She also has appeared on *Homicide: Life on the Street* (1999), *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* (2000), *Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years* (1999), the short-lived *Mister Sterling* (2003), *The Bedford Diaries* (2006), and *Kidnapped* (2006–2007), and in the 1999 television remake of *Annie* as Daddy Warbucks' secretary & soon-to-be wife, Miss Farrell. She sang with the New York Philharmonic in the annual New Year's Eve gala concert on December 31, 2006, featuring music from the movies; it was televised on *Live from Lincoln Center* by PBS. In 2013, she appeared in the HBO documentary *Six by Sondheim*.

McDonald appeared as Naomi Bennett in *Private Practice*, a spinoff of *Grey's Anatomy*. She replaced Merrin Dungey, who played the role in the series pilot. McDonald left *Private Practice* at the end of season four, but returned for the series finale at the end of season six to bring closure to Naomi's storyline.

In films, McDonald has appeared in *Beauty and the Beast* (2017), *Ricki and the Flash* (2015), *Best Thief in the World* (2004), *It Runs in the Family* (2003), *Cradle Will Rock* (1999), *The Object of My Affection* (1998), and *Seven Servants* by Daryush Shokof which was her film acting debut in 1996.

McDonald played Mother Abbess in the 2013 NBC live television production of *The Sound of Music Live!*.

Since 2012, McDonald has served as host for the PBS series *Live From Lincoln Center*, for which she shared an Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Program with the show's producers. On August 1, 2017, it was announced that she had been added to the main cast for the second season of *The Good Fight*, reprising her role as Liz Lawrence from *The Good Wife* season 4.

## Personal life

McDonald married bassist Peter Donovan in September 2000. They have one daughter, Zoe Madeline Donovan, named after McDonald's close friend and *Master Class* co-star Zoe Caldwell. McDonald and Donovan divorced in 2009. She married Will Swenson on October 6, 2012. On October 19, 2016, they became parents to a girl, Sally James McDonald-Swenson. She also has two stepsons.

McDonald attended Joan Rivers' funeral in New York on September 7, 2014, where she sang "Smile".

McDonald lives in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.

## Discography

### Solo recordings

* *Way Back to Paradise* (Nonesuch, 1998)
* *How Glory Goes* (2000)
* *Happy Songs* (2002)
* *Build a Bridge* (2006)
* *Go Back Home* (2013)
* *Sing Happy* (2018)

### Featured recordings

* *Dawn Upshaw Sings Rodgers & Hart* – duet on "Why Can't I?" (1996)
* *Leonard Bernstein's New York* – duet with Mandy Patinkin on "A Little Bit in Love" and "Tonight" (1996)
* *George and Ira Gershwin: Standards and Gems* – sings "How Long Has This Been Going On?" (1998)
* *George Gershwin: The 100th Birthday Celebration* – sings *Porgy and Bess* selections (1998)
* *Myths and Hymns* – sings "Pegasus" (1999)
* *My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies* – sings "The Webber Love Trio" (1999)
* *Broadway In Love* – sings "You Were Meant For Me" from *The Object of My Affection* (2000)
* *Broadway Cares: Home for the Holidays* – sings "White Christmas" (2001)
* *Bright Eyed Joy: The Songs Of Ricky Ian Gordon* – sings "Daybreak in Alabama" (2001)
* *Zeitgeist* – sings "Think Twice" (2005)
* *The Wonder of Christmas* with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (2004)
* *Barbara Cook at the Met* – sings "When Did I Fall In Love?" and "Blue Skies" (2006)
* *Jule Styne in Hollywood* – sings "10,432 Sheep" (2006)
* *Sondheim: The Birthday Concert* – sings "Too Many Mornings" and "The Glamorous Life" (2010)
* *Stages* – duet on "If I Loved You", 2014

### Cast recordings

* *Carousel* (1994 Broadway Revival Cast Recording) (1994)
* *Ragtime* (Original Cast Recording) (1998)
* *I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky* by John Adams (Studio Cast Recording) (1998)
* *Wonderful Town* (Berlin Cast Recording) (1999)
* *Marie Christine* (Original Cast Recording) (1999)
* *Sweeney Todd Live at the New York Philharmonic* (2000)
* *Dreamgirls in Concert* (2001 Concert Cast Recording) (released February 2002)
* *Wonderful Town* (Studio Recording) (2005)
* *110 in the Shade* (2007 Broadway Revival Cast Recording) (2007)
* *Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny* (Concert Cast Recording) (2007)
* *Rodgers & Hammerstein's Allegro* (First Complete Recording) (2009)
* *The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess* (New Broadway Cast Recording) (2012)
* *Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill* (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2014)

### Video recordings

* *Audra McDonald – Live at the Donmar London*, VHS (1999)
* *My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies* ("The Webber Love Trio"), DVD & CD (1999)
* *Bernstein – Wonderful Town* with Kim Criswell, Thomas Hampson, Wayne Marshall, Simon Rattle, and Berlin Philharmonic, DVD (2005)
* *The Wonder of Christmas* with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, DVD (2005)
* *Weill – Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny*, DVD (2007)
* *Sondheim! The Birthday Concert*, Blu-ray DVD (2010)

## Audio books

* Alice Walker, *By The Light of My Father's Smile* (1998)
* Connie Briscoe, *A Long Way From Home* (1999)
* Rita Dove, *Second-Hand Man* (2003)
* Jodi Picoult, *Small Great Things* (2016)

## Concerts

**Audra McDonald in Concert (2013–14)**

23 concerts total; the gap between May and October 2013 is due to McDonald's work with television and her album coming out, causing the three and a half month gap. The tour ended due to McDonald's show, *Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill* opening on Broadway, but she picked up again with a new tour once the show closed.

**An Evening with Audra McDonald (2014–15)**

37 concerts; this tour marked her Australian debut. The lack of August shows was due to her run in *A Moon for the Misbegotten*.

**Other concerts**

 File:Audra McDonald performs in the East Room of the White House, 2013.jpg
* 1999 – *Audra McDonald: Live at the Donmar London* (filmed for a DVD)
* February, 2002, Live with the Utah Symphony Abravenal Hall Salt Lake City, UT (part of the 2002 Olympics Arts Festival)
* June 2, 2004 – *The Seven Deadly Sins: A Song Cycle* at Carnegie Hall
* August 26, 2007 – Ravinia
* March 28, 2008 – Savannah Music Festival
* March 30, 2008 – Ferst Center for the Arts
* April 26, 2008 – Stanley Theater
* May 30, 2008 – Zellerbach Hall
* February 1, 2010 – Ralph Freud Playhouse
* April 26, 2010 – Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall
* July 18, 2010 – Ozawa Hall in Boston
* October 22, 2011 – Carnegie Hall
* November 8, 2011 – Curtis M Phillips Center for Performing Arts
* April 20, 2012 – New Jersey Performing Arts Center
* January 2, 2016 – Parker Playhouse
* January 17, 2016 – Leicester Square Theatre
* November 17, 2018 – Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, MI
* October 7–8, 2019 – Noorda Center for Performing Art at Utah Valley University, Orem, UT

## Awards and nominations

In 2012, Audra McDonald received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.

On September 22, 2016, Audra McDonald was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama for 2015. The Award states, in part: "for lighting up Broadway as one of its brightest stars.... In musicals, concerts, operas, and the recording studio, her rich, soulful voice continues to take her audiences to new heights."

## Notes

1. ↑ Best Actress in a Play, Best Actress in a Musical, Best Featured Actress in a Play, and Best Featured Actress in a Musical. "Tony Awards Facts & Trivia". http://www.tonyawards.com/en\_US/history/facts/. Retrieved June 9, 2014.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Audra McDonald Biography (1970–)". FilmReference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/film/61/Audra-McDonald.html. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
2. ↑ "Audra McDonald Biography: Theater Actress, Singer, Television Actress (1970–)". Biography.com (FYI / A&E Networks). http://www.biography.com/people/audra-mcdonald. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
3. ↑ "Audra McDonald Back on Broadway". www.vulture.com. http://www.vulture.com/2016/03/audra-mcdonald-back-on-broadway-c-v-r.html. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
4. ↑ "Audra McDonald, Matthew Broderick, Marin Mazzie among 2017 Theater Hall of Fame inductees". www.playbill.com. http://www.playbill.com/article/audra-mcdonald-matthew-broderick-marin-mazzie-among-2017-theater-hall-of-fame-inductees. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
5. ↑ "Audra – Living Her Dream", *The Fresno Bee* (January 15, 1989). Retrieved on May 21, 2008.
6. ↑ "Audra McDonald's a tough act to follow in *Evita*", *The Fresno Bee* (December 5, 2007). Retrieved on February 9, 2009. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Green, Blake. "Never Short of Breath", sfgate.com (originally in the *San Francisco Chronicle*), July 16, 2000
8. ↑ "Alumni News: November 2011". *Juilliard.edu*. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120718161936/http://juilliard.edu/alumni/news/news\_decades/2011-2012/1111/index.php. "Audra McDonald (BM '93, voice)"
9. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "Chenoweth, Dench, Linney, McDonald, Rashad Nominated for Emmy Awards", *Playbill*, July 17, 2008, retrieved February 5, 2017
10. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "*Utopia* and *Spring Awakening* Win Top Honors at Drama Desk Awards", *Playbill*, May 21, 2007, retrieved February 5, 2017
11. ↑ Jones, Kenneth. "Stanley McDonald Jr., Father of Tony-Winner Audra McDonald, Dies in Air Crash", *Playbill*, April 30, 2007, retrieved February 5, 2017
12. ↑ "Audra McDonald" (June 8, 2007).
13. ↑ "Casting Beyond Color Lines". https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18706620.
14. ↑ Ben Nattison (March 4, 2006). "Audra McDonald Premieres LaChiusa's Send at Houston Grand Opera". *Playbill*. http://www.playbill.com/article/audra-mcdonald-premieres-lachiusas-send-at-houston-grand-opera.
15. ↑ Lee Spindle (February 12, 2007). "*Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny*". *Theater Mania*. http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/reviews/02-2007/rise-and-fall-of-the-city-of-mahagonny\_10076.html.
16. ↑ "*Porgy and Bess* Broadway", *Playbill*, (Vault), retrieved February 5, 2017
17. ↑ Jones, Kenneth and Hetrick, Adam. 2012 "Tony Awards Nominations Announced; *Once* Earns 11 Nominations" Template:Webarchive. Playbill.com, May 1, 2012
18. ↑ Gans, Andrew and Hetrick, Adam. "Norm Lewis-Audra McDonald *Porgy and Bess* Will Play Broadway's Richard Rodgers Theatre" Template:Webarchive playbill.com, June 29, 2011
19. ↑ Template:Cite podcast
20. ↑ "Audra McDonald and Will Swenson Star in *Moon for the Misbegotten* at Williamstown, Starting Tonight", *Playbill*, August 5, 2015
21. ↑ "Six-Time Tony Winner Audra McDonald Will Lead *Shuffle Along* Musical on Broadway", broadway.com, retrieved June 7, 2015
22. ↑ Hetrick, Adam and Viagas, Robert. "*Shuffle Along* Sets July Broadway Closing", *Playbill*, June 23, 2016
23. ↑ Viagas, Robert. "*Shuffle Along* Plays Final Broadway Performance Today", *Playbill*, July 24, 2016
24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 "Audra McDonald to Return to Broadway as Billie Holiday". *The New York Times*. http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/25/audra-mcdonald-to-return-to-broadway-as-billie-holiday/. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
25. ↑ "Audra Mcdonald Nets a Record Sixth Win" npr.org, June 9, 2014
26. ↑ Purcell, Carey. "*Gent's Guide*, *All The Way*, *Hedwig And the Angry Inch*, *Raisin in the Sun* Win Top Prizes at 68th Annual Tony Awards" Template:Webarchive playbill.com, June 8, 2014
27. ↑ "Audra McDonald Wins 6th Tony Award Makes Broadway History" essence.com, June 8, 2014
28. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "*Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill* Debuts on HBO Tonight", *Playbill*, March 12, 2016
29. ↑ Clement, Olivia. "Audra McDonald, Viola Davis, Bryan Cranston Among 2016 Emmy Nominees", *Playbill*, July 14, 2016
30. ↑ Porteous, Jacob (January 15, 2016). "Record Six-Time Tony Award Winner Audra McDonald to Make West End Debut in *Lady Day At Emerson's Bar And Grill*". London Theatre Direct. https://www.londontheatredirect.com/news/1731/Record-Six-Time-Tony-Award-Winner-Audra-McDonald-To-Make-West-End-Debut-In-Lady-Day-At-Emerson-s-Bar-And-Grill.aspx. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
31. ↑ Warner, Kara. "Baby on the Way for Will Swenson and Audra McDonald", *People* Magazine, May 10, 2016
32. ↑ Shenton, Mark. "Audra McDonald To Reprise *Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill* in the West End", *Playbill*, February 3, 2017
33. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "Audra McDonald to Offer Concerts Throughout U.S.", playbill.com, April 8, 2008
34. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "Audra McDonald Premieres *The Seven Deadly Sins* June 2 at Zankel Hall", *Playbill*, June 2, 2004
35. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "Audra McDonald to Debut New LaChiusa Piece at Houston Grand Opera", *Playbill*, July 26, 2005
36. ↑ Simonson, Robert and Gans, Andrew. "Doyle to Direct LuPone and McDonald in *Mahagonny*" Template:Webarchive, *Playbill*, January 16, 2006
37. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "In the Heights Cast Recording Wins Grammy; Hudson and LuPone-McDonald *Mahagonny* Also Win" Template:Webarchive, *Playbill*, February 8, 2009
38. ↑ Portantiere, Michael (September 2008). "Over the Borderline", *Opera News Online*. Retrieved on September 2, 2008. Archived from the original on September 7, 2008.
39. ↑ Simonson, Robert. "Audra McDonald Sings Composers of Today and Future at Joe's Pub", *Playbill*, May 22, 2002
40. ↑ Suskin, Steven. "On The Record: A Complete Cabaret With Judi Dench, and Audra McDonald's "Build a Bridge", *Playbill*, November 12, 2006
41. ↑ Hetrick, Adam (April 9, 2013). "Audra McDonald's New Album, "Go Back Home" Sets May Release; PBS Concert Will Follow", *Playbill*.
42. ↑ Moon, Josh. "Alabama wins 13th national championship" Template:Webarchive montgomeryadvertiser.com, January 8, 2010
43. ↑ "Audra McDonald review: reviving the fading art of singing" by John Shand, *The Sydney Morning Herald*, November 6, 2015
44. ↑ Jones, Kenneth. "Emmy Noms Go to 'Wit,' 'South Pacific,' 'Laughter on the 23rd Floor' and More", July 12, 2001
45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 45.2 Template:IMDb name
46. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "PBS to Broadcast Audra McDonald's New Year's Eve Concert", *Playbill*, November 29, 2006
47. ↑ "*Six By Sondheim* Doc, With Performances by Audra McDonald, Darren Criss, Jeremy Jordan, Debuts on HBO Dec. 9". Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140322002026/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/185234-Six-By-Sondheim-Doc-With-Performances-by-Audra-McDonald-Darren-Criss-Jeremy-Jordan-Debuts-on-HBO-Dec-9. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
48. ↑ Buckley, Michael (September 24, 2007). "Stage to Screens: Audra McDonald, Kenneth Branagh, Craig Wright, Jill Clayburgh", *Playbill*. Retrieved on October 4, 2013. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013.
49. ↑ "Audra McDonald to Exit Private Practice". *TV Guide*. http://www.tvguide.com/News/Audra-McDonald-Exit-1029028.aspx. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
50. ↑ Gans, Andrew (February 9, 2011). "Audra McDonald Departing ABC's *Private Practice*", *Playbill*. Retrieved on October 4, 2013. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013.
51. ↑ Audra McDonald, Laura Benanti and Christian Borle Join Cast of NBC's Sound of Music Template:Webarchive *Playbill*, Retrieved September 16, 2013
52. ↑ 'Sound of Music Live!' with Carrie Underwood: NBC announces more cast, releases poster Entertainment Weekly, Retrieved September 16, 2013
53. ↑ "Audra McDonald Joins 'The Good Fight' as Season 2 Regular". http://tvline.com/2017/08/01/audra-mcdonald-the-good-fight-cast-season-2-spoilers//. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
54. ↑ "McDonald Sets Record Straight", *BroadwayWorld News Desk* (June 3, 2009).
55. ↑ Jones, Kenneth. "Audra McDonald and Will Swenson Get Married" Template:Webarchive, playbill.com, October 7, 2012
56. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "Audra McDonald and Will Swenson Welcome a Baby Girl", *Playbill*, October 20, 2016
57. ↑ "*Shuffle Along*'s Audra McDonald is Pregnant! Six-Time Tony Winner Postpones West End Debut in *Lady Day*". *Broadway.com*. http://www.broadway.com/buzz/184796/shuffle-alongs-audra-mcdonald-is-pregnant-six-time-tony-winner-postpones-west-end-debut-in-lady-day/.
58. ↑ Gisin, Matthew. "Three Westchester Natives Up For Tony Awards" *Westchester Magazine*, Retrieved October 2, 2014.
59. ↑ McDonald record listing nonesuch.com, retrieved January 8, 2010
60. ↑ *Way Back to Paradise* listing barnesandnoble.com, retrieved January 8, 2010
61. ↑ Simonson, Robert. "Audra McDonald's *How Glory Goes* Released in Stores Feb. 22", *Playbill*, February 10, 2000
62. ↑ McDonald listing masterworksbroadway.com, retrieved January 8, 2010
63. ↑ "Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square: Featuring Audra McDonald and Peter Graves" Template:Webarchive mormontabernaclechoir.org, retrieved January 8, 2010
64. ↑ *Jule Styne in Hollywood* listing Template:Webarchive footlight.com, retrieved January 8, 2010
65. ↑ "I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky", listing nonesuch.com, accessed August 15, 2009
66. ↑ Suskin, Steven. "On the Record: Dazzling Dreamgirls and 1943 Show Tunes", playbill.com, March 10, 2002
67. ↑ Hetrick, Adam and Gans, Andrew. "Complete Allegro Recording, with McDonald, Gunn and Wilson, to Arrive In Stores Feb. 3" Template:Webarchive, playbill.com, December 8, 2008
68. ↑ Porgy and Bess Template:Webarchive, playbill.com, 2012
69. ↑ Audra McDonald *Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill* Original Broadway Cast Recording, retrieved July 17, 2014.
70. ↑ *Getting There from Here: Selected Shorts: A Celebration of the Short Story* Template:Webarchive isbndb.com, accessed August 15, 2009
71. ↑ http://www.newnownext.com/rupauls-drag-race-season-10-judges-trailer/03/2018/
72. ↑ Template:IBDB name
73. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "Audra McDonald and Will Swenson Are Expecting a Baby", *Playbill*, May 10, 2016
74. ↑ Marshall, Charlotte. "Audra McDonald's 'Lady Day' Postponed" officiallondontheatre.co.uk, May 11, 2016
75. ↑ Duboff, Josh. "Exclusive: Michael Shannon and Audra McDonald Smolder in First Look from 'Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune'" *Vanity Fair*, March 21, 2019
76. ↑ As part of *Audra McDonald: Go Back Home*, which aired on *Live from Lincoln Center*
77. ↑ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". American Academy of Achievement. https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#the-arts.
78. ↑ Dwyer, Colin. "At White House, A Golden Moment For America's Great Artists And Patrons" npr.org, September 22, 2016
79. ↑ Awards and nominations, theatre Template:Webarchive playbill.com, retrieved January 8, 2010
80. ↑ Awards and nominations, TV imdb.com, retrieved January 8, 2010
81. ↑ 98.7 KISS-FM (April 7, 2005). "Emmis communications/98.7 KISS-FM celebrated Women's History Month by introducing its first annual salute to Phenomenal Women", Emmis Communications.

## External links

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* Audra McDonald at IMG Artists
* Audra McDonald Biography and Interview on American Academy of Achievement
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* Audra McDonald at PlaybillVault
* Audra McDonald at Nonesuch Records
* Audra McDonald – *Downstage Center* interview at American Theatre Wing.org
* Audra McDonald's February 5, 2007 interview on the Tavis Smiley Show (TV Interview)
* Audra McDonald: Shaping 'Bess' On Broadway, interview on *Fresh Air* (29 mins, 2012)

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