Student Blogger: Emily Pugh

Auditioning is an integral part of being an actor. Some even say that auditioning is the job. While this statement seems like a stretch, it emphasizes the importance of being able to audition well, in order to get a callback and hopefully a role and even a job. In a college setting, auditions are an important aspect of an aspiring actor’s educational experience, enabling them to practice the art of auditioning while providing possible opportunities to act in front of others. Given that most college and university semesters are underway, theatre departments and student theatre organizations are preparing for or are in the process of conducting auditions for this semester’s productions. With so many exciting shows to be a part of yet limited casting space, it is easy to become overwhelmed while transitioning from one audition to the next. To help your future auditions be successful, below are some tips and tricks that I have learned from auditioning throughout the past few years.

With a new semester already underway, college students are taking time to settle into their new routine and familiarize themselves with their courses. While trying to get a sense of the workload and expectations for a course, students will always comb through the course syllabus. In addition to workload and structure, at the end of every syllabus, students typically see a section that they know all too well, the academic integrity section. While many overlook this section, believing it to be unimportant and self-explanatory, it becomes clear that academic integrity is not always easy to discern despite being still critical to a college student’s success.

With the spring semester on the horizon, college students look forward to starting a new semester, feeling refreshed and well-rested after the winter break. However, for many students, there will come a point in the semester when they feel physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. In pop culture and more importantly, in medicine, this instance is known as “burnout.” For individuals, burnout can manifest in many ways, such as painful headaches, consistent fatigue, increased anxiety, emerging depression, and frequent illnesses. With all that students have to do everyday in their non-stop semester or quarter, it is not surprising that students grow exhausted, causing their mental and physical health to collapse. This past semester, I struggled with burnout as I became increasingly overwhelmed with a crescendo of performances, assignments, papers, and exams. However, having navigated this before, I have assembled some tips and helpful habits below for dealing with burnout even when you have to keep going. Whether you feel overwhelmed, stressed, or emotionally and physically drained, here are a couple of useful tips to help manage burnout.

As the Fall semester draws to a close, it is common for us, as college students, to feel overwhelmed when classes conclude and final papers and exams arise. For some of you, the semester has already ended, but you may want to learn how to limit your stress for next semester. College life has the potential to be stressful in a variety of ways from academic to social to personal to financial. While there are many aspects out of our control, my tips will mainly focus on how to handle academic stress. No matter which category you may fall into, some tips and habits I have found helpful and continue to remind myself to follow are listed below.

For many, back to school is an exciting time as college students begin new classes, participate in various clubs and extracurriculars, and spend time on a new or familiar campus. When I stepped onto Cornell’s campus in August, the enthusiasm for the new school year was visceral as thousands of students moved-in and prepared for the Fall semester. Despite my initial worries regarding beginning a new semester, I was soon enveloped by the energy of my peers and professors as I started classes.

During the month of August, thousands flock to Edinburgh, Scotland to take part in the world’s largest performing arts festival, the annual Edinburgh Festival Fringe or “The Fringe.” Taking place during a three-week period, the festival transforms Edinburgh into one of the most active cities in Europe with local, national and international artists performing throughout the city all day, every day. The festival has been taking place in Edinburgh for seventy-five years, starting when eight theatre companies arrived uninvited to the Edinburgh International Festival, an elite theatre festival, and were not allowed to perform. Determined to showcase their work, these eight companies took up residence in local venues, such as pubs, hotels, basements and restaurants, performing their shows on the fringe of the Edinburgh International Festival. From that moment the Edinburgh Festival Fringe was born!

With the long days full of sunshine, the rising temperatures, and the extra time off for students, individuals, and families alike, it becomes clear that summer is here and so is the unique American holiday - the Fourth of July. I have listed the four quintessentially patriotic musicals to help get you ready for this coming weekend. Whether you stream these works in your free time or listen to the curated playlist below, these musicals are sure to put you in a patriotic mood.

In addition to the excitement that comes with seeing new Broadway shows and their performances as part of the annual Tony Awards ceremony, many of these new productions will also release cast albums to forever preserve their show’s music and iconic performances. Traditionally, new musicals develop a cast album where the actors and musicians record the music from their show, on their days off in a studio, culminating in an album that is released to the public. This method has been exhibited in famous musical cast albums such as 'The Phantom of the Opera' and 'Les Misérables' and more recently in shows such as 'Flying Over Sunset.' However, with the release of more cast albums this year, composers, producers and directors alike are finding ways to shift the traditional paradigm when it comes to recording new musicals.

As the temperatures rise, the flowers bloom, and the days grow longer, we look forward to several exciting events that come with the beginning of Spring. In the case of the theatre community, theatre practitioners and fans alike are thrilled with the vast array of shows that are beginning their run on Broadway. Both theatre enthusiasts and critics alike flock to new shows, hoping to view an exciting production they will always remember. In turn, the actors, crew and creatives involved with these shows work tirelessly to open a production that will engage audiences and give themselves a sense of accomplishment. Although no shows opened during the Spring of 2021 due to the pandemic, April has already demonstrated that Broadway is back again with the opening of ten new productions! For those who have not been able to witness these productions yet, here is a quick recap of Broadway’s April 2022 openings.

Given the current events affecting our world, it is understandable that many of us seek an escape through theater and film. Due to the pandemic, the worlds of theater and film have begun to merge with Broadway artists and creators participating in their first major films, such as tick, tick… Boom and West Side Story. This past Sunday many of these films and artists received gratifying recognition at the Oscars Ceremony at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. Thus, with the Oscars Ceremony coincidentally occurring on World Theatre Day, it only makes sense that Broadway won big at the Oscars.

The often repeated aphorism “history repeats itself” and the related axiom attributed to Winston Churchill, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it” were foremost on my mind as the tragic events in Ukraine unfolded this past week. During a period of relative peace, it is easy for those of us who have yet to finish college to dismiss these axioms, yet it became clear on Thursday, February 27, 2022 that history does indeed repeat itself.

With a new year comes a new opportunity to see Broadway shows. Since the re-opening of Broadway in September of 2021, several productions from Hamilton to Wicked have continued to perform eight shows a week to eager audiences. Although these past few weeks have been difficult, Broadway productions have remained open despite the many challenges that the Omicron variant has presented. While it is difficult to foresee how the rest of the pandemic will play out, it becomes clear that the best time to see a Broadway show is now, especially since crowds are smaller, tickets are easier to attain, and the logistics are easier to navigate. With this in mind, compiled below is a list of some of the shows to see right now, presenting the theatrical highlights of 2022 so far.

With the new year just around the corner, many take time during the holiday season to reflect upon this past year as it comes to a close. Although 2021 has been challenging, it becomes clear that there is so much to be grateful for from vaccines to new movie musicals. While Broadway theaters began to open their doors, several streaming services opened their platforms to producing movie musicals. Unlike most years where few if any Broadway musicals were adapted into movies, 2021 was a year like no other with over ten musicals being created for the screen or being adapted from the stage to the screen. In celebration of the past year, here is a list of the best movie musicals from 2021 and where to watch them.

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, many are looking forward to spending time with family and friends, taking a well-deserved break from work and school. Besides indulging in the wonderful food associated with this national holiday, families, children, and individuals like me are looking forward to waking up at 9am to watch Macy’s 95th Thanksgiving Day Parade broadcast live from New York City. Unlike last year, where in-person viewing was prohibited to avoid the spread of COVID-19, spectators are returning to attend this year’s version of a time-honored tradition. With a huge live audience again, I am personally excited to watch and experience the tangible excitement as the crowds witness the parading of larger than life balloons, precise marching bands, and of course, incredible singers, dancers, and Broadway casts.

With the leaves changing, the temperatures dropping, and the new display of pumpkin and skeleton decorations everywhere, it is clear that fall is in the air and Halloween is just around the “coroner,” to quote The Addams Family musical. Although October is usually an exciting time for students as they get further settled into their college routine, it can also be a stressful period due to the increasing amounts of assignments and midterms. For all of these reasons, it is not hard to imagine that college students, like me, have not yet gotten in the mood for Halloween. Thus, to help get you ready for October 31st, I have listed the top five Halloween musicals. Whether you stream these titles in your free time or listen to the curated playlist below, these musicals are sure to put you in the Halloween mood.