VIDEO: Director Julie Andrews On Auditioning Eliza Doolittle's For Opera Australia's MY FAIR LADY

When the demanding Rex Harrison was unhappy with the acting performance of his young leading lady during rehearsals of that new 1956 musical, Lerner and Loewe's MY FAIR LADY, director Moss Hart famously gave her a weekend's worth of private coachings, teaching her all the nuances and insights needed to play Eliza Doolittle, the cockney flower girl who learns to speak, and think, like a lady.

Now, some lucky actor will be learning all the nuances and insights needed to play the role from none other than Julie Andrews.

The great lady of Broadway and Hollywood is in Sydney holding auditions for Opera Australia's 60th anniversary production of MY FAIR LADY, which she will be directing. The production will open at the Sydney Opera House in August of 2016.

In an interview for Australia's ABC news, Andrews responded to questions about calming actors' nerves when they audition for the role of Eliza Doolittle for the woman who originated the musical's demanding role. She says friendly chatter and granting them full attention should do the trick.

"I think any director is intimidating and I hope to make people feel as easy as possible because I know where they're coming from, I've been there myself."

Click here for a video of the full interview.

Celebrating the beloved original, Lerner and Loewe's MY FAIR LADY comes to the Sydney Opera House in August 2016, under the direction of Dame Julie Andrews.

In the show's 60th anniversary year, Opera Australia and John Frost join forces to honor the past and bring the beloved story of Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins to a new generation of theatre audiences.

The Cinderella story about the Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle and the appealingly arrogant phoneticist, Professor Higgins, is an endearing tale that charms audiences with its warmth and vivid characters.

The clash of cultures sparks some of the theatre's most jubilant songs and witty dialogue. The triumphant score features unforgettable numbers including 'Wouldn't It Be Loverly?', 'On the Street Where You Live', 'I Could Have Danced All Night', and 'Get Me to the Church on Time'.

In 1956, Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's masterful retelling of George Bernard Shaw's PYGMALIAN took the world by storm. Playing the irresistible Eliza Doolittle was a young Julie Andrews, in only her second role on Broadway, a role that would catapult her into international stardom.

In a world first, Dame Julie Andrews will direct a glorious production of My Fair Lady, teaming up with the Tony Award-winning Christopher Gattelli and associates of the musical's original designers, Cecil Beaton and Oliver Smith.

A stellar cast of Australian theatre royalty and emerging talent will be showcased in this truly momentous production.