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. 

Being new to the theater world isn't easy, I haven't been in theater for long, and this is my first blog post for Broadway World (Yay!). There are so many different rules to learn, so many different traditions and practices. I only started singing in 9th grade, and nearly 2 years later I joined the Thespian society at my high school. I was thrown from a world of sports into a world of acting and singing, and I couldn't have made a better decision for myself. 

Over the summer is a great time to visit local theatres and watch some enjoyable musicals and plays. However, this summer there are also many opportunities to participate in fun filled, summer theatre camps. Listed below are some of the theatres that I have performed and/or attended camp and the shows that they are performing over the summer, along with some possible theatre camps.

There was a sense of finality (and sawdust) in the air when the whole theatre department cleaned up our scene shop last week. Everyone was ready for our year to end. We had done our shows, and the props being put away were doing nothing except sitting there collecting dust. Sweeping the floor, organizing tools, and unscrewing wooden boards, it was strange walking through and dismembering things we had worked with for so long. No scene was left untouched from our final strike of the year, from our Yellow Brick Road from our rendition of Wizard of Oz, to the barnacles that appeared in The Little Mermaid.

There's nothing quite more heart-warming than seeing little kids being introduced to theatre. From the giant crowd of kids dancing on the plaza while Barry DeBois of the Once national tour leads them in singing 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' as a pre-show activity, to the children chattering excitedly in the rows directly in front of and behind me as the show was about to begin, I was reminded of the giddiness and pure joy I felt going to see theatre as a child. And as I watched the incredible child actors, teenagers, and professional adult performers that comprised the cast of Mayo Performing Arts Center's production of Mary Poppins, I was reminded of the passion that I still have for it today. 

Everybody has their 'thing' in high school. Maybe you were the star of the football team, or you dedicated your time to the robotics team. Maybe you were on the school newspaper staff or you attended all the science fairs. For a lot of kids, they throw themselves into the abyss of theatre.

"A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms." … We are all growing. Everyday and every moment we experience is, in essence, an added petal to who we are. We blossom in hopes of being the best we could be, and beside us are others who we can't help but compare ourselves with.

Italian Run

My interest in the theatre had started at a very young age. The place where I finally pursued the theatre was at Parkway Middle School of the Arts. It feels like I had walked in here just a few days ago, but the fact that we're leaving in a few days is still surprising to me. I have noticed that a lot of us had started off as mere amateurs. We just decided to try something that seemed fun! But over the years, we've got to see each other grow and improve in so many aspects… And it's fascinating how far everyone has come.

Twenty years ago, artist had a different meaning than it does now. Artists used to be so invested in their work that they often forgot to eat, sleep, or handle the normal routines of daily life. Nowadays, artists are more well-rounded than anything. Almost every high school theatre kid I meet also excels in academic subjects and other extracurriculars. Almost every college theatre major I meet has a dual major in something that older folks would consider more practical, like business or pre-law. This well-roundedness is fantastic, don't get me wrong. I consider myself one of the most well-rounded people, but when it comes to identifying as an artist, there should be more of a commitment to art than anything else. 

Recently I spoke with an old friend of mine. We met when we both performed in a local theatre production of Cinderella. Being the high-class hipster wannabes that we are, he suggested we share a coffee and chat a while. So, I ordered myself a french vanilla and caught up with my buddy. He'd been up to a lot since he graduated high school, he told me, and that there was a delightful little community theatre by his apartment that he was dying to take me to. "Parker, they are sooo good! Their production of Rent was BROADWAY CALIBER!" 

This week, the UHSPAC prepares to step into the spotlight. The Tony Award winning Papermill Playhouse hosts the Rising Star Awards celebrating excellence in High School Theatre. All across the state of New Jersey, performing arts programs compete for a bevy of honors including the coveted "Best Overall Production of a Musical." Union High School has participated in nine consecutive ceremonies, all nominated for the main prize. The UHSPAC has taken home the gold twice; in 2010 for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream coat as well as 2015 for Sophisticated Ladies. This toe tapping extravaganza currently holds the record for the most awards won in a single night by one school. Our 2016 production of Mary Poppins has been nominated for 12 Rising Stars and will be performing the number "Step in Time" as part of the festivities. This year, our department is being included in a documentary for PBS, recording our passage to the Rising Star Awards. For the past month, the sweeps have been rehearsing for the 21st annual journey over the rooftops. Tune in to Hometown TV on June 7th to experience the excitement with us! 

Looking back, I owe so much to the theatrical opportunities presented to me in high school. Not only was my school's theatre program educational and entertaining, but it opened up a new door in my life and sparked my love for what now has started to become my career. Among these experiences was performing in a production of the beloved classic West Side Story with C-R Productions. Though only my first production with the group, I cherished every moment of working alongside these incredibly talented performers who made each rehearsal an amazing experience.

Rehearsals for Worthington Community Theatre's production of Seussical started two weeks ago. I was cast as one of the three bird girls, which are a trio of performers similar to a girl group from the 60s and act as the narrator in addition to the Cat in the Hat. I was so excited because the role involved a lot of dancing and harmonies, and I couldn't wait to meet my new cast members!

The theatre world is full of people who would love to see you fail, people who want to watch you crash and burn. You constantly have to deal with foul personalities that refuse to see the progress and good in you. The world of theatre is just like the real world in that many of its inhabitants are negative in every meaning of the word, but that doesn't mean you have to be. 

A school year at Gloucester County Institute of Technology is more like a tumble. Somehow we muddle through the enormity of each event, emerging from it a little prouder, a little smarter, a little more appreciative. There's apexes tacked onto every month, among these being shows, Thespian Cabarets, and competitions. Anymore I envisage my mind as a scrapbook, with washi tape borders reading an event's name, the center of the page a sprawl of selfies, ticket stubs, and phrases the resound in the aesthetic of those hours.

At the 11th Annual Greater Philly Cappies, a student review-based mini-Tony awards for high schools in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey, my school got more than 14 nominations including one for Best Musical! We were ecstatic when we heard, and immediately began preparing our presentation  (after every few awards, a performance is done by a nominee for Best Musical, Play, or Song). Our show was The Little Mermaid, so we decided to the iconic number "Under the Sea" as our song. Unfortunately, much of our cast could not make it to the Cappies, so the people on stage for the song was cut dramatically. The amount of boys on stage was halved, and the population of girls didn't fare much better.

The barn is staring to get into its summer swing this year. The first day of rehearsal is getting closer and closer. Counting down the days until school ends and the days until rehearsal starts. We are currently in the end of school paradox. That being you show up to school and sit in all your classes and do nothing. The days are pointless, but I mean it happens every year so… 

I walked into a room full of people surrounding a table stocked with Hershey's candy bars, lollipops and flyers for The Blank Theatre's Young Playwrights Festival. For a moment, I hesitated-was this where I belonged, in a building a couple blocks away from the Hollywood Walk of Fame?-but before I could back out, someone spotted me and asked, "Are you here for the 'Supermarket of Lost' table read?" and I said yes.