What does being transgender mean in the context of theatre today? How do we overcome the strict challenges that come with it? Hello. My name is Cam Brillon, and I am currently a sophomore acting major at ECSU. All my life, theatre is something that I've felt a great affinity for. And like many of us, I decided to major in acting to attempt to make my dream a reality. 

I don't know what it was that made last week so hectic. Maybe it was the craziness of midterms, maybe it was the stress of being back in tech, maybe it was Mercury in retrograde or whatever. All I know is that I couldn't have prepared for the chaos of last week if I tried. In the midst of all of the insanity, I found that I had to plan my schedule for spring quarter, and in doing so, I genuinely contemplated what (if any) drama classes I would enroll in. I know that feeling burned out is temporary, but it weighed strongly on me when I thought, what if I just decided to take Literary Journalism electives and phase out of the Drama classes?

We all have loved ones that don't share our love for the performing arts - whether they don't like watching people randomly break into song and dance or they just have never given them a chance, but usually they will see how important it is to you and try their best to keep up.

At some point in college, pretty much everybody has a moment where they wonder, am I over this? Some switch their major, some stick it out and hope that feeling passes, and I'm here in the middle of all of it to admit: I'm burned out. My acting class is a struggle, I'm unable to focus, and there have been days when my alarm goes off for my 8am class and I truly contemplate dropping Drama and just sticking with Literary Journalism.

I'm a first year and prospective drama major at Vassar College, a liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, NY. Here's a typical day in my life!

This past weekend, I sat down and watched the Oscars. As I championed on some of my favorite films and those creative minds behind them, I reflected on those who were perhaps snubbed or didn't win in certain categories and it made me think about my own career and work as a creative individual. When you produce something which you love and pour your soul into, whether that be a story, a performance in a show, your photography, you never want to hear negative things about it.

Having quick access to professional theatre no doubt made an impact on my love for the arts. Growing up in Minneapolis, I was surrounded by a booming arts community with opportunities to watch or perform pretty much whenever I wanted to. I didn't realize how rare and fortunate that was until I moved out of the Twin Cities for college. Now, I live in a wonderful small town in Iowa, but there is no professional theatre in sight.

It's the third week of the semester, and I can already feel myself losing steam. My eyes droop, my limbs feel heavy, and all I find myself doing is sluggishly wandering from classroom to classroom like some kind of backpack-wearing zombie. A combination between exhaustion and depression, it's not uncommon to start feeling this way once the back-to-school excitement has worn off. Seeing your friends again is exciting- being flooded by hundreds of upcoming deadlines isn't.

One of the beauties of theatre is that it can be used as a platform to express a spectrum of stories and emotions. It is designed to take the audience on an emotional journey and leave them changed. One thing that is important to recognize, though, is the toll it can take on the performers. Telling an emotional story 8 times a week will not only leave a lasting impact on the audience, but on the actors, too. So, how do we, as actors, find balance between ourselves and our work?

This past weekend, five of my classmates and I traveled to Huntsville, Texas to compete in the USITT Southwest Winter Symposium Student Design, Tech, and Management competition (long title, I know). For people who don't know, USITT is the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, which hosts a big technical theatre conference each spring in a different city. USITT Southwest Winter Symposium is kind of a smaller version of that.

As a self-proclaimed nerd and likely (albeit undeclared) drama major in college, one of my favorite pastimes is keeping up with current events in the theater world. I aspire to work in the theater industry someday, and staying engaged and informed is an essential part of working towards that goal. I've compiled a list of the 9 podcasts, publications, and media outlets (in no particular order) that inspire me and keep me feeling up to date.

Whenever I take a trip across the Channel from France to England, seeing a show (or two or three) is always one of my top priorities. Unfortunately, tickets for shows on the West End (or even just around London in general) tend to be expensive and out of my price range, especially as a university student. But fortunately, I have found some tricks that enable me to see shows at relatively low prices. Today, I'm going to be discussing how to get tickets for West End shows for a student budget.

I don't know about you, but this time of year is super busy for me, as it is for most students! Some days, it can feel like you're drowning in schoolwork. As if that wasn't enough, if you're a theatre student, you likely have some sort of audition coming up! I know it can seem daunting to prepare for auditions, especially when you have a million other things going on. However, with a little initiative and proactivity, you can get through audition season with as little stress as possible!

This past Monday, I stood outside of a towering glass building, glancing from the map on my phone to the facade of the theater that almost glittered in the mid-afternoon sun. That's the entrance, right? Is that the right set of arts administration offices? As I passed my favorite sculpture in the plaza, I tossed my lipstick-stained coffee cup in the trash, looked over my resume one last time, and walked toward the glass doors tucked away behind a thick cluster of trees. This has to be it.

The older I get, the more I hear from people how award shows aren't important and that they are far too political, or have a host that doesn't quite land the jokes like they should, or their favorite movies get snubbed. I agree with many of these, but not the fact that award shows aren't important. Your favorite films or shows and actors may not always get the recognition they deserve but as an entity, these award shows mean much more than handing someone a trophy.

I started classes with only two weeks before my first rehearsal and already it can feel overwhelming - even if things fall into place perfectly and things aren't being forgotten or rescheduled. When rehearsals start, I'm going to have days where I'm in class from 9:00 to ending rehearsals at 11 pm, with few breaks for naps or food. All that on top of school work? There are a few things that can help you go from being overwhelmed to busy but handling it.

There's so much tension involved in applying to college that no one tells you what to do when you actually get there. There's auditions to go to, resumes to make, headshots to compile, reps to pick out, but now that's all over and you've made it into the program of your choice. Huzzah! Now what?

You've probably read enough 'new year, new me' clichés to last you a lifetime, so let me spare you. No, I don't think I'm starting off 2020 as a completely changed woman. We're in the middle of the school year, and I really don't think there is much that can change overnight and magically transform me just because 2019 ended. However, I do believe that 2020 has the potential to bring forth opportunities that can lead to a change for the better in my personal well-being and success.

I am fortunate enough to have grown up in a rich theatre community full of opportunities at every turn. Still, though, I found myself refreshing audition notice pages waiting for that special show to appear so I would finally get my chance at whatever dream role I was fixated on at that time. We've all been there. After years of disappointment-filled waiting, I made a decision that would change the trajectory of my life. I decided to produce it myself. I encourage you to do the same thing.

There's a lot of pressure when you want to pursue a career in the arts. That's been my experience at least. Because of that, I find the need to be on top of things and doing the best work I can all of the time. For awhile, I thought that meant not being honest with myself or other people about my mental health. I'm a huge advocate for talking about mental health and removing the stigma that kept me from reaching out for so long, so here's what I haven't been as open about as I should.

One of the strangest things about moving to college, provided that you aren't still living at home, is getting used to being away from home. I personally didn't have a hard time adjusting to being away from my family even though I was over 2,000 miles away, but it was incredibly weird. To me it felt freeing.

When I was younger I never quite understood the hype surrounding the end of a year and the start of a new one. The traditions of counting down the last minute of New Year's Eve, making loud noises and yells when the clock struck twelve, engaging in champagne toasts with my family are moments of this precious holiday that I took part in, but I never really grasped the beauty behind why we do these things, and what they really mean.

Resolutions. Plans. Discoveries. These are what people think of when a new year begins and I'm no exception. When a new year comes around, we want nothing more than to improve our lives through fitness, eating healthier, and getting more sleep, among the many mental changes we want to strive towards. However, I believe one of the most overlooked resolutions is seeing more theatre.

School breaks are hard, especially if your job is an on-campus job like mine is, and if you like to stay busy. Usually during breaks, I get so bored that I don't know what to do with myself since I'm so used to being busy during the school year. In October, I was told about a Christmas break job that would involve me dressing as an elf and greeting people. It sounded easy enough and honestly, even a little bit fun, so I reached out to the person in charge and got the job.

I had the pleasure of seeing Waitress on its North American tour this past weekend at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, California. I was truly blown away by all aspects of the performance. It had me smiling and laughing throughout, and maybe even shedding a tear or two at times. To be completely honest, I didn't know what to expect going into seeing it.