“ The students were extremely smart and had wonderful , insightful questions . It always feels good to go back home and be able to give back to a community that gave so much to me ,” she said .
After graduating from Roosevelt in 1988 , McDonald was accepted to the prestigious Juilliard School in New York , where she studied classical voice . Moving to New York was a big step , but one she was ready for .
“ I underestimated how well-prepared I was for life in the theater when I moved to New York . My time in Fresno , at Good Company Players and at Roosevelt School of the Arts , prepared me for a disciplined , long life in the theater ,” McDonald said . “ The lessons I learned during my years in Fresno included theater etiquette , discipline , professionalism , hard work and a communitybased model in which we work in the theater .”
McDonald has fond memories of her teachers and fellow students at Roosevelt , many of whom she stays in touch with .
“ The memories of being with all of them – whether it be in a classroom , backstage or onstage during those four years – are some of the best memories of my life ,” McDonald said .
The city of Fresno also renamed a portion of M Street in front of the Saroyan Theatre for McDonald in 2018 .
Her advice to aspiring performers is to , “ get on stage whenever and wherever you can .”
“ You don ’ t need to be on a Broadway stage in New York City to get a fulfilling and true experience about what it means to be a performer . That happens anywhere there is an audience and a performer ,” McDonald said .
“ Don ’ t turn up your nose at doing community theater or performing in a retirement home , children ’ s theater , dinner theater or summer stock . All of it is valuable , all of it is necessary and all of it is fulfilling .”
McDonald began acting in Good Company Players productions when she was 9 , performing for three years with the Junior Company before moving on to main stage productions .
Her first of a record-breaking six Tony Awards came in 1994 for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for “ Carousel .” She was also the first person to receive Tony Awards in all four acting categories . Along with stage and television acting , she is a concert and recording artist and is on tour the rest of 2023 and most of 2024 . Her concert dates included Warnors Center for the Performing Arts in Fresno in June .
To now have her name on the auditorium where she used to perform as a high school student is
“ mind-blowing ,” she said .
“ I don ’ t think I will ever fully process it . It ’ s an overwhelmingly incredible honor ,”
McDonald said .
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