Jess here. College is a big step for any student; whether attending a local university or traveling halfway across the country to submerge yourself in a completely new pool.

Well, here we are; Our last week of CCPA 2016/17. Our opening week of shows went extremely well, with a few minor 'cringy' moments - as to be expected with live theatre - but in all, it was an incredibly successful week! These unexpected ended up adding humour to the show, like when Cogsworth goes to look up with the Beast and Lumiere and say 'look at the Rose, it's wilting at an alarming rate' (or something like that), and the rose has disappeared, forcing the actors to improv while tech figures out how to get the rose back up there. Or when Babette's shoe flies off her foot in the tango, and our actress plays it off beautifully. It's that moment when at first you freak out, but 10 minutes later, you're dying of laughter from it. And, like I said, we have a great cast who can play it off so the audience doesn't know it's unintentional. My dad even asked me if Gaston's fall into the Orchestra pit (intentional) was supposed to happen because it seemed so real and spontaneous.

As I am graduating from Shenandoah Conservatory in the next couple weeks, I have been reflecting on the programs and faculty members that have positively impacted me during my time here, and ironically I have learned so much about myself and my craft outside the classroom. I credit a lot of my artistic growth from spending time in the dance studio, practice rooms, and rehearsal hall during late nights after classes have ended, collaborating with my peers. I think that when going into any industry it is important to have a wide understanding of communication and how to effectively talk to your teammates in order to achieve a goal.

This week, students of the Canadian College of Performing Arts take you backstage to meet Belle.

When you've been to many shows, you have MANY stories to tell! Not just of the amazing or 'goodish' show you saw, but interactions with audience members. In no particular order, here are my experiences! I feel that you can relate to most!

It's our last week of rehearsals for Disney's Beauty and The Beast and I am eyes-deep in frilly bloomers and life sized household objects. We have a finished show which continues being polished each day and it's so beautiful. I cannot believe how we have managed to pull together such an incredible and professional looking show in the amount of time we have been working.

CCPA Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of 'Beauty and the Beast' Live in Victoria, April 21-29 at the McPherson Playhouse.

Jess here. Las Vegas is known for its groundbreaking entertainment and risky performances. The production I just saw of HAND TO GOD at the newly-opened Majestic Repertory Theatre is no exception to the rule. This show was undoubtedly the funniest work I have ever seen, thanks to the actors and director, Troy Heard. HAND TO GOD follows Jason, a troubled teenage boy with a strange connection to his homemade puppet. Jason struggles to please his recently widowed mother who has put together a daily 'Puppet Practice' group in the basement of a local Texas Lutheran Church. Things slowly start to spiral out of control when Jason's puppet, Tyrone, seems to develop a sinister mind of his own. Chaos and consequences ensue, as Jason and Tyrone ultimately go wild.

While in the midst of only our 2nd week of rehearsal, I am astonished at the rate that our musical is coming together. I am so used to working 2 hours a day, 2-3 times a week, painstakingly watching piece by piece slowly mend to one another; a snail's pace compared to this.

With my first year of college classes over, (it's so weird saying that!) we are officially into rehearsals for 'Disney's Beauty and The Beast.' These first few rehearsals have been so amazing and eye-opening; it's my first time working in this type of atmosphere and having absolute focus just on the show is so refreshing.

Strange things are happening in the bottom floor of an office building in New York City's Financial District.

Julie Andrews' new Netflix series, Julie's Greenroom, premiered last Friday. I didn't expect to like it since it is geared toward younger audiences, but I ended up loving it! It features really catchy songs and many important lessons about all the different parts of the arts: from singing as a group and writing songs together to improv and even clowning. Here are five of my favorite things about the show:

After countless hours of rehearsal over many months, All That Jazz, our production with the Naden Band is officially over. I am so proud of our school and the Naden band-of the Royal Canadian Navy - thought I would clarify who they were) for the amazing 2 shows we put on. It's a strange thing to have something we have spent so long getting ready for to be over in just 1 day and now we are completely moving on, it feels all too sudden. That's showbiz I guess. I must admit the nights off since we are no longer rehearsing for the show are nice. Though, we won't be missing musical rehearsals for too long; we startDisney's Beauty and The Beast rehearsals Saturday! But, like I was saying, this is the last week of real school where we have our final handwritten assignments due (and a lot of them!). It's nice to have those nights off to finish homework or get a few extra hours of sleep, even if we do miss rehearsals.

Coming up March 24th and 25th, we have the theater club's first short play festival. Completely student run, this festival will showcase published plays as well as two original student works. These plays are performed, designed, and directed by the students. As one of the student directors, I can't begin to tell you about how proud I am to be a part of this festival. This is my first time directing outside of classes and I am absolutely thrilled to be directing Smitten written by Mark Harvey Levine. The entire experience has shaped me as a director, actor, designer, and even an audience member. It has definitely impacted how I will look at future productions and has given me even more respect for the various positions involved in making a production happen. Let's meet some of my other fellow directors shall we?

I was the assistant sound designer and the sound engineer for Auburn University Theatre's production of The Drowsy Chaperone. My duties ran from paperwork, to recordings, to sound pick-up, load-in, running the show, and strike. The sound designer was Anthony Narciso, who we have hired three times previously to design sound for our shows. I am still amazed at how much he can teach me, and how much I still have to learn, regardless of how well I'm doing at sound at the moment. There is never a moment when I want to stop learning about my field, or really when I want to stop learning in general. There is always going to be someone out there who knows more than I do, and it's not as threatening as it may seem. It's a challenge, yes, but also a wonderful experience of sharing and collaborating with what we know. I'm happy to announce that now I know what microphone Mariah Carey wants for her performances, and I know why she wants that, and why it matters. I can tell you what a line array is, and I've learned so much more about EQ than I thought I was going to during the run of The Drowsy Chaperone (like how bringing down a frequency will notch out those harsh 's' sounds, and how I should always cut out the low end of the frequencies).