Student Blogs to Check Out This Week - Pride Playlists, Online Fandoms & More!
Check out what our student bloggers are writing about for the week of June 3 - June 10.
By: Taylor Brethauer-Hamling Jun. 11, 2021
Our student bloggers write about how they're coping with the current global health crisis, give insight on their school's performing arts programs, share their opinions on the latest theater news, and so much more.
Read some of the top blogs from this week below!
Check out more Student Blogs here! And don't miss a single blog by following our Instagram and liking our Facebook page!
Student Blog: Why I Decided Not to Get My B.F.A. in Musical Theater
Student Blogger: Abigail Connolly
Excerpt: I got to see Broadway shows starting when I was only around 4-years-old. I loved the thrill and excitement of seeing an actor live on stage, singing and performing their heart out. I knew from then on that I wanted to be like them, that I wanted to be on Broadway and perform on a great, big stage, like so many of us do. It's such a light-hearted dream, a dream that's gotten me through some hardships and kept me inspired. But as the years went by, and it was eventually time to decide where I was going to go to college, my dream wasn't seeming so light-hearted anymore. Instead, it felt like pressure.
Student Blog: Paperweight: A Song By Philly-Based Creator Michael Bihovsky
Student Blogger: Marissa Tomeo
Excerpt: "To reach, to want, to yearn...But when the world returns, I alone remain infected." A year and a half ago, none of us would have associated this line with the devastating virus affecting the globe, but today, it resonates on multiple levels, especially for the chronically ill. It's also the final, heartbreaking lyric that finishes off a dynamic new single by composer, director, singer, songwriter, actor, advocate, and teacher, Michael Bihovsky.
Student Blog: Fandom Purity Culture on Broadway and Beyond
Student Blogger: Sydney Emerson
Excerpt: Those of us who grew up on the internet in fan spaces have come of age in an era where media has been consumed more and more critically by increasingly vast audiences. As Broadway fans in particular, the online age has granted us unprecedented access to shows that most of us would never be able to see (another blog for another time) and unfettered availability of discourse, commentary, and analysis pertaining to the shows we love. It should feel amazing, right?
Lately, I'm not so sure.
Student Blog: Inside UC San Diego's Theatre Program
Student Blogger: Mia Van Deloo
Excerpt: This past quarter, I was a dramaturg for a Wagner New Play Festival Show. The Wagner New Play Festival is an annual event where each M.F.A. playwright at UC San Diego writes a new work that is produced alongside M.F.A. directors, actors, and designers. Undergraduates are also able to participate in this process as I did.
Student Blog: Broadway Pride Playlist
Student Blogger: Macy Mae Cowart
Excerpt: Happy Pride month, BroadwayWorld! I have pulled together my favorite show tunes that celebrate pride. From shows like Rent and Fun Home to songs by Broadway stars like Danny Quadrino and Ben Platt, I got you covered. Go to the Spotify link in my blog and let the party begin! Give it a listen!
Student Blog: Advice For You Based On Your Favorite Power Ballad
Student Blogger: Alexandra Lang
Excerpt: One of the hallmarks of a true Broadway fan is annoying family members or roommates by singing the same songs in the dead of night from your bedroom. After years of this timeless practice, we're all bound to have our favorites-the ones that make us almost feel the stage lights on our skin and the thunderous applause of a rapt audience.
So, here is my advice for you based on the song that keeps waking up your sibling in the next room.
Student Blog: My Show Program Collection
Student Blogger: Michael Scuotto
Excerpt: 've always loved collecting things. My bookshelves are overfilled, I have stacks of old magazines, and I even have a stash of cassette tapes. I love to collect vinyl records, retro video games, and bottlecaps, too! Recently I've taken to collecting comic books as well. [...] It's a fun little niche. And it's a great way to have an experience with a show, even years or decades after that show is closed. Do any of you collect Playbills? What are your best finds? Or your dream finds? I'd love to hear about them!
Student Blog: New York City's Audiences Are Coming Back To See Live Shows Again!
Student Blogger: Stefany Flores
Excerpt: New York City is the city of dreams and bright shining lights. What makes this city so remarkable and attractive? It's the entertainment and charisma of comedy shows, tv-talk show tapings, concerts, broadway shows, and more. The list is endless.
After a challenging pandemic, as show productions and live events have returned leisurely to New York, stages and venues providing socially distant audiences or confirmed negative tests are increasing and filling a sense of normalcy to enjoy outings again.
Student Blog: I Beg To Differ
Excerpt: I do believe there is power in bringing in something that is unique, something that isn't normally sung. I also think if you do bring in something more traditionally sung and you give it your all and there is a clear personal touch and a connection the song won't fall under "overused", it will fall under yours and no one else's.
Student Blog: Finding a Community Online
StudentBlogger Loriane Donnet-Monay
Excerpt: I found out that there existed a whole community online united around Broadway, and, suddenly, I was not alone anymore. It allowed me to discover more shows and artists. I met people from all over the world, learned about other cultures and memorized more timezones than I would care to admit. Above all else, I made new friends.
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