Artist Spotlight: Audrey Link

THEATREMCLEAN’S STRONGEST LINK

Sophomore’s acting talent opens the door to lead roles

tara pandey features & Copy editor saehee perez editor-in-chief

Sophomore Audrey Link has been breaking traditions since her first year in the McLean theater program. Beginning as an understudy in her first production then a supporting role in her second, Link shocked her peers when she earned a breakout lead role as Queen Gynecia in the musical Head Over Heels last spring.

“I’d say last year was probably the biggest lead I’ve ever done,” Audrey said. “I’ve played principal characters [in other productions] before, but definitely not at that level.”

A freshman playing a supporting role is a sign of their talent and potential, but playing a lead role is rare in the high school theater community. However, earning the role was far from easy, as Link practiced relentlessly to prepare for her part.

Part of her preparation involved taking singing classes with a vocal teacher and working with her vocal coach weekly to train her voice for the musical roles she ended up taking on.

“The thing I most appreciate about working with Audrey is the work ethic she brings to what she does,” said Doug Ullman, Jr., Link’s vocal coach. “Audrey learned all of her tracks [and was] prepared to participate in rehearsal.”

In addition to TheatreMcLean’s intense schedule of rehearsing four times a week, Link works on her skills at home as well.

“I hear her practicing and singing a lot,” said senior Morgan Link, Audrey Link’s sister. “She always rehearses the songs that she sings at her auditions when it’s a musical and runs lines with her friends [beforehand].”

Audrey Link’s theater journey began far before her time at McLean. She has been enthralled by performing from a young age and took ballet, dance and voice lessons years before she began acting.

Theater first caught Audrey Link’s eye when she was living in San Diego.

“The Lion King was [the] first Broadway show [I saw],” Audrey Link said. “At that time I already knew that I liked theater, but after that I [thought], ‘This is what I want to do.’”

She joined a company called Christian Youth Theater to take musical theater classes before starting to audition for shows. She stayed involved with the company for six years.

After moving to Virginia in 2021, Link wanted to continue pursuing her passion in the area. To get started, she auditioned for a show at the Fear Lab in D.C. and played a role there for a summer.

This year, she is playing the supporting role of Margaret in TheatreMcLean’s first show of the year, Much Ado about Nothing.

“Going into the show, I definitely feel a lot more comfortable than last year [when] I didn’t really know anyone,” Audrey Link said. “We did monologues for the audition, which to me are a little harder because you have to break [them] down and figure out your character’s objective in that moment.”

After working with the TheatreMcLean director and cast to build her character, she was excited to show the audience her take on Margaret, a flirty woman eager for a heroine, and is looking forward to future productions.

“Thinking about where I am now versus last year, [it’s] completely different. I think a lot of that is because of the [support] system I can count on,” Audrey Link said. “I’m excited to continue it for the next two years.”

sophomore STar — Audrey Link sings during a performance of Head Over Heels. She played one of the lead roles, Queen Gynecia, in TheatreMcLean’s production of the musical last spring.

THE THING I MOST APPRECIATE ABOUT WORKING WITH AUDREY IS THE WORK ETHIC SHE BRINGS TO WHAT SHE DOES.”

- DOUG ULLMAN VOCAL COACH