Audra McDonald and Will Swenson Get Married

By Kenneth Jones
07 Oct 2012

Audra McDonald and Will Swenson in an earlier photo.
Audra McDonald and Will Swenson in an earlier photo.
Photo by Joseph Marzullo/WENN

Broadway stars Audra McDonald (Porgy and Bess, Ragtime, Master Class, A Raisin in the Sun, Carousel) and Will Swenson (Hair, Priscilla Queen of the Desert) were married on Oct. 6 at their home in Croton-on-Hudson, NY, according to published reports.

The bride's wedding dress was designed by ESosa, the "Project Runway" finalist and Tony Award-nominated costume designer of The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, for which McDonald won the 2012 Best Actress Tony — her fifth Tony. Swenson was Tony-nominated as Featured Actor in a Musical in 2009 for playing Berger in Hair.

Following the wedding, McDonald tweeted, via @AudraEqualityMc, "Well that was just the best day ever," adding "‪#SadieSadiemarriedlady," a reference to a lyric from the musical Funny Girl.

McDonald, known for playing Dr. Naomi Bennett on TV's "Private Practice," has an 11-year-old daughter, Zoe Madeline, and Swenson has two sons, Bridger, 11, and Sawyer, 8.

Swenson was understudy for the role of Starbuck in the 2007 Broadway revival of 110 in the Shade, in which McDonald played Starbuck's love interest, Lizzie.

McDonald has been an outspoken proponent of marriage equality and sits on the advisory board of the advocacy organization Broadway Impact. Founded in 2009 by Rory O'Malley (Book of Mormon), Gavin Creel (Hair) and production coordinator Jenny Kanelos, Broadway Impact is the first and only grassroots organization to mobilize the nationwide theatre community in support of marriage equality.