Sunday Profile /Loraine O’Donnell
Actress relishes her many roles
What does it take to be a working actress living in Buffalo?
Several part-time jobs, according to Loraine O’Donnell.
“Man, am I busy,” said O’Donnell, who will appear in Artpark’s “Beauty and the Beast” beginning Aug. 14.
She will then switch roles in time for Curtain Up! in September, when she will star as the late pop chanteuse Dusty Springfield in the original musical “Wishin’ and Hopin’,” in the New Phoenix Theatre.
The hard-working actress also currently:
• Co-hosts Channel 13’s “All that Matters” news magazine.
• Designs costumes for MusicalFare Theatre.
• Is part-time host on WECK’s “Everything For Aging.”
• Is a member of the improvisation group “Rob’s Comedy Playhouse”.
Although she has done off- Broadway shows and performed in cabarets in New York City, O’Donnell — who recently received standing ovations for her portrayal of Judy Garland at MusicalFare — said she has greater opportunities working in Western New York.
“I had so many friends in New York waiting for their big break, but never working,” said O’Donnell, before singing Harold Arlen’s “Over the Rainbow” during Carvings for a Cause, a fundraiser for Re-Tree WNY, in the Town Ballroom in mid- June.
O’Donnell, who lives in Allentown with her son, grew up in Boonville, near Utica.
“My dad ran his own hardware store and my mother ran a gift store. I grew up with four younger brothers in a small rural community,” she said. “My parents always instilled in us the importance of hard work, a good work ethic and standing up for what you believe in.
“I’ve always sung — in grade school, and was involved with high school musicals,” she added.
While studying broadcast journalism at Morrisville State College, O’Donnell became involved in theater.
“Then my life changed,” she said. “My theater teacher sat me down and said, ‘You could do this professionally.’ The next day, an audition notice came in the mail to the theater for a scholarship audition to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York. My professor proclaimed that it was a sign.
“I went to the audition, got a scholarship and graduated in 1987 with a performance degree in musical theater.”
After several years in New York, O’Donnell visited friends in Buffalo and auditioned for the Alleyway Theatre.
“They later called and offered me a position as artist-in-residence,” she said.
“We have a great theater community here,” O’Donnell said. “Most theaters treat actors with respect, and I’ve been lucky to work with the best.”
Have an idea about a local person whose life would make a good profile or a neighborhood issue worth exploring? E-mail lcontinelli@buffnews.com or write to: Louise Continelli, Sunday Profile, The Buffalo News, P. O. Box 100, Buffalo, NY 14240.
