Just a little moment of me re-evaluating my time management skills and my work-life balance after my spring break almost completely tipped into the opposite territory I'm used to.

​​​​Managing coursework, student involvement, friends, and good grades is a difficult thing to learn. In high school, the structured school days took the time management out of the hands of students. Now in college, with less structured days I have the ability to make my own routine from scratch.

For my spring break this year, I ventured into my first-ever solo vacation. It was my first time on a plane in two years, and my first time flying alone - as alone as one can be in Laguardia airport, that is. 

Every actor, at some point in their career, has faced rejection, whether from an audition, a workshop, or a prescreen. While we all dream of booking our dream roles and becoming a star on the first attempt, very few people ever get to experience that, unfortunate as it is. Growing up in the theatre, my perspective on rejection has evolved as I’ve aged. Here are some things I’ve learned over time based on my own experiences of rejection:

In any case where your passion is integrated into your work, it can be easy to forget to take a break. I love theatre so much, so it can be difficult to remember that it’s still work, regardless of how much I love the outcome of it. In that, it’s hard to remember that rest is important, and that even though I’m choosing to study and pursue theatre of my own volition, it’s still valid when I need time away from it. 

As a theatre major with a passion for stationary and a love of organization, if there’s one thing I know, it’s planning. Life as an aspiring actor can be busy on the best days and absolutely insane on the worst, so it’s important to have a clear idea of where you are and what you need to do to get where you want to go on a daily basis. 

They always say it’s a whirlwind this time of year, and honestly, that feels about right. It’s trying to juggle a million things at once, hoping nothing falls apart. As an Entertainment Business major training in the performing arts, I’m constantly juggling the push and pull between creative expression and the pressures of academic and professional life.

Midterms stressful? Feeling stressed, upset, tired, angry, overwhelmed? Here's how an acting major survives balancing both this pursuit of acting and long week of midterms. Balancing midterms at a performing arts high school while being in productions and pursuing acting is one of the most challenging things I’ve ever had to do. Especially right now, the beginning of spring.

Hello y’all! For the next couple of months, I’m shining a light on one of the coolest parts of UC San Diego’s theatre department. Every spring quarter features a culmination of artistry that brings grads and undergrads together from all theatrical disciplines: the Wagner New Play Festival. The engine that revs the festival to life is the cohort of MFA playwrights. Each of them spends fall and winter quarters working on a piece ahead of its world premiere production in the spring. We have five playwrights this year, so this article is the fourth installment of a five-part series where I’ll be sitting down for a conversation with each of them. I hope reading these will be half as much fun as I had putting this together.

Burnt out, stressed out, hanging by a string? Here's how I handle intense & immense amounts of work, responsibilities and perseverance for the theatre as a freshman acting major.

No show, casting panel, or process will be the same, so take these tips with a grain of salt. These are what I have found to work for me and what I have seen the best results with. Trust your gut and audition with confidence.

Ariana Grande's Eternal Sunshine: Brighter Days Ahead takes hold of the societal struggles the theatrical community is facing under administration that fails to comprehend the impact of theater.

As pressure loads and deadlines become stricter, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and lose control of your activities. However, my commitments have forced me to find methods that regulate my responsibilities and preserve my well-being.  If you’re seeking ways to manage your duties, look no further. Here are ways I find balance in my hectic environment. 

I am by no means an expert, but I have come up with a few ways that I manage my work-life balance that has resulted in getting good grades and seeing doing what I want to do (which is usually going to a show).

As I've gotten older and been introduced to more things, there are certain theatre-related genres or artists that I've grown more fond of. Let's take a look at them.

For the last year, I have been an Intern at Philadelphia Young Playwrights, an arts education nonprofit serving youth in the Greater Philadelphia area. Here, I have worked for a team of three women who have given me opportunities to do meaningful work, hone valuable skills, and learn a lot about both myself and the theater community I am working within. Since it is Women’s History Month, I want to take some time to reflect on three things I have learned while working for these leading ladies. 

Now in March, just a week before Pippin rehearsals begin, we prepare ourselves to film our show reels for our ‘Technique & Repertoire’ module that helps us set up a portfolio to leave with after completing our course!

Every spring break, Oklahoma City University gives its performing arts students the chance to step beyond the classroom and immerse themselves in the industry through OCUNYC. More than just a training program, it is an opportunity to experience the professional world firsthand.

Being an Autistic/Disabled person working in theater can be difficult, but I had wonderful opportunities that have allowed me to turns my dreams into realities. My journey started as a teenage student in a musical theater program that changed me for good, so now I am reflecting on how that experience led me to where I am today.

It’s tough for a musical theatre-loving teenager who lives 2460 miles from the Great White Way. You try to connect to anything you can that reminds you of Broadway and the people who work there. That’s why I have been obsessed LaDuca dance shoes. Similar to a basketball player wearing their favorite professional shoes, whenever I put on a pair of my precious LaDucas, the same shoes that Broadway professionals wear, I feel, even in my high school outside of Los Angeles, like I am one of them.

To all my theater “children” and all my theater “parents,” past present and future, you’ve made me into a version of myself I am proud to be, whether we still talk to this day or no longer speak, Thank You.

Hello y’all! For the next couple of months, I’m shining a light on one of the coolest parts of UC San Diego’s theatre department. Every spring quarter features a culmination of artistry that brings grads and undergrads together from all theatrical disciplines: the Wagner New Play Festival. The engine that revs the festival to life is the cohort of MFA playwrights. Each of them spends fall and winter quarters working on a piece ahead of its world premiere production in the spring. We have five playwrights this year, so this article is the third installment of a five-part series where I’ll be sitting down for a conversation with each of them. I hope reading these will be half as much fun as I had putting this together.

I often hear people talk about the importance of saying no to the things that aren’t good for you. And while I agree wholeheartedly with the theory, I would propose a revision.  When building a career or an understanding of theater (or anything really), you must try new things and find what, and how much, is right for you. It's not just about knowing when to say no or what opportunities to take.

Being a theatre kid in high school who is going to college for Musical Theatre, having good grades and taking AP classes isn’t thought to be a requirement. But for me, balancing my grades with my passion is a priority for me. I often get asked how I juggle everything - school musicals, college auditions, volunteering, plus an AP and IB course load. To be honest, I’m still figuring it out. I don’t have the juggling down to a complete science and hope to get better at that in college, but here are some tips that have worked for me throughout high school.

You got back up again. You had to….Or you’d still be there. But evidently you aren’t because you’re sitting here reading this article. Congratulations my friend. You survived the Great Unknown and turned it into a Simple Known.