Local Limelight: Theatre Raleigh's Lauren Kennedy Brady
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Photo illustration: Axios Visuals; Photo: Courtesy of Theatre Raleigh
Next month, "Bull Durham: A New Musical" takes the stage in Durham, reuniting writer Ron Shelton with the city where he made his hit movie "Bull Durham."
Context: It wouldn't have happened without a key collaboration between Shelton and Lauren Kennedy Brady, the executive director of Theatre Raleigh and a producer for the musical.
Why it matters: Creators of the Durham production have billed it as a showcase, with the hope that it can garner enough interest and financing to make it to Broadway.
- "I think it's going to be presented in a way that will be exciting for people who absolutely adored and loved the movie," Kennedy Brady told Axios. "But also for those that are new to the title and are just interested in coming to see a fun show, or coming to see something about baseball."
Axios spoke with Kennedy Brady for our Local Limelight series. Answers have been edited for Smart Brevity and clarity.
🏙️ You grew up in Raleigh before moving to New York to perform on Broadway. What brought you back? I couldn't have left faster in 1991. I was Broadway or bust.
- But I moved down here in 2012 to help my family run what would eventually turn into Theatre Raleigh and I never looked back. I kind of put my acting career on hold because I felt like what I was doing in Raleigh was much more nourishing for my soul and nurturing of the community.
⚾️ What do you think the Triangle is missing? I think it's missing another professional sports club, and I'd love to see more theater and live performances.
📧 What's the first thing you read in the morning? My email. I do get the daily Axios email, but honestly, my husband, Charlie, would call me a workaholic because I wake up and start working right away.
🍣 Favorite place to eat: Glasshouse Kitchen in RTP and M Sushi in Durham.
🐶 Her pets: Ruby, a 12-year-old Javanese-Maltese mix
📖 Last great book you read? Because of work, I am mostly reading scripts, but it's the script for "Bull Durham."
🎧 Go-to podcasts: "On Purpose with Jay Shetty," Tara Brach's podcast and "The Glucose Goddess."
🐸 What was your first musical? I was a frog in "Briarpatch," a musical written by Raleigh's Ira David Wood III.
😢 Favorite musical: "Les Misérables"
⛰️ Favorite long weekend spot: Asheville. My husband and I are obsessed with the Biltmore.
📝 What are you looking forward to? We're cooking up our 2025 season as we speak right now, and we've got a lot of cool things.
- We're going to announce it on September 10. So stay tuned.
🔥 How do you unplug? Playing the Mini Crossword and Wordle, and spending time with my daughter, Riley, and husband.
- My husband has a smoker, and we sit outside and he cooks meat and I kick my feet up. I just look at the forest behind our house. Honestly, that's really it.