I've done lots of shows and been a part of many casts throughout my life, and one of my favorite parts of any production process is bonding with my castmates. There's nothing like the camaraderie of working with your peers to create a piece of art that you're all proud of. However, especially in college, many shows don't have a super long production process, and this can make it hard to get close to your cast and make friends. It's not impossible, though!

It wouldn't be as accurate to say that I found dramaturgy as it would to say that I jumped in headfirst and never quite came up for air. After a colorful Introduction to Theatre professor ended what may have been our second or third class by asking plainly for a production dramaturg, I raised my hand, and I feel sometimes as though it's still in the air four years later.

Last week the book 'Me' was released by the legend Elton John and it got me thinking about Elton's contribution to musical theatre. His music and his generous personality have touched millions. His musical fantasy movie Rocketman, that came out earlier this year, based on his life is one of the greatest, in my opinion, films ever made. He has such a passion and love for everything he does and what he has given the magical world of musical theatre is just as extraordinary.

The next time I register for classes will be the last time I register for classes below senior-standing. That is a very scary thing to think about. Since I started college, I've heard time and time again how my major isn't practical, how I should be focusing on something in Math or Science (two areas of academia I struggle in profusely, by the way), and how I'm never going to make money doing theatre and writing. Naturally, this makes approaching graduation a scary feat.

For the past few years I've been infatuated with the concept of 24 and 48-hour play festivals and last month I finally had the opportunity to participate in one as a playwright! My school, Marymount Manhattan College, hosted the event over 2 complete says with student writers, actors, and directors. Playwrights had a total of 24-hours to write a complete short play and directors/actors had the following day to then take that play, get it on its feet, and perform it to an audience.

My To Kill a Mockingbird process is moving along, and this week I wanted to talk about how hang and circuit went! To recap, hang is when we look at the plot and hang units in their positions according to what the plot says. Circuit is when we plug the units into the breakouts (recap: a breakout contains multiple different circuits and either hang over the stage or lay in the catwalks) based on what breakouts are near the units, and according to the breakout groupings.

There are many challenges when adapting a source material for the stage, even more so when your source material is an animated TV show about anthropomorphic animals. This was the challenge facing my college's Theatre Department this fall after we were commissioned to do the first live stage adaptation of the acclaimed Netflix original series BoJack Horseman.

My name is Tayler and I'm a fourth year Theatre, Film and Digital Production major with a minor in Media and Cultural Studies at the University of California, Riverside. I transferred to UCR last fall as a Media and Cultural Studies major. I had theatre experience in various positions from high school, but always thought it would be a fun hobby. I never considered studying theatre or making a career out of it.

Whether you came into college with someone you know or let your university work their roommate matchmaker magic, odds are you are living amongst people with a lifestyle and interests similar to your own. Going into my third year of college, I opted for a random roommate in an on-campus apartment. When I got my roommate assignment, I stared in total disbelief at my computer screen: my 'random roomie' was my good friend Kate.

It's midterms week at my first quarter of my senior year and I find myself reminiscing on my past three years. SCAD is very much a take it or leave it school. What I mean by that is SCAD has lots of events and extra opportunities to get more experience in your chosen field and hear from industry professionals. You can either take these opportunities and get the most out of your time at school or you can choose to not do any extra activities (and to be frank, miss out on some awesome things).

College can be extremely stressful sometimes, especially after midterms, which I just experienced last week. However, there are many ways to destress and unwind due to the pressure and trials of school and watching musical films are a perfect way to do just that and what better time of the year to do that than around Halloween time? There are so many amazing Halloween and horror films and surprisingly there are also a lot of horror musicals that are simply fantastic.

Living in one of the most expensive cities in the United States as a stereotypically broke college student sounds like a financial disaster on paper. Especially when you're like me and have zero economic impulse control. As the internet youths would say, '[My money] is here for a good time. Not a long time.' And living just steps from some of the most iconic Broadway theatres and productions doesn't help my case much either.

When I was around 15 or 16, there were auditions in my town for The Miracle Worker. I was so excited. My younger brother has special needs, and is non-verbal, so the play meant a lot to me and I really, really wanted to play Annie. I practiced the accent, read the script a bunch, watched the movie, and did everything I could to prepare. (I now realize this should've been a sign that dramaturgy is the path for me).

Hi everyone! My name is Meghan, and I'm a Junior Lighting Design and Technology Emphasis at Oklahoma City University. At my college, we're given 2 to 3 production assignments a semester, and my first one for the semester is production electrician on the regional premiere of Aaron Sorkin's To Kill a Mockingbird. The show goes up near the end of this month, so I thought I would write about my process as master electrician for the show as it happens.

In my first journalism course, my professor would bring in the best of her graduated students to guest lecture once a month. I sat in the front row with my jaw on the floor as they flipped through PowerPoints of their journey to where they are now: The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, you name it. There was always an alumnus that would walk into her classroom with a bright smile to give Professor DePaul a big hug and talk to her current students.

Lesson number one: paint one straight white line and one straight black line onto your forearm in cream stage makeup. That familiar chorus of artsy-assignment self-deprecation begins before any of us have the chance to settle into the process. We crack jokes - we are a room of college students who can't paint straight lines, adults who can't finger-paint. They're jokes, sure, but delivered with a hint of genuine criticism that each of us can feel.

There are so many ways you can absorb theatre but one of the most important and underrated ways is through television. We all know about Glee and the success it had, but most people aren't aware of the other genius musical shows such as Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Galavant, and even Smash, which is probably the most well-known of the three.

Congratulations! After months of countless auditions, Unifeds, interviews, callbacks, portfolio reviews and the dreaded waiting (and inevitable acceptance and denial) period you have final found a collegiate theatrical home...only to find out that it's not actually your home. Now, you're left debating whether or not starting the entire process all over again is really worth the risk of coming out empty-handed in the end.

Here's the deal. I'm in my junior year of college, and approaching the scary world of adulthood. I'm almost there, and that's got me thinking a lot about my future career in the theatre and also as a person in the world. I'm a political person. It's something I care about a lot, and was, early in my college career, what I thought I was going to do with my life.

Something that every artist needs to learn is how to effectively collaborate. This could be anything from new work, to acting with a scene partner. Theatre is an extremely collaborative craft. Even the biggest one-person shows have a creative team, and many hands pulling many strings. This isn't a bad thing, however, because truly thought provoking work requires many different perspectives. Nothing is done alone, and if it is, then fix it.

For all of my terrified freshmen out there, this one's for you. My stomach has been in knots for a week thinking of my first day of class on Tuesday, October 1st. Here's the thing: I'm a junior at the University of California, Irvine, but I feel like a freshman all over again as I step onto the arts campus as a new student there. After 2 years of overthinking, I decided to go for it and tack on 'Drama' to my Literary Journalism degree; let me tell you, I'm about as nervous as can be.

So, you've finally moved up to the big leagues, college. You've had time to settle in, decorate your dorm, and put up your playbills but, now what? Sure, classes are keeping you busy enough, and you've become friends with your roommates but, what should you do with your free time?

What is stage dooring? How do you stage door at a show? How should you behave at the stage door? These were questions I was thinking about as I visited New York this past weekend to see a few shows. I had the absolute privilege to see the Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, Aladdin, and Betrayal. Almost every single show I've ever seen on Broadway or Off-Broadway I've tried to stage door at. Stage dooring is a privilege, not a guarantee.

Congrats, you've made it to college! The freedom you feel while in college is truly something special and you get to put your life in high school behind! It's the fresh start you've dreamed of! It's also a great time to hone your talents and really figure out who you are. There's a lot of expectations coming into your freshman year, and a lot of new things thrown your way. And it's totally fine if things don't go the way you expect them to!

This past week has had ups, and downs. Highs and lows. That's just the way it goes sometimes. The ups have been real up, and the downs have been total rock bottom downs. What I've happened to discover is that the downs are a permanent part of life, and artistry. They are constant. They can be lessened, however by the ups. The ups work a little different, though unfortunately.