Alas, the summer of 2016 draws to a close and I pack my bags for back to school in just a few short days. This summer has been one for the books. I learned a lot about myself, theatre, and life. If it wasn't for this production, I probably wouldn't have grasped those lessons as quickly, which is why I appreciate my friends and supporters that just tell it like it is. They know what I need to hear to get the point across. They know how to help me grow and aren't afraid to knock me down a few pegs if I get too high and mighty.

I'm sure everyone knows the challenges that come with designing any given show - there's the actual design, the communication of the design, the (most-likely) compromise of the design, public relations, paperwork, implementation of the design, dry tech, cue to cue, 10 out of 12, dress rehearsals, previews and then opening night. Can you imagine not being at the theatre to work on your show, not being able to talk to other designers in person, not being there to see or hear how your design was affecting the show? I can.

Well, not really. It's the last summer--before I graduate college.

'Please turn off your phone!' 'Technology is a waste of time!' 'BE PRESENT!'

With the start of a new semester right around the corner, I began thinking about the new technicians and design students who are starting their freshman year at Auburn. I was very bright-eyed when I was a freshman, only having done community theatre up until that point, without any other exposure to theatre. I was pretty lost, if I have to be honest. I have compiled a list of tips that I wish I'd had on my first day.

One day, I was in rehearsal, and one of my friends asked me, 'Why sound?' And that's when I really started to think about why sound?

I skipped my senior prom to see The Color Purple on Broadway, and I have zero regrets about it.

It's that time in the process yet again. Welcome to Tech week. Some call it tech week, hell week, production week, or show week. It all means the same thing though. It is the week leading up to the first performance. It is graced with long nights, malfunctions, and unfortunately a good deal of stress. I, however, hope to alleviate some of that stress with a few tips and tricks to get through the week. Being that we are in tech week, ourselves, at The Comedy of Errors, this article could not be more relevant. Here we go!

Last year, New Yorker Marla Louissaint competed in the National High School Musical Awards, also known as the 'Jimmy' Awards, and received the title of Best Actress. She is now a rising sophomore at Fordham University pursuing a career in computer science, but continues to demonstrate her theatrical talents. So who is this young starlet and how does she survive the busy life of having more than one career?

THROUGHOUT OUR COLLEGE CAREER AS THEATRE MAJORS WE ARE ASKED TO READ AND DISCUSS PLAYWRIGHTS THAT HAVE CHANGED AND CONTRIBUTED TO THEATRE. We read about THE GREATS Shakespeare, Ibsen, Shaw, Moliere, Brecht, Beckett and many other playwrights that have pushed traditional theatre creating and producing something different. Reading about 'The Greats' is a given in theatre education, Valuing the work of the playwrights and ultimately educating students of different time periods and exploring themes of the era.

As we now are roughly two weeks from opening, I thought I would be a little punny. Two weeks from opening, I decided to do a 'double feature'. That's right, I am interviewing both sets of twins! In this 'twinterview', we will hear from both Dromios and Antipholuses Antipholi?

5,6,7,8 Everyone start stretching and get out your headshots, A Chorus Line is a part of the summer season at the Hemmens and it couldn't be more exciting! While the audience begins to find their seats and chatter still fills the room, the show begins with the cast arriving to the audition. Some are stretching, chatting with friends, and of course taking selfies. In other musicals I would think, what is happening? But with A Chorus Line this production is all about the audition process and the little things matter. The design team had an easy time with this one compared to last summer's Rent production. The stage is set like it would appear any time of day with lights in the wings, chairs scattered off to the side, and four individual mirrors that three appear to be transparent (and make for some interesting dance numbers).

Recently I sat down with our director and co-choreographer, Lisa Stevens, to chat about our version of Footloose and her personal process in relation to building theatre. As I've said before, we are lucky. As someone who has intensively observed the rehearsal process (I love rehearsal), I have sat in awe of Lisa's direction. Specifically, I find her vocabulary lends itself beautifully to moving the work in a forward direction. Her style is streamlined along with plenty of room to play. And Lisa is so underneath each character and their relationships that, with her guidance, there's a stronger connection between the actor and his or her role. With her list of credits and accolades, Lisa has brought the know-how of the business to rehearsal, imparting on us indispensable tools essential to the artist's working life. As the cast filtered out for lunch, I joined Lisa behind the creative team's table and opened our discussion.

As someone who came from a family of electrical linemen and bankers and contract specialists, started out pre-vet in middle school, detoured to pre-med in high school, and finally to theatre - not only did my career choice fail to reach the goals previously set for me by my peers, my teachers, and my parents, but I was left with a huge question: does what I do make a valuable contribution to this world and society?

This week, we call our attention to a position that is necessary for any production to run smoothly. Whether it be a play or musical, professional or community, no production is complete without a stage manager. They keep you organized and aren't afraid to take that script from you when you were supposed to be off book last week. They are a wealth of knowledge, glue that keeps the show together. Here at the West Haven Council on the Arts/ Theater West, our stage manager for The Comedy of Errors is Dana Kaplan.

Currently seeking a therapist that specializes in multiple personality disorder, or maybe multiple character disorder.

Theatre in Toronto is moving and shaking. This city has a consistent flow of productions year-round, but the summer is a particularly exciting time to celebrate home-grown work. On June 27, the 2016 Dora Mavor Moore Awards took place at the Harbourfront Centre. The ceremony recognizes Toronto-based creators in theatre, dance and opera spanning 48 categories. I had the honour of attending the awards on behalf of Randolph Academy and was reminded of how diverse, vibrant and hard-working our theatre community is. Many post-Dora commentators regarded Bruce Dow's outstanding job as host. His undeniable humour did not deter from socially charged commentary on the state of our community's compensation. Bruce also directed the audience's attention to the world stage, advising that artists must continue to unite globally in the wake of political events happening around the world. The breadth of work being created in this city is astounding. Repeatedly, I heard award recipients talk about persistence in this industry. Years and years of creative trial have led to works formally recognized. It is a profession worth its weight in blood, but worth every beautiful drop. I left the awards wanting to see more theatre, learn more about the veterans in the room and take a whole list of people out for coffee.

Lo Abdelmalek is a special guest blogger who is an actor in the Young Company which is performing at Notre Dame's Shakespeare Festival. Lo plays Thaisa in Pericles, Prince of Tyre and is pursuing her MFA at the University of Louisville.

The tragedies in today's society can make anyone feel lost. We are angry and we are hurting but we must conquer it to find healthy solutions to our problems. Being an artist is not easy, it's hard but we are learning to be creative and with what we learn we must act and encourage people to keep educating ourselves.

It is summertime! Whether it be community theatre, regional theatre, all the way to the professional level, summer is a prime time to take in a show. There is a lot of thought and work that comes into creating the experience. Experiences can range from the traditional indoor theatre to taking in a production while enjoying a picnic at a local park. This week we are taking a look at some of the positives and negatives to outdoor theatre productions.

Since you're on Broadway World, chances are you're the type of person who is familiar with the concept of artist merit. By that, I mean you're the person who appreciates the lengthy productions of Sunday in the Park with George just as much if not more (let's face it, way more) than you do a spunky production of familiar shows like Footloose or Grease (god bless those good old high school staples). You're also probably the person who, although you secretly live every time you hear 'Defying Gravity', is so over those mainstream shows. Many college students would much rather revive Applause than they would something like Beauty and the Beast, but when you're breaking into the business or just starting out in production, finding the original artistic value in those 'over-exposed' shows might be just what you need to build a reputation.

Well, it's been awhile - and to be quite honest, not a ton of progress has been made since I introduced my current project. As I believe I mentioned, myself and a few other students at my college have for the last two years produced full-fledged productions of musicals in less than 24 hours. Beginning this fall, we are trying to expand our 'season', if you will, with another full student production, however this time rehearsed sparsely over the course of two weeks instead of all in one day (with an approx. total rehearsal time of 40 hours). Our hope is that this will give us a chance to produce larger scale shows, with more complex elements, and larger, more inclusive casts.

Check out the video below on our college summer stock production of HAIRSPRAY!

I just remodeled a house. I know what you're thinking: this article belongs on some HGTV forum about flipping houses with your family. But hear me out.

This week I had the pleasure of discussing the progress of The Comedy of Errors as well as the progress of our Summer Youth Theatre production of Les Miserables School Edition, with West Haven Council on the Arts President, Barth McNeil. He has been a part of the Council on the Arts since it was first established in 2007.