Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut is searching for high school playwrights to follow in the steps of Edward Albee, Neil Simon, Stephen Sondheim, Beth Henley, Lin-Manuel Miranda or Sarah Ruhl, among others.

I currently have the pleasure of attending a school that provides many opportunities for kids, especially those interested in the performing arts. I was selected to be one of four student directors, in which we select a show of our choice and get to direct it and put it up in the black box theatre at our school. My freshman year, I got to stage manage and help direct two of the one acts for the school's evening of one acts. Last year, I assistant directed the fourth quarter show. Will all of these opportunities, I got to see the other side of an audition process, which was very eye opening.

When it comes to Greek mythology, I'm a total geek. I love the Percy Jackson series, and pour over those huge illustrated mythology books. Not only do I know major gods like Zeus and Aphrodite, but I can name all four gods of the wind and all of the rivers of the Underworld (NERD ALERT). So naturally, I was excited to see these myths come to life onstage at Central Florida Community Arts. 

Besides Damn Yankees, there is not much common ground between the baseball world and the theater world. In case you have not heard, the Chicago Cubs have finally climbed back to the World Series after years of missed chances and deflating blunders by players and Cubs fans alike. The Cubs have not won a World Series Title since 1908, nor made an appearance in the series itself since 1945. What does any of this have to do with Broadway or theater in general? Well, it turns out 1945 was a pretty interesting year in the theater world.

The Holy Cross Student Theatre (HCST) is proud to announce Bernard Pomerance's classic The Elephant Man as its fall production for the 2016-2017 school year.

Sheyenne Theatre will bring CHARLOTTE'S WEB to the stage in Joseph Robinette's adaptation of the classic tale by E.B. White.

2015 First Night Honoree Paula Flautt directs the Moss Hart-George S. Kaufman classic comedy, The Man Who Came to Dinner, as Christ Presbyterian Academy's high school theatre stages the show about a critic and raconteur who becomes a surprising houseguest for a small-town Ohio family.

Today, Megan Scott, one of 2015 First Night Star Award winner Brenda Dent Gregory's talented student sat Murfreesboro's Siegel High School, continues our new season of High School Drama, the latest in a long list of younger actors to be introduced via Broadway World Nashville in the coming year…

Luckily, I can always count on Palm Beach Dramaworks to finely tune the most delicate of pieces. The creative team of The Night of the Iguana, led by director William Hayes, along with a Tim Altmeyer-led cast, gave a sudden and much needed voice to a play many put on the back burner.

Injuries are the worst thing to have when you are running from rehearsal to rehearsal. Inevitably, everyone will end up with some sort of injury during some part of their life. When I was younger, I played softball competitively, and I was a catcher. My knees are a testament to taking care of your body, as I didn't ice after every game, and ended up needing physical therapy because of it.

As a member of the cast of A Christmas Carol, I am able to get to know the actors that get to grace the stage beside me better than most people. In Meet the Carolers, I try to bring the actors to you, so you can know these special people like I do. This week, you get to meet John Patrick Cleary, who portrays Ebenezer Scrooge.

Nestled in the lakeside community of Netcong, New Jersey sits The Palace Theater, home of the Growing Stage Theater. When attending a main stage production, you'll not only watch a high-quality show, but also see an elaborate set designed by Perry Kroeger and Stephen Fredricks. The only thing more astonishing than the set is what the set is made of-cardboard. You may be asking yourself, How can such a flimsy material be chosen as the main material on set? Executive Director Stephen Fredricks explains. 'Honestly the inspiration came from the cost of buying wood. At the time the theatre couldn't afford sheets of plywood and other such materials, so we needed to find an affordable alternative. Perry Kroeger and I would visit all the area appliance stores on Thursdays - right after they had their deliveries for the weekend sales. Refrigerator and mattress containers were gold! We called it our weekly dumpster diving exercise. In time we discovered a company that sold cardboard in 4'x 8' sheets and then rest is history.'

As the leaves begin to turn and the temperatures start to drop and we see autumn all about us, it signals the frantic period of 2016 when local high schools are busily prepping their fall productions. Nashville's Hume-Fogg Academic High School is one such place, where students - under the direction of 2014 First Night Honoree Daron Bruce and his artistic collaborator Lisa Forbiss - are deep into rehearsals for the first of this academic year's presentations: Big Fish, starring Lindsey George, Jonathan Hankins and Nashville theater legacy Michael Dunaway.

In this week's vlog, I review Mad Cow Theatre's all-female production of 1776. Make sure to watch the bonus footage of cast members Lulu Picart and Laura Hodos in which they discuss their experience working with a cast of twenty six women! 

ALL THE THINGS THAT MAKE A 5480 INDUCTION DISTINCTLY UNCONVENTIONAL AND PURELY GCIT:

Hello Broadway World! I'm am finally back for another blog after a long summer of theatre withdrawals. I have been so busy since the beginning of school, with college applications, homework, and just senior year in general. However, now that the applications are in, and my Broadway series tickets have begun, I went and saw Rodger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella Saturday night. It was the national touring cast, and the roles were casted perfectly. It encompassed the spirit of the original Cinderella story while also adding in some comic relief. Tatyana Lubov and Hayden Stanes shined as Cinderella and Prince Topher. It was very interesting to see that Rodger and Hammerstein decided to have one of the step sisters,Gabrielle played by Mimi Robinson, become Cinderella's friends rather than having them both be against her. Although that was the case, the other step sister, Charlotte played by Joanna Johnson, stole the show with her comedy and her Stepsister's Lament. Chris Woods also had the audience's attention with his great performance as Jean-Michel. The Fairy Godmother, Leslie Jackson, had a beautiful voice, which was showcased in "There's Music In You". The dancers were the highlight of the show for me. The choreography and the costumes took the show to a whole new level and made the props and scenery come to life. At some points I found myself watching the dancers more than the actual story because they had been trained so well. I had been in a school production of Rodger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella and it is interesting to see the huge differences between the actual Broadway musical script and the teen version. Also, there is nothing like going to a show at night. You can feel the excitement throughout the lobby and in the audience. Everybody is dressed up and ready to see the show. That's the magic of theatre.

In our highly competitive day and age, students in every school across the nation push themselves to succeed. From five to six college level classes to multiple clubs and activities to family obligations, students find themselves stressed and nervous about managing it all and finding balance. Kids who put themselves through it all deserve recognition for their dedication, but no one deserves praise more than the theater kid. Theater kids raise the bar for all students.

Finding out you didn't get the part you wanted always stings a little. You could be jealous, hurt, angry, or just plain old sad. And all of these things are okay, and are normal emotions. Never suppress your emotions because it could lead to some pretty unhealthy emotional/mental habits.

What can I say about Speech & Debate???

A reflection of the Broadway show that captured my heart, in honor of the closing of the North American Tour of Newsies.

In today's blog, I discuss THE ILLUSIONISTS at The Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando.

Rewrites. A word that stares writers down as the cursor blinks expectantly. This is the immense task I am facing-and an assignment I would not trade for the world.

Hello to all 5 million of my amazing readers (because there are DEFINITELY that many of you)!!! Sorry for my lack of blog last week...I know how emotionally difficult it was for you to deal with...but I'm back now, so you can wipe away the tears.

A cornerstone of American Theatre has just reached another benchmark of its legacy, and we are the ones lucky enough to observe the mastery. Bartlett Sher's hailed Fiddler on the Roof is the most fearless revival of a classic that Broadway has seen. A revelrous company and a class of principals that were born to play these roles paints a Fiddler that will simultaneously warm and haunt the hearts of all who pass through the Broadway Theatre's doors.

For some time now I've been in a funk.