Lauren Ridloff sat down with CBS Sunday Morning today in a feature about her rise to fame in Children of a Lesser God on Broadway.
Lauren Ridloff was a stay at home mother until she was asked by the director of the play, Tony Award-winner Kenny Leon, to help him learn about deaf culture. Out of the blue, she was asked to meet with the casting director and was ultimately cast in the show.
"Is there a part of you that still can't quite believe it's real?" asked Jamie Wax.
"A part of me? No, all of me!" laughed Ridloff.
Watch the full feature below!
Children of a Lesser God played its final performance on May 27.
It starred Joshua Jackson, who received a Drama League nomination for Distinguished Performance, and Lauren Ridloff, who has been nominated for Best Actress in a Play by the Tony Awards®, Drama League Awards, and Outer Critics Circle Awards and was honored with a 2018 Theatre World Award for her Broadway debut in the production.
Mr. Jackson and Ms. Ridloff starred alongside Emmy® Award winner Anthony Edwards, Julee Cerda, Treshelle Edmond, Kecia Lewis, and John McGinty, in a production directed by Mr. Leon.
Children of a Lesser God began performances on Thursday, March 22, 2018 and celebrated its official opening night on Wednesday, April 11, having played 23 preview performances and 54 regular performances.
One of the most indelible love stories of the modern age, Children of a Lesser Godbrings to life the passionate and personal connection between a teacher at a school for the deaf (Mr. Jackson) and the remarkable woman (Ms. Ridloff) he meets there. Now, Mr. Leon's "outstanding production" (NPR) invigorates this landmark play with astounding new relevance and a pair of performances that cannot be missed. Jesse Green of The New York Times raved, "Joshua Jackson is a revelation in a tour de force role, and Lauren Ridloff is sensational and explosive."
Winner of the Tony, Drama Desk, and Olivier Awards for Best Play, Children of a Lesser God caused a sensation among audiences and critics alike when it premiered in 1980.
The creative team for Children of a Lesser God features Tony Award winner Derek McLane (set design), Dede Ayite (costume design), Tony Award nominee Mike Baldassari (lighting design), Jill BC Du Boff (sound design), two-time Grammy Award® winner Branford Marsalis (original music), and Alexandria Wailes (director of artistic sign language). Casting for the production is by Telsey + Company.
The producing team is led by Hal Luftig and includes LHC Theatrical Development, Craig Haffner & Sherry Wright, Yasuhiro Kawana, James L. Nederlander, Rodney Rigby, Albert Nocciolino/Independent Presenters Network, Blue Fog Productions, Suzanne L. Niedland, The Shubert Organization, Jhett Tolentino, Steve & Paula Reynolds, Nyle DiMarco, and Roundabout Theatre Company. Tamar Climan serves as executive producer and Sandy Block as associate producer.
Videos