Audra McDonald Offers 11 Pieces of Advice for Performers in Talk with Shanice Williams

Six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald sat down with Shanice Williams (THE WIZ LIVE ON NBC!) in an Artist to Artist talk at the David Rubenstein Atrium, offering 11 pieces of advice for performers. McDonald's advice ranges from the inspirational ("Be uniquely you") to the practical ("Read the script!).

Check out the full article from Lincoln Center here to get some valuable tips from Broadway's most-decorated Tony Award winner and most widely renowned mic-dropper.

McDonald became a three-time Tony Award winner by the age of 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 won her fourth in 2004 for her role in "A Raisin in the Sun," a role she reprised 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 Gershwin's Porgy and Bess" thus tying a record held by Angela Lansbury and Julie Harris for most Tony Awards won by an actor. This past June she made history by winning her sixth Tony Award for her role as Billie Holiday in "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill." She also maintains her ties to classical repertoire with an active concert and recording career, performing song cycles and operas as well as concerts throughout the U.S. Audra's many television appearances include four seasons as Naomi Bennett in "Private Practice," as well as "Homicide: Life on the Street," "Law & Order: SVU," "Having Our Say," "Mister Sterling," "The Bedford Diaries," "Kidnapped," the television remake of the musical "Annie," and HBO's "Wit" with Emma Thompsonand more recently as a cast member of "The Good Wife." In December 2013 Audra won critical acclaim for her performance as the Mother Abbess in NBC's live telecast of "The Sound of Music" with Carrie Underwood. Her film roles include "Cradle Will Rock," "Object of My Affection," "It Runs in the Family," "Best Thief in the World," and "Seven Servants." She has performed on numerous occasions at Lincoln Center including appearances broadcast on "Live From Lincoln Center" (see clip from a 2013 concert) and has been the on-air host for the Emmy Award-winning program which airs on PBS since 2013. This spring, she will be starring in Broadway's SHUFFLE ALONG.