Acting, singing brings student to OU

Lauren Frazier always dreamed of being a Disney princess.

It was a tough road, but through the theatre department at OU, her dream came true.

"Opening week of ‘Beauty and the Beast,' I was working out in the Hull Center and got a staph infection," Frazier said. "I was only one of three students who got it. Meagan Wilcox was my resident assistant and understudy for the part and she realized something was wrong and took me to the emergency room."

It was something that scared Megan, for fear of her friend, and fear of the role of Belle.

"She couldn't speak and her fever was rising," Wilcox said. "I learned her part in 3 days; she got healthy just in time for the show."

This is one of many roles Lauren says she'll never forget. Last summer, she was offered the role of Celle in "The Color Purple."

The role would've taken her to New York, and out of school until production was finished. Ultimately, she turned down the part.

"I needed to finish school," Frazier said. "It was a very rushed decision that I only had three days to make. I was worried about what I'd do after. I think I made the right decision by coming back to school."

It was a decision that she had to do without any influence.

"I tease her because she didn't take the part," Wilcox said. "But I realize now that this was the better choice for her."

Julie Noonan, assistant professor of theatre, weighs in on Frazier.

"Playing different types of roles has helped her grow dimension as an actress in making choices for different styles," she said. "As an actress she is growing in the specificity of those choices. Each character is different and demands the creation of an entire life of specifics."

Besides the dream of being a Disney princess, Lauren also adds she'd like to be an international pop star.

"I write lyrics and melodies to songs," she said. "Just like acting, I've done it since I was little. I do it because I love it, I breathe it and if I don't have it, I feel sick."

Lauren tried to step away before, but was pulled right back in.

"I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do," she said. "I stepped away but had to come back to it."

Wilcox knows that this is the right career path for her.

"I think she's an amazing singer," she said. "I've heard the music she's put together-it's good."

Musical theatre was the answer, but Lauren ads singing always comes before acting.
"I'd like to live in a musical, and every time I walked outside, there would be people singing and dancing," she said. "It would make me really happy."

Outside of the theatre department and signing, Lauren is also involved in the Ottawa Disaster Action Team, a new club on campus that started in the fall. This club reaches out to the community when in need and is currently training for various Red Cross certifications.

"I feel like it means so much more to reach out to the community," she said. "I love helping people, and this club had gotten me that much more involved on campus."

Lauren says she will continue to get involved with things on campus that interest her.

"I'm all about having multiple passions in life," she said. "I love many things."