Student Roundup: Top 10 Student Bloggers Around Our Broadway World!

We have so many new student bloggers around our Broadway World! From Los Angeles to Nashville to NYC and even in New Zealand, we feature talented students who are involved in their school productions on a college, high school, and even elementary school level. Below, we round up our Top 10 student bloggers!

College Students

1. Phoenix, AZ: College Student Erin Kong blogs about performing with Kristin Chenoweth and the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. She says, "I forced myself to take subtle, deep breaths, while Mary-Mitchell instructed us to all begin singing again. While the piano played, I gave myself very clear internal instructions. Inhale, exhale. She's just another person, Erin. Don't freak out, don't freak out. Inhale, exhale. Don't stare, don't stare! Okay, okay it's fine. It's fine. Everything is fine. Breathe. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. Inha--shoot, you missed your entrance! Are you singing the right note? Shoot, shoot. Just listen to Analise, yup, yup, okay you got it. God bless Analise for knowing her part. Kristin didn't notice you mess up. It's fine. Everything's fine. You know the music. Breatheeeeee." Read more here.

2. Montreal, Canada: College Student Chelsey Robichaud talks about her love of Broadway and how her inspiration of blogging began. She says, "In June 2015, I established CanadianBroadwayGal where I share my stories of being one of the only Broadway fans in a small town. Though I am now moved onto BroadwayWorld (wait, what?! Pinch me!), my aim continues to be to pass on my love of theatre to small town fans and to realize that we are all in this together and to never feel alone with this passion called Broadway that is larger than life itself." Read more here.

3. Central NY: College Student Samantha Tirrell blogs about her production of BACKBEARD: A NEW MUSICAL at the Theatre Institute at Sage, which is currently in rehearsals. She says, "Last week, we journeyed over the bridge into Watervliet, NY to hold Backbeard photo call on one of the city's docks. The closest shoreline is about three hours away from us, so the Hudson River became Backbeard's seven seas for the sake of convenience, but being by the water with four pirates and a couple crates full of pirate-y props was enough to remind the production team how exciting this project is and will continue to be as we get more opportunities share it with others." Read more here.

4. Dallas, TX: College Student Sam Weber describes the magic of theatre and putting on a show in 24 hours. He says, "I guess for a bit of history, my school doesn't have a Musical Theatre division, but rather the program lies as a supplement within the greater departments of Theatre, Music, and Dance. With that, unfortunately, the school only produces dramas, operas, and dance concerts - no Musical Theatre. It's not that they don't want to; it's just that there isn't time with all of the other productions. So last year, several of my peers and I tried the seemingly impossible - we found the one weekend that performance spaces weren't occupied, we ordered rights, and we did a show...in 24 hours. We knew we wanted people to be able to sleep, and of course recover for the school week ahead, so we split the time between a full day (8am to Midnight = 16 hours) of rehearsal and a morning of tech before the show went up at 2pm on a Saturday. And it worked." Read more here.

5. Connecticut: Amanda Grillo of University of New Haven talks to the faculty on the theatre program's growth and development. She says, "I recently had the privilege of sitting down with Director of Bands, Jason DeGroff. He portrayed Hymen for closing night of the production. I was lucky enough to hear his thoughts on being a part of the production and his views on the growth of the arts at the University. Prior to this experience, DeGroff had never taken part in theatre before. Though it was a smaller part that didn't come in until the final scene, he went on to explain that there was no real establishing moment for his character. He just arrived and it was the first full ensemble moment of the show. He rehearsed only once with the cast due to time commitments, but DeGroff still managed to be off book for the show." Read more here.

Follow all of our college student bloggers here.

High School

6. Columbus, OH: High School Student Jessica Gould explains the importance of having a voice teacher in her latest blog. She says, "One of the perks of taking voice lessons is that you can work on songs for upcoming auditions. Instead of practicing your audition song on your own, you can rehearse with your voice teacher and get valuable feedback. I've found this to be very helpful, and I sound more polished when I'm auditioning. You feel more prepared and less nervous while auditioning when you've been working with a vocal coach, and your teacher can also help you make decisions about what song best suits your voice and the role you are auditioning for." Read more here.

7. Ft. Lauderdale, FL: High School Student Christopher Panella shares his thoughts on the need for independence as actors. He says, "Depend on yourself. I learned this advice about a year ago when I auditioned for Ft. Lauderdale High School's production of Aladdin Jr. I found that in auditions before that, I had always called and texted and talked to other drama club members who were also auditioning for help and review and discussion. It got to the point where every pointer I had been given made me nervous and fearful, and I ended up not performing my best. Aladdin Jr. was different. I sought out no help, only the help of my voice teacher, and worked daily with myself on the audition piece. Anytime I felt fearful or scared about the audition, I simply supported myself. This tactic of independence gave me one of the best auditions I have ever had and allowed me to secure my first high school musical theatre lead role as Jafar." Read more here.

8. New Jersey: High School Student Leanne Marie Laurino discusses the value of teamwork in her latest blog. She says, "As students, there is added pressure put on us to prove that our dedication is inimitable. This week's preparation has taught me that there is no substitute for teamwork. We all have our own piece of the puzzle to contribute and it is our job to put our best work on stage." Read more here.

9. Central PA: High School Student Aimee Hunsinger will be sharing her summer experiences at Millbrook Playhouse. She says, "Rehearsals for this summer start very soon. I'm excited cause I get to work with my friends and talented actors. I plan to take you behind the scenes of what happens on the daily life of a Millbrook actor. You get to meet my friends and maybe a "family member" or two. I also plan to give you a tour of the barn and interview a few actors, techies, and interns. You'll see what happens at this wonderful place located in the middle of no-where. I will also be spending my birthday at the barn." Read more here.

Follow all of our high school student bloggers here.

Elementary School

10. New York City, NY: 5th Grade Student Eliza Porsella is currently in rehearsals for her school's production of SHREK. She says, "With less than a month before SHREK makes its debut, we have doubled our rehearsal time. We have also had many more morning rehearsals to clean the dances. So far all of the morning rehearsals are for the Duloc performance. The Duloc number is still shaky. Our music teacher also plays the piano faster than the recorded music we rehearse to. Therefore, we are usually late for certain parts." Read more here.

Follow all of our elementary school student bloggers here.

Want to join our team of student bloggers? Please contact christina@broadwayworld.com for more information.