The name Lauren Blackman might not ring a bell, but if you’ve been to the Maine State Music Theatre during the last ten years, you’ll recall the magic she brings to every role. Lauren played Marion in “The Music Man,” Mary Poppins in “Mary Poppins,” Betty in “Sunset Boulevard” and Vivienne in “Legally Blonde.”

Lauren is an extraordinary singer, dancer and actor. And, oh yes, she’s blessed with a classic natural beauty. One might think, after seeing Lauren on stage, that she was born to bask in the spotlight, that she’s skipped through life facing nary a bump in the road. If so, one would be wrong.

It’s true that Lauren was born with good looks and that she demonstrated early talent for dancing (she started lessons at age 4) and singing (she started lessons at age 13). And it’s true that Lauren got early exposure to the world of performance because of her mother, who was very involved in community theater.

Lauren attended the Branson School, just north of Saint Francisco, where she was a talented multi-sport athlete as well as a standout singer. She recalls the time that her softball coach told her mom that Lauren would have to choose between playing on the team and participating in the school musical. “My mom said, ‘If you make her choose, she won’t choose you.’” So the coach let her do both.

Lauren knew from an early age that she wanted to pursue a career in musical theater. Confident in her skills as a singer and dancer, she decided to apply to Syracuse University, where she believed she could best hone her acting skills. “I was right in the middle of singing my first song at the audition, and the director cut me off. The piano player said she wanted to hear my second song, so they let me finish.” She later learned that the director had cut her off because he’d quickly decided he wanted her in the program.

Things proceeded well for Lauren at Syracuse until her evaluation towards the end of her sophomore year. She was shocked to learn that she had failed the tests for both theater and performance.

She was down, but not out. That summer, she returned to San Francisco determined to prove the evaluators had made a mistake. She hired a band, rented a theater and put on her own cabaret. “That was the push I needed,” she says now looking back. “I wanted to prove them wrong.”

Lauren returned to Syracuse for her junior year, brimming with confidence, blazing with spirit. There was no holding her back. Her professors took notice, and she began landing some lead roles, becoming a force in the department. When professional directors from NYC came to Syracuse to lead a workshop, she was selected as the student to perform.

After graduating with a B.F.A. in Musical Theater, Lauren moved to New York City; she had some good success landing roles in regional theater, off-broadway and as a back-up to lead roles. She began breaking out of the pack in 2009 when she got the principal role as Claudia in the musical Nine at the Westchester Broadway Theater. While playing several lead roles at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, she drew the attention of Ed Reichert, who at the time was the musical director at Maine State Music Theater.

Lauren has proven to be a perfect fit with MSMT as well as with MSMT’s theatrical partner, the Fulton Theatre in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Lauren has especially enjoyed performing alongside Curt Dale Clark, currently MSMT’s Artistic Director. “Curt loves being goofy just like I do, but he’s totally passionate and serious about what he does. He always gives it his all.”

Curt, in turn, is awed by Lauren’s immense talents. “Lauren has a natural charm that can’t be taught wrapped around a spectacular set of skills. The minute she walks on stage, the members of the audience think, ‘I’m supposed to watch her.’ In addition to all that, she’s an awesome human being.’”

Maine State Music Theatre favorite, Charis Leos, also sings Lauren’s praises. “She’s a phenomenal triple threat — singing, dancing, acting — and she gets better every time I work with her. She has a depth you often don’t find in young actors – plus she’s funny and beautiful and, well, she’s just awesome.”

When I asked Lauren what advice she would pass along to young performers, she said, “Just be patient. If someone else succeeds in getting a callback or a role, that’s not your failure. Enjoy the small successes you do have. Just keep going. It will come.”

“Just be patient” is good advice to fans of Maine State Music Theatre who eagerly await the first post-pandemic appearance of the amazing Lauren Blackman and all the other wonderful performers drawn to MSMT every summer.

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns.