Olivia Hardy on Taking Summer: The Donna Summer Musical on the Road and Finding Her 'Inner Donna'

Unlike many college seniors, Olivia Hardy isn't spending her days in the library studying for an exam or getting ready for the next big football game. Instead, she's gearing up to star in the first national tour of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical as Duckling Donna. Before she takes the musical across the country, Hardy stopped by Broadway.com's #LiveAtFive to talk all about stepping into the music icon's shoes. "I was actually in Berlin, Germany when I found out I got the role," she told Ryan Lee Gilbert. "I was still at school and I got an email from my agent to self-tape for it back in the beginning of April. I didn't hear anything back until mid-May and then I came to New York and auditioned in person three times. But yeah, I was sitting in my friend's room in Germany when I got the email. Wild."

Hardy portrays the youngest of the three Donnas and can relate to her character since she herself is still in school. "I'm a senior, technically," she said. "I'm taking a leave of absence, but I still have credits to finish that I'm doing online while I'm on this tour. After the tour, I have to go back for one more semester, I gotta get that degree."

As one third of the Donnas, Hardy works closely with co-stars Dan'yelle Williamson and Alex Hairston who play Diva and Disco Donna, respectively. "Alex and Dan'yelle are some of the most hardworking and most talented women I think I've ever met," she said. "From the moment I met them for the very first time, they were incredibly welcoming and humble and embracing me into this Donna trio family. I'm very lucky and grateful to work with these two amazing ladies."

Bringing Donna Summer's life to the stage is no easy feat, but Hardy is up for the challenge. "I want to make sure I get her authenticity right," she said. "But I also want to keep a piece of me a part of it, too. I do the research while also recognizing that we're not trying to be exactly like Donna. We're trying to emulate her through our own personal experiences. Playing Duckling Donna, I tap into the dreams she had that are the same ones I had. It's been cool to meet the two in the middle and find my inner Donna"

Catch Hardy in Summer: A Donna Summer Musical in a city near you!

Watch the full #LiveAtFive interview below!