Preserving the integrity of our training and professional opportunities is of the utmost importance in the arts. What’s the point of pursuing higher education in a field you’re passionate about if you aren’t willing to put in the work?

Finals week at the University of Connecticut has come and gone. My experience was still stressful, as it usually is, but more manageable than the semesters prior because of my lighter workload.

I start rehearsals for Pride and Prejudice this week and am swinging two tracks, each track consisting of two characters. I have been able to understudy before but have never been a swing. It’s a bit overwhelming but I am going to try to list some of the things that have already been extremely helpful to me.

Most people I have met have urged me to study abroad. I always thought it was a good idea, but to actually be here and experiencing it is an incredibly surreal experience. I arrived in Paris on January 14 and have been running around since!

I hate generative AI. I will shout it from the mountaintops, I will shout it from my apartment window, I will shout it into your ear right now. With zero reservations, I think less of people who use sites like ChatGPT to accomplish tasks for them, especially in academic environments. To me, it is utterly shameful and morally disqualifying. 

How do I define Academic Integrity as a theatre student? You can't really cheat on a test when your final is a scene, but you can cheat on your artistic self.

In todays blog, we discuss how even when times can get busy as a teenager in high school, we need to understand why it's important to maintain our academic integrity.

I've taken it upon myself to go into the trenches and gather intel for actors like you and me. This article will focus on auditions and callbacks, from an Asst. Director's POV. What are directors and casting teams looking for? What is the key to a successful audition?

The New Year is right around the corner and as per usual, I have absolutely zero idea what this year will have in store for me. Nevertheless, what I do know is that 2025 will be a year of major decisions and changes. Let’s dive in!

Ah, yes. Burnout. An inevitable part of any college kid's academic career. Burnout reveals itself in many ways; it can make every day activities seem impossible. So, how does one slay the demon that is burnout?

It finally hit me— I called my mom to tell her that I was going to submit to direct Little Women, a musical of which I love and was familiar with because it was also my senior year musical in high school. I had a meeting with the E-Board to pitch my idea to them and I decided to make a proposal presentation including a vision board and a synopsis of the show. In late May, I got an email telling me that my show was chosen. I did it. I put my dreams into motion.

One creative outlet outshined the rest— musical theater— and I began to really dive into theater in middle school and high school. I participated in my school’s choir and musicals and even helped out in the costume department. It was no surprise that I chose to go to college for theater because it was what I was truly passionate about. After my first semester, however, I was not feeling that same passion. I enjoyed my classes but it was all theater all the time and the new element of having my theater work graded added a level of stress that was not there before.

In an end of year reflection, student blogger Piper Greisl looks back on her first semester as a junior and her first semester as a theatre student.

This entry is a bit more personal, but it explores my experience and perception of my identity concerning the things I do and how that changes as I grow up.

Student blogger Piper Greisl discusses how she avoids and treats burnout in order to continue pursuing passions and hobbies.

To me, theater is the coolest thing in the entire world. Perhaps it’s a naive sentiment coming from a college student who does not directly depend on theater as my livelihood, but I have never felt burnt out to the point where I question how much I want to be in another show. There have been a handful of times that I selfishly wished I didn’t have rehearsal so I could have a night in and relax, but after having too many of those kinds of nights, I realized how essential theater is to my bodily function. 

Members of an audience all should know that buying a ticket means they have entered an unspoken agreement. They are bound by it to not only invest themselves as fully as possible in the event, but to allow others to do the same. Yet in my experience, there have been far too many incidents where the latter half ends up being violated and I cannot understand why for the life of me. 

Starting in January, I have audition after audition for either graduate school programs or summer stock/internships. Besides auditions at school, it has been a hot minute since I have done an intense audition and I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a bit anxiety-inducing. So my New Year’s Resolution: Make auditioning exciting and fun again!

Today, we will discuss each of these steps in hopes of understanding what each one means and how to respond or cater to that step throughout the process!

This winter break, I am really trying to focus on relaxing and resting. That is one thing that I am really bad at, but I love to be a big advocate for.

It was so cool to get to be on the inside of putting together a show like this. It was definitely stressful at times, but I loved it.

You are the only person on this planet who has come up with the set of ideas, concepts, and goals that you currently have rolling around within your brain and there is something definitively miraculous in that.

My final musical at Greenhills, Something Rotten, is a bittersweet farewell to the theater community that’s shaped me. From props crew to senior circle, I’m cherishing every moment before my last bow.

Your local overachiever and workaholic in the making shares and ponders the way she handles burnout while burning out during the experience that is finals week. But the reward is oh so worth it .

As a college student, I find it can be difficult to decide what to do with downtime. It's not often in college that you get the chance to use your time the way you want to. Though break looks different for everyone, I thought I might provide some ideas for what to do when you have nothing to do!