Tell me more, tell me more! After many years without a spring show, the Oak Hill Players of Scarborough High School are beginning rehearsals for the smash hit musical, Grease! The cast includes myself, junior Samuel Laro (Crazy for You, Anything Goes, Little Shop of Horrors) as greaser Danny Zuko, and senior Hallie Scammell (Crazy for You, West Side Story, White Christmas) as the hopelessly devoted Sandy Dumbrowski.

As I reflect on these past two weeks, nothing makes me happier than getting to share more magic with all of you. Last Wednesday, my twin brother, and none other than our Prince Topher was admitted into the hospital. The entire company eagerly sent him love and laughter over the phone but I was unable to access my laptop to recap my eventful week. 

Hume-Fogg senior Bryce Poole, who plays Benny, is among the ensemble of student actors taking on the challenge of the iconic musical by Jonathan Larson under the direction of First Night Honoree Daron Bruce and his longtime artistic collaborator Lisa Forbis. As curtain time looms in just a few hours, Bryce shared some of his memories of his life in the theater to date and talked about the people and shows that figure prominently in his own life, lived theatrically, in today's edition of High School Drama.

CONSTELLATIONS, currently playing at the Mad Cow Theatre, is a beautiful love story that takes place across many parallel universes. The show follows the relationship between Marianne, an astrophysicist, and Roland, a beekeeper, from their first meeting to their engagement and onward, branching out into many possible outcomes. I had the chance to interview real-life couple Gemma and Brett Waldon about the challenges of the show, performing with your spouse, and more!

The Calvary Murrieta Christian School Drama Department will present their performance of 12 ANGRY JURORS directed by Chelsea and Daniel Lybeck.

Theatre is one of the most magical and inspirational things from the creation of the classic 'Show Boat' to the modern and groundbreaking 'Hamilton' or 'Dear Evan Hansen', but there are so many other groundbreaking places and people changing the world of theatre. One thing that has defiantly changed in the professional theatre business is not just the incorporation of rap lyrics and computerized graphics, but the opportunities and people promoting more accessible and accepting theatre for all.

As has been the school's theatrical legacy, Rent will feature a cast of talented and ambitious up-and-coming young actors, including Zach Taylor, the senior who will be closing out his high school theatrical career as Roger in the Jonathan Larson musical that is now celebrating its 25th anniversary with an international tour. The Yale University-bound Taylor found time in his harried schedule - what with classes and rehearsals, that's a miracle in and of itself - to take on our High School Drama questions and to offer some background about his love of the stage and what motivates him as he preps a new character for the audience.

'With every ending comes a new beginning,' is a thematic message woven throughout the hit musical, Tarzan, performed by 36 Hilton Head Christian Academy students at the island's Seahawk Cultural Center.

Valentine's Day came a tad late for this historical-theatre devotee, but there is no home for disdain in my heart after a day like February 18th.

Van Kaplan is a man of many talents. His producing credits include award-winning Broadway shows such as AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, ON YOUR FEET, EVITA, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN and MATILDA. Van is also on the board of the Broadway League and is the executive producer of Pittsburgh CLO. We had the honor of speaking with Van on day three of the THEatre ACCELERATOR. Here are some of Van's key points: 

This week, I had the chance to talk with Fiona Campbell, Nick D'Alessandro, and Anneliese Moon from the cast of A PIECE OF MY HEART at Rollins College.

Denver North and Strive Prep High Schools present IN THE HEIGHTS, February 23, 24 and 25 at 2960 Speer Boulevard. This is the first production of Lin-Manuel Miranda's groundbreaking musical by a Colorado High School. 

Don't miss the Briarcrest High School spring production, INTO THE WOODS, continuing February 23-25, featuring six performers from the nationally renowned a cappella group OneVoice. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Not every high schooler can say that his high school production was directed by a former cast member of the show. But for Saugatuck High School, the students are getting the opportunity of a lifetime. 

Jess here. Every once in awhile you hear about a show that you would do just about anything to see. Although the stages of Las Vegas offer a variety of amazing entertainment options on a nightly basis, it's a rare occasion to have the opportunity to see a multi-talented performer whose career spans across several different medias; from TV to film to Broadway. When I saw that The Smith Center for the Performing Arts was hosting a show featuring Santino Fontana I was ecstatic! Initially scheduled for a two night run, Fontana's Friday night show was cancelled due to a foot of snow closing down all of the NYC area airports. Thankfully, 'the show must go on' adage rang true, and Fontana was welcomed to the sunny desert on Saturday night by an eagerly awaiting, over-packed house.

This is the third post in my series about Apples and Oranges Studios' THEatre ACCELERATOR. THEatre ACCELERATOR utilizes new technology to develop musicals in a unique way. For a full explanation of THEatre ACCELERATOR, see my first post here. 

This week, Cinderella at UHS celebrated an annual holiday and our own victory. On Tuesday, after indulging in one too many chocolate kisses, I prepared for my Valentine vocal tech. These rehearsals have been some of my favorite this process! In a brief amount of time, I have overcome a variety of my obstacles in vocal production. Post rehearsal I had a break through realizing how much I have to be proud of. While I receive devoted guidance from my teachers, I know that my personal drive is starting to pay off. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I plan to inch towards it each and every day. Into the evening, my most anticipated staging rehearsal was held! (?)

The THEatre ACCELERATOR utilizes new technology to develop musicals in a unique way. Participants use video conference software to talk with industry experts from around the country. (For more information about the THEatre ACCELERATOR, see my latest post here.) Last week, artists jumped into their first week of virtual workshops. 

Happy Valentine's Day, Drama Kids! I can't wait to spend the whole day with my true love, the Fiddler revival soundtrack.

Beautifully directed and full of life, this high school production of the iconic musical left audiences humming as they exited the theatre.

Last Saturday I attended the Broadway tour of Once The Musical. I knew that they had won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2012, but I had never really looked into the show.  I had expected it to be not my favorite of the Broadway series at The Hanover Theatre, but I had been totally wrong. The music was mesmerizing, and the set was cleverly done. Before the show, they let the audience up on stage to buy their drinks from the bar in the pub set that they had created. Not only did that set double as a pub, but also a music store, a house, a Hoover repair shop and much more. Without large changes of sets, they created these different environments with tables, chairs, and a change of lighting. Sam Cieri and Mackenzie Lesser-Roy were strong leads as Guy and Girl followed by an equally strong cast of characters. The simple staging of the show made the small moments usually missed by the audience, more exposed and made the show more emotional. Kudos to Steven Hoggett, the movement director, for flawlessly using movement to move the show along in an eye catching way. Overall, it was a beautifully written and performed musical, that I would see again if I had the chance and would recommend to friends! 

???????Can the world of musicals learn something from tech startups? Tim Kashani, who comes from both worlds, thinks so. This is the idea behind Apples and Oranges Studios' THEatre ACCELERATOR. Apples and Oranges Studios has produced Tony award-winning musicals such as AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, MEMPHIS, and HAIR.  

I am happily writing to you from a much needed snow day at home. Unfortunately, this caused my most anticipated rehearsal to be canceled for today. (No spoilers here!) Being snowed in gave me an opportunity to rest and reflect on my first Act one run of Cinderella this week! As a company, we were able to put together and receive feedback on our performance. This rehearsal makes me look forward to our next run and all my opportunities to improve along the way. 

At my high school, we have a Senior Arts project where we have to read a short story by a chosen author, write a paper, pick a theme, and perform an art piece in either theatre, dance, music, or visual art. I chose theatre (of course) to portray my theme of fear of change.

I had the chance to talk with Beth Marshall, Savannah Simerly, Kit Cleo, and Melina Kay from Beth Marshall Presents' THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE at the Garden Theatre.