Feature on Cover Girl Rachael Lawrence by A.L. Harper
You have probably seen Rachael Lawrence in the VH1 comedy show I Hate My 30’s as ditzy, loud-mouthed receptionist, and wannabe-rock-superstar Vicki, who, like many of her contemporaries is only working as a receptionist until she gets her big break. However like so many of her real life counterparts, she lacks the talent and vision. The same cannot be said of Lawrence, who is a multi-talented actress, singer, composer and writer even co-writing most the songs for I Hate My 30’s. Born in San Diego Lawrence began training in music at the tender age of three but it was at the age of nine, when she was cast in a high school musical that she knew she wanted to be an actress.
It was while attending the exclusive and private La Jolla Country Day School Lawrence became involved in theatre, piano, singing, and composing and by graduation she had starred in many plays and musicals, composed countless songs and even studied jazz piano. From high school she moved to LA and the University of Southern California, there she continued to work with the performing arts getting involved in every aspect of theatre and music even becoming the first undergraduate to ever direct a main-stage musical at USC. While at university Lawrence began giving private voice lessons eventually certifying with world famous voice coach, Seth Riggs. Lawrence has helped to train the voices of many acclaimed stars off and on Broadway.
She also made the close friends with whom she would form the comedy sketch troop Another Showcase Showdown. As part of this group she performed at the Aspen HBO Comedy Arts Festival and eventually led to the formation of the production company, Drama 3/4 Productions of which I Hate My 30’s is just one project.
“She is clearly a woman with great talent and vision”
Most recently she teamed up with fellow songwriters/composers Deborah Ellen and Josh Binder and signed a publishing deal with Randy Cohen and Dana Kasha’s company, Shoot and Score Music Publishing, under Universal Publishing – not to mention being All Things Girl’s cover girl. She is clearly a woman with great talent and vision not to mention a very full schedule so I was very pleased when she agreed to sit down with me for a quick chat. I found Lawrence to be a witty, intelligent and engaging woman, but what would you expect from such a talented up-and-coming comedy actress.
What are you working on at the moment? I understand that VH1 aren’t picking up I Hate My 30’s for a second season.
Yeah, that just went through one season. They didn’t really publicise our show, so we really get an audience. What I’m doing now is more music stuff, I have a publishing deal, I’m voice coaching, I’m writing a kids album, I’m musically directing some shows in LA. So I am doing a bunch of stuff now, more music involved. The people from the TV show [I Hate My 30’s] we are actually doing a live theatre show since everyone’s on strike [the recently resolved writers strike].
So you’re more heavily involved in the music aspect of performing now?
That’s what I was doing. I wasn’t a full time actress. I wasn’t going on auditions every day. The TV show happened because my group of friends got the show together. I had been doing theatre with them as an outlet to keep being on stage but being an actress isn’t a stable job. I was working more as a songwriter and a voice coach everyday. So when the TV show happened I kept doing everything that was just an extension, another project that I did.
Was this the same comedy troop that you went to Aspen with and got to perform at the HBO Comedy Arts Festival?
That is the same group that is on the show. This group that I’m in, we all do the live stuff we all do the TV show. We are kind of like a clubhouse of talent. We were doing a live sketch show and that is what brought us doing the HBO comedy festival. Aspen brought us back to LA and we had more people coming and then VH1 offered a show to us because of our live show. And that’s what we are going to be doing next month again we are going to be putting that back up, since we haven’t been able to since we were on TV.
“By the time fourth grade hit I knew that I wanted to be singing and playing the piano and on-stage acting, I just wanted to be an artist in some capacity.”
How long have you been into musical theatre?
I started playing the piano when I was three years old. My parents noticed I had some sort of an ear for music and got me involved with the Suzuki Method which, at three years old you can’t really learn how to site read yet you’re too young. So I was doing a method that was based on listening and repeating. So I have been playing the piano since then, I don’t even remember starting, it’s kind of been part of my life. By the time fourth grade hit I knew that I wanted to be singing and playing the piano and on-stage acting, I just wanted to be an artist in some capacity.
And you have just recently turned 30 so really music has been part of your entire life.
Yeah, it’s all I have ever known. The only other job that I’ve ever had, that wasn’t in music or acting, was working for my dad in his clothing store. So I did a little retail at 16 but other than that I have only been paid to make music, teach music, be on television, and everything that encompasses those arts.
I understand you spent some time in Scotland, where I live.
Oh yes! I love Scotland. I did the Edinburgh Fringe Festival right out of college. USC takes alumni over there and we just do like a summer season of 12 different shows. We all perform in them, we make the costumes, make the sets, we do everything ourselves. I would call it theatre boot camp (laughs). Going on that kind of trip, and then when I got back and I was no longer in school and that can be a little scary but that kind of education over the summer made me so ready to conquer anything.
To learn more about Rachael Lawrence you can visit her website. For more information about future projects with Drama 3/4 Productions you can also visit their MySpace space.
A.L. Harper is a freelance writer and motorbike fanatic originally from Salt Lake City, Utah but now living in Scotland. In edition to being the Managing Editor for All Things Girl, A.L. is the Assistant Music Editor for Blogcritics.org and a freelance writer for hire.
