Introduce Yourself, Lauren Hines

Theatre or theater?

Theater.  I'm from Kentucky.

Strangest theater-related job?

Working at Sight and Sound Theater in Lancaster, PA.  It's a 2100 seat theater with camels, donkeys, and horses on this gigantic stage.  And the animals will use the bathroom.... mid show....on stage.... while you are singing, dancing or whatever and then a fully costumed stage hand will come on stage and clean up their mess and casually exit.  But. The. Smell. Will. Remain.

What experience made you want to become an actor?

I've wanted to be an actor as long as I can remember.  But it was solidified when I was an extra in a Jim Henson movie when I was in Kindergarten.  We were at Disney World and my grandmother was with us and this producer came up and asked my grandmother to be in the movie "The Muppets Go to Walt Disney World".  Apparently, their elderly grandmother actress had gotten ill and now they were trying to scrounge up one in the park.  She had to sit between the two old guy Muppet puppets, Statler and Waldorf, and Henson and another puppeteer had them sing her a song.  And I was an extra sort of dancing and swaying in the background by default as her granddaughter.  And I was totally nervous.  But I also remember thinking, "But if this is what you want to do when you grow up, you can't be nervous, you've got to just do it."  And. So. I. Did.

Very first role on stage?

Mary (Mother of Jesus) in the Christmas pageant at our school.  I sang the song "Joseph Dearest, Joseph Mine" but because I couldn't read well, during the rehearsal I sang "Joseph Desert, Joseph Mine".  And was corrected although I think my rendition would have had a much deeper meaning and therefore made the show more poignant.  No?

Tragic flaw? 

Pride.... and desserts. 

If you were a 1980s television show sidekick, who would you be?


Larry Appleton on Perfect Strangers.