Amazing Asians in the Arts: Lulu Picart

Lulu Picart is a musician, actress, and musical director in New York City! She has toured with Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Cinderella," been a Music Supervisor for Norwegian Creative Studios, Walt Disney World, and Orlando Studios, and was nominated for a Lortel Award for her work in "Disenchanted!" Since the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Lulu helped co-found #thankyoufive, a non profit that helps feed medical workers on the front lines in NYC! Keep reading to find out more about what makes Lulu an Amazing Asian in the Arts!

Name: Lulu Picart

 

Heritage: Filipino-American

 

Hometown: Orlando, FL

 

Current City: New York City

 

Current Project: The A.R.T. /Roundabout revival of “1776,” directed by Diane Paulus, and my podcast/YouTube channel, “10K Dollar Day”

 

What are some of your favorite credits/projects:

I was nominated for a Lortel Award for “Disenchanted!!” The national tour of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella.” And I was the Music Supervisor for Norwegian Creative Studios, Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando; Comedy Warehouse alum

 

Do you have any favorite moments in your career that you’d like to share?

We just finished the virtual workshop of the new “1776” revival, which involved a lot of research and personal searching. It was humbling and beautiful and hard and intense. I’ll remember those two weeks the rest of my life.

 

Any advice for young people getting into the arts?

Be nice to everyone and learn their name. Learn what can make someone’s job easier or harder. Does the wardrobe team prefer your clothes hung or draped over a chair? Does the audio team prefer the mics coiled at the end of the night or not to touch them at all? Does the stage manager constantly have to look for you when you’re back from breaks? Did you write down your music director’s notes? You have a backstage reputation that is as equally as important as your onstage reputation, and they both can win and lose you jobs.

 

Do you have any organizations or non profits you work with you’d like to highlight?

I’ve worked for a long time with a performing group in Orlando called Encore Cast Performing Arts, and they give a lot of non-professionals the chance to perform in large-scale productions while raising money for local charities.

Also, I’m writing this during the COVID-19 crisis, and I’m working with some other theatre professionals to raise money to feed the medical teams that are fighting so hard for our health. As restaurants close around them and hospitals continue to fill over capacity, we’re trying to give them one less thing to think about and source. We’ve already raised over $1,200, completely through grassroots efforts, and are organizing the purchases and deliveries ourselves. Donations can be made through their new website www.ThankYouFiveNYC.org and 100% of the money goes to food deliveries! It’s been a great way to stay productive and use our theatre skills for a good cause.

 

How did you get your start?

I got my Equity card at Walt Disney World and was lucky to be cast in a wide variety of shows. It really taught me how to multitask and do my homework. I also was able to observe some of the best actors and performers I’ve ever known, and I learned so much from them.

 

Who do you admire?

My father. He is incredibly intelligent, fun, and kind. He always tries to memorize the license plates of the Silver Alerts on the highway.

 

Did you always want to be in the arts or did you have another path before you got here?

I majored in Political Science and French, and got a master’s degree in Leadership Studies. I was on a music scholarship when I went to college, so I was able to sing in the choir and perform. At that point, I had no idea this would be my career!

 

When did you know you wanted to have a career as a performer?

I think it would have been any time I was singing “On My Own” in my childhood bedroom. I definitely always wanted it, I just wasn’t sure what the path would be.

 

What have you found is the biggest challenge in your career?

Finding my own path, not just emulating someone else’s definition of success.

 

Where did you study at?

I learned improvisational comedy at the Comedy Warehouse. It’s a fantastic basis for acting and process – and life!

 

What are some goals you hope to achieve?

I hope I can continue to work on projects that excite and challenge me and affect audiences in beautiful ways.

 

What do you love most about what you do?

I love learning about other people through the stories we tell. I love breaking apart text to find the emotions underneath them. And I’m crazy passionate about theatre as a shared experience – that it happens a little bit different every single night, and that experience is communal with the specific people in the room. It’s like out own little secret. We all come out of it a teeny bit changed, and it all happened together.

 

Is there anything else you’d like to share about yourself?

I’m a podcaster, and I’m passionate about it! My best friend Alison Burns and I wanted to have a project that wasn’t dependent on anybody else to “give us work.” We created a 10K Dollar Day, a comedy podcast about imaginary luxury travel in 2018, and it’s now grown into a full media channel! We’ve been featured at several podcast conferences and festivals around the country, both as a live show and speaking about our process and strategies.

 

To find out more about Lulu Picart, please visit her website and social media at:

Instagram: @lulupicart and @10kdollarday

Twitter: @lulupicart and @10kdollarday

Website: www.10kdollarday.com