Everyone has heard about it, all around the world. The deadliest shooting in US history happened right here, in Orlando. As actors, it's mind boggling as to why anyone would be unaccepting to others because of their sexual orientation, race, gender, or otherwise. In theatre, we are a family, and everyone is accepted. The only good that could come out of a tragedy like this is the need for the community to come together and make a statement for the LGBTQ community. As an OCPS and Winter Park High School student I got the amazing experience of singing with 400 other students and teachers the song 'Beautiful City' from Godspell. This song represented how we can come together and make Orlando beautiful again.

10 playwrights. 10 plays. 5 days, give or take. 3 hour production in front of an audience of more than 100.

Memorization is what makes theatre; we memorize lines and cue and put everything together to tell a story, but in many cases, it is why a person doesn't do theatre. The big "M" word scares them away. Memorization can be tricky but you shouldn't be afraid of it because everything always seems to work out (at least in all my experiences they have). Here are some tips to help you memorize your lines faster.

Waiting for Godot was probably one of the biggest challenges that I have encountered in my high school theater career, and I was one of the costume designers. My challenge was creating outfits that conveyed the characters in all of their glory, through every turn of the story and around every bend in their personality. There was only one costume per character, for the full two-hour show. 

This summer, I have become part of a production of Side Show at The Belmont Theater (previously known as York Little Theater) in York, Pennsylvania. Although we have only been in rehearsal for almost a month, I have already gotten the impression that this show will be a great opportunity for a series of blog posts that document the process of being in a community theatre production. Therefore, for this first entry, I would like to highlight some of the great aspects of being involved in community theatre, especially at a place like The Belmont. 

This weekend was my first ever visit to the Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, Maine. I have been vacationing in the Ogunquit area for years, always driving by the iconic sign on the scenic Route 1, but have never actually been inside. I have always loved Anything Goes, and my inner Gilmore Girls fan was dying to see Sally Struthers , Ogunquit Playhouse veteran, in a show. The Playhouse had almost every seat in the house filled and everybody was very excited for the show to start.

With four Tony Awards under its belt, "The Humans" benefitted the most from the awards night as ticket sales spiked-so much so that the highly lauded play will be moving from the smallest theatre on Broadway to a theatre with 500 more seats starting August.

For some performers, taking center stage can be effortless and natural. It comes to them almost as easily as breathing. Others, however, are hesitant to stand in the spotlight and perform. I have seen both types of people and am not afraid to admit that I am the latter. I am not a natural performer. It has never been easy for me to be comfortable in my own skin, especially when I am constantly surrounded by theatre kids who are effortlessly talented. That doesn't mean I can't become a natural performer, and if you're like me, you can too.

After six months of anticipation, the curtain has fallen on The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. William Barfee has taken home the top prize as well as a friend that he will cherish forever. All of the spellers have learned valuable lessons that have resided with them throughout adulthood. As a company we have all grown in this process and value our successes and failures that will only make us stronger.

Recently I received my final report card and was horrified at what I saw. The first grade on it was a big, fat, B and it was just staring me right in the face (I know what you're thinking, "A B! That's a good grade! Why would you be upset over that?"), but that "B" was because I participated in theatre. Sure, I still passed and my GPA didn't drop that much, but what about in more extreme cases, where should the line be drawn? Is it okay for a student to receive a D and still get to be the lead in the next school show? Should they even get to be in the next show? They still passed. What about an F? Should students be rewarded for their achievements in theatre if they aren't meeting the standard marks to graduate? As performers and technicians we need to be responsible for our grades and commitments to theatre.

Once you have put your show together and you are ready to perform it in front of an audience, there is only one thing left to do: sell tickets. Now we all know the basics of selling tickets. You make pretty fliers to put up, you invite all of your friends to come, you make sure that all of your family will be attending. That's the easy part, you know that all of your fellow theatre nerds will be there, and that common show go-ers, friends, and family will mostly likely attend as well. But, how do you sell tickets to the people who aren't usually seen within a couple hundred feet of the auditorium? This is more difficult. Non theatre people will usually not stop to look at a flier and be interested to go to a show. To get people like this to go you have to do a little more convincing.

This past week, I took a visit to New York City. While I was there, I was able to partake in many activities, all centered around the arts. Here is what I did during a part of my week in the Big Apple!

This is a craft of coexistent community and individuality, which conglomerates all previously-existent tints, genres, and attitudes into a tellable community of players. At any moment--subject to shifts and additions to the catalogue. These expansions may prove to be time-eaters or talent-greeters; projects can unveil one's purpose or frighten them into submission and subsequent retreating from the arts.

My freshman year of high school was the first time I heard about my school's theatre department. I thought it sounded like the coolest thing ever, and I really wanted to get involved.The only problem was, I'd never done anything theatre related before, so I was afraid I wouldn't be good enough just to join the club. So instead of joining, I signed up for my school's intro to drama class and hoped that I would get in. The whole year passed by, and nothing. Skip forward to next year: my sophomore year. Again, as I looked on my schedule for the year, I noticed that I had not gotten into the intro to drama class. At this point, I was accepting that i wasn't going to be involved in the theatre department, and I was okay with that. Mainly because even though I wanted to be involved, acting terrified me. For some reason, imagining myself on stage acting was something that I dreamed of doing, even though it also frightened me at the same time.

I am Casey McGuire and I go to Molalla High school. I can't wait to give updates on what my troop is doing and write about my experiences with theatre! I am not a professional; the only qualifications I have is participating in shows and my love for theatre!

I've lived in Orlando my entire life, and have always felt incredibly lucky because of it. I get to go to Disney and Universal pretty often. The theme parks are the reason I have a roof over my head and food to eat-my dad works full time at Universal. I am also lucky to be part of Orlando's incredible theatre community. I've been performing at various theatres around town since I was little. The people of the theatre community are my friends and family. 

My first trip to New York was in January, and dare I say it, I fell in love. I fell in love with the New York lifestyle, with the city that is alive, with the New Yorkers and the Tourists, with Broadway. I had the pleasure of seeing 4 Broadway shows and an Opera at the Met in the 5 days that I was there (including travel days).  I got to tour the New Amsterdam Theater  (aka the theater that shows Disney Musicals) and try on some of the costumes, which was such an insane and incredible experience: check that off my bucket list.

Choosing the right audition piece is the most important moment of any actor's life. If you choose the wrong one you run the risk of doing poorly and not giving your brand the right face. This means that the director will not only not cast you in his or her show, but will also get bored halfway through your audition. Actors feed off of energy and a dead audience is the quickest way to kill the performance. One thing to always remember is that you are representing a brand: you. If you want to be cast and cast often then you have to look your best, act your best, and sell the brand that the director is looking for.

Sorry for the late update but things are in full swing here at the barn. I am finishing up the first week of rehearsals for Peace Love and Cupcakes! The main stage show Smoke on the Mountain opened this week! (It's fantastic) The first show downstairs began rehearsals and it already sounds amazing! Everything is in full swing and the barn is busy once again.

Growing up two hours from Disney World, I was heavily influenced by the Disney Parks and movies. I longed to be a Disney Princess: I wanted to take up my father's place in the army, get woken up with a kiss from my true love, rescue my father from the palace of a beast, or turn into a human and try to win the love of a prince.  The magic of Disney can be seen in every kid's eyes when they watch a movie, or visit a park, or even see a show. I still know all of the songs from every single movie by heart. My first ever musical was The Lion King, and I will never forget the magic and awe I experienced. One could say that it was Disney who brought me into the arts. 

?WARNING: I am assuming that if you are reading this blog, you have watched the 70th Tony Awards this past Sunday. If you have not, are you even a theatre kid?

With school ending and spring theatre productions just coming to an end, probably not the first thing on anybody's mind is starting up another 3 month schedule of rehearsals. When you see that audition on Facebook for a summer production, why not go for it? Odds are that you will have a much better summer than you would have had being a couch potato. I know this experience first hand, as 2 summers ago, I joined a local cast of 42nd Street. As much as I love tap dancing and theatre I still wasn't sure if I wanted to devote most of my summer to them. Being a 15 year old in a cast of almost entirely actors that were over 18 was slightly intimidating, actually it was very intimidating. The first rehearsal I walked in with my mother (who was in charge of props for the show) and everybody was so welcoming. From that moment on I knew this was going to be a great experience. As the rehearsals went on, and we were learning dances, songs, and blocking, I felt like everybody was coming together as a cast. After we had finished opening night, I wanted to do the show again and again, and it seemed like our 6 performances flew by in a blink of an eye. I found myself missing laughing backstage, wearing HIGH HEEL tap shoes ( not really a big deal, but it was my first time wearing them), and also just being on stage. Even though I knew that coming September I would be back on the stage, I still missed it a lot. If it means trading in a beach day for a block and tech day, than it's worth it. If the summertime musical scene isn't your thing, then theres many other options for you. Take an acting class, work on your voice with a vocal instructor, take a dance intensive, pick your monologue for the coming year, see that show everybody is talking about on Broadway (and if it's Hamilton, good luck), support your local theatre companies by attending one of their shows, or even just get some tips from online on how to improve your stage skills. So, the next time you see an opportunity to try out for a summer show, just do it! I promise that you will have a great time as well as make some great friends along the way, I know I did.

"Look around, look around how lucky we are to be alive right now" said Jeffrey Seller (producer of Hamilton: An American Musical) after the announcement of his show winning best musical at the 2016 Tony Awards.

I am a writer. Yet words can hardly explain the rush of emotions I felt this past weekend. I speak plainly because there is no way to convey the immense gratification of being treated as a professional playwright at the age of 16.

After months of preparation and devoted class time, the cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is equipped for opening. This is the time for us to not only celebrate our achievement, but inspire the 350 spectators we are set to entertain this weekend. This project has instilled in us the power of teamwork and the capability of a group of high school performers. All of our previous training has prepared us to take on our production roles and to communicate the journey of our characters. Every child in this show is a stereotypical representation of students you could find sitting in your elementary school class.