BWW Exclusive: Shanice Williams Will Interview Audra McDonald to Kick Off Lincoln Center's LC Dialogues Series

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, four series have been newly-added to the programming lineup of free events at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center: The History of the World in 100 Performances with Adam Gopnik, and three series curated and produced by Award-winning theater directors Lonny Price and Matt Cowart: LC Dialogues, LC Originals, and Late Nights at the Atrium.

BroadwayWorld has just learned that the LC Dialogues series will kick off on Tuesday, January 26 (7:30 pm) with Audra McDonald and Shanice Williams. In the Artist to Artist interview, the intricacies of the creative process will be revealed when Williams, a young, emerging artist, sits down to interview the Tony Award-winning Broadway star, and host of Live From Lincoln Center.

Price will welcome the audience and give a brief introduction, but Shanice will lead the exchange with questions for Audra about her career and craft. This live event is free and open to the public; no tickets required; seating is first-come, first served. For additional information, visit: LincolnCenter.org/Atrium.

The new series, and additional numbers of events added to the existing series, will expand the Atrium's free presentations from approximately 80 events a year to nearly 150 in 2016, extending Lincoln Center's commitment to making great art available to the widest-possible audience.

The David Rubenstein Atrium, which opened in 2009 as a vibrant public space and Lincoln Center visitor center, has presented year-round free performances since 2010, including a Thursday evening concert series and monthly Saturday morning family programs. Now called Atrium 360°, the concert series will continue with Thursday evening presentations, but will also offer events and performances on additional nights of the week.

Shanice Williams recently starred as Dorothy in NBC's holiday production of "The Wiz Live!" An 18-year-old New Jersey native, Williams was raised and trained in musical theater. She was selected out of hundreds of applicants nationwide who auditioned to portray the iconic role of a Kansas farm girl who gets swept up in a tornado and is sent to the mysterious land of Oz. With five years of musical training including extensive dance and piano, Williams has co-starred in several local productions, including "West Side Story," "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," "42nd Street," "Seussical" and "Pippin." In 2014, Williams was nominated for Best Leading Actress in a Musical at the Paper Mill Playhouse's annual Rising Star Awards.

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 Thompson and 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.