My guest on this episode is Shereen Ahmed who is starring as Eliza Doolittle on the US National Tour of the Lincoln Center Theater Production of My Fair Lady.
Shereen has been on a wild journey, from making her Broadway debut in the ensemble of My Fair Lady, understudying Laura Benanti in the New York production before stepping into the spotlight to star as Eliza on the national tour. The girl who fell in love with Audrey Hepburn in the My Fair Lady film at age 12, is now introducing Eliza to a new generation and doing it in her own way.
In this episode Shereen talks about her unconventional path to becoming a leading lady of the stage, the solidarity she has always felt with the character of Eliza, her dance (or should we say aggressive movement) with imposter syndrome, being faced with the challenge to conform growing up as a middle eastern woman in post 9/11 America and the opportunity and responsibility she finds herself with as she travels the nation representing the Middle Eastern identity.
Links from this episode:
Breaking the 'Historical Mold' of Eliza Doolittle - by Shereen Ahmed for The Ensemblist
Jen Waldman - Ep #4 Discovering My WHY Changed Everything