Megan Hilty is a Tony Award nominated actress and singer who may be best known for her portrayal of Glinda in Wicked. Other credits include Broadway’s 9 to 5: The Musical as Doralee Rhodes and Noises Off as Brooke Ashton (which also earned her Tony Award and Drama Desk Award nominations), as well as Annie Get Your Gun and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes at New York City Center. She became a worldwide triple threat known as Ivy Lynn on NBC’s musical drama Smash, with other television credits including Girlfriends’ Guide To Divorce, The Good Wife, BrainDead, Sean Saves the World, Louie, Desperate Housewives, and Ugly Betty among many others. Megan has performed across the globe to sold out houses, including concerts with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center and the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center. She's recorded three albums of her own and is now making her 54/Below debut with a six show series running from November 2-7th.  Growing up outside Seattle, Washington, Megan was an avid singer and a veteran performer within her local community theater. She chats with us about what first drew her to theater as a child, and what keeps her coming back to the stage even with a successful film and tv career. While in LA with Wicked, Megan recalls realizing the need to diversify her career, and shares how she began her journey into the TV and film world. She reflects on the heartbreak of closing 9 to 5: The Musical, and speaks candidly about leaving NYC, pounding the pavement in LA, and finding herself in an audition room for Smash. Megan also gives us an inside look at her upcoming 54 Below debut, which she calls “a huge pinch me moment”.  In this episode, we talk about:  Almost going the opera singer route  Being inspired by Bernadette Peters’ career Landing Wicked in NYC right out of college  The reality of the harsh comparisons and criticisms actresses endure  Performing with Brian Stokes Mitchell  Connect with Megan: Get tix to her 54/Below event IG: @meganhilty Twitter: @meganhilty Subscribe to the 54/Below Podcast: bpn.fm/54below Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices