For the past couple of years, I have had friends tell me I should start an Instagram focused on Broadway. I have always loved keeping up with the latest news, so, it was suggested I find an outlet for it. I never actually considered it, though, because I thought it might warrant judgment or embarrassment. Eventually, I grew tired of this fear.

Theatre is the cornerstone of literally every other art form. While every other art form transports viewers to another world through sight or sound, theatre suspends one’s disbelief by literally creating a whole world right before the viewer’s eyes, unseparated by space, time, or a screen.

A few weeks of the semester have passed, so it’s finally time to discuss how the new term has been going. Personally, I’m having nothing short of a great time as a sophomore at the University of Connecticut. I’m making new friends and I’m continuing to get more involved with extracurriculars. Here’s a brief recap of my semester so far!

When I started going to school and developing my craft, I ended up dropping most of the ideas that these acting technique books taught me, but I found myself seeking out something else entirely. A big aspect of the acting technique that I studied in school dealt with breathing and mindset. Because of this, I sought out books that helped the mindset of a storyteller.

So far, getting to work on this show has been really cool. I love DND and I think it is oh so awesome, so getting to dive into that through She Kills Monsters has made me oh so happy.

In high school, academic integrity was at the forefront of my school's philosophy. At JMU and the School of Theatre and Dance, the expectations are the same. Here's how Megan keeps her academic integrity strong during times of stress.

I can recall certain instances where actors have bent over backward trying to make themselves available, whether that means calling out of work several times a week so they could attend callbacks or planning their vacations based on when auditions are slow.

The most obvious difference was a lyric change in “Do-Re-Mi.” Instead of using solfege, they sang “C-D-E,” and each pneumonic was changed to reflect the note name (for example “D like the fast D-Tram”). My original shock grew when they sang 'H' after 'A.' This led me down a road of discovery, dating back to the time of Gregorian Chant.

Thinking about academics? How to have academic integrity? Well Student Writer Destiny has all of the academic integritea for you.

You will never quite be in this place with these people doing the things you are doing ever again, so enjoy all of it. It isn’t going to be easy by any means, but do what you can to enjoy what you can.

Each new audition season at Yale, I feel that I learn something new to bring with me into the next. I hope that by the end of my senior year, I have accumulated the most effective set of strategies to bring with me into a potential career. 

The tech weeks were approaching for both shows and academic work was not letting up. When I would get back to my dorm after late nights, I had no motivation to do homework but I had no choice as it would be due the next day. I was definitely feeling burnt out.

As my summer internship at Broadway Grand Rapids comes to an end, here I'll take time to reflect on the experience!

In today's blog I talk about burnout as a college student and give my top 5 tips for preventing it!

The age old question that manifests as every college senior's sleep paralysis demon. The despicable conversation starter students dodge from family members during the holidays, afraid they’ll get hit in the face with a proverbial cinder block of truth. The uninvited elephant in the classroom cosplaying as a new student on your first day of senior year, reminding you the time to raise your hand is running out. The saying that haunts every human being at the brink of change…It’s funny how just two little words hold the weight of the world and could determine a lifetime, if you let them: what's next?

With Marymount I fell I have the best of both worlds: Student life on Campus and life outside.One of the things I love the most about going to school in New York is the sheer amount of opportunities outside and within my school.

Try singing every genre, even the ones that you think are out of your wheelhouse, and get an understanding of what you sound best doing. This isn’t to say that you should never try to sing anything outside of what comes naturally to you, but having an understanding of your strengths and weaknesses will help you as you continue training as a vocalist.

What do you do when you get to senior year and realize this will be your last call for places or last 5 minute warning? Here's how I, Student Writer Destiny, will be handling my senior year.

My biggest piece of advice to anyone starting the college process would easily be to stay as organized as possible: communicate with your teachers and people who have gone through it before, Google Sheets is your friend, and remember your “Why.” Keep your passion at the forefront and you’ll have and endless supply of all the motivation you could ever need.

Advocating for yourself helps you understand your worth as you take control of your career. The best part is- you don’t need to rely on anybody else to exercise these habits. In fact, even if you have representation to advocate for you, seeking out opportunities for yourself is still vital.

The feeling of rejection is difficult, to say the least. It can be heartbreaking to get rejected from any opportunity you really wanted. Whether it’s a job, an audition for a school musical, or anything in between, getting rejected can be painful. It may even seem impossible to cope with at first. However, I can assure you—as someone who’s been rejected many times—that it is not the end of the world.

Who protects your favorite shows from illegally being reproduced? Who ensures your favorite artists are being fairly paid? Who makes sure marketing for your favorite shows is appropriate and legal? Entertainment lawyers.

The idea of senior year is indeed quite daunting; It’s the last year of school for most people, and you are expected to have a good idea of what you are going to do post graduation. So yes, senior year comes with a lot of expectations, but remember that you are still a student!

Fighting burnout is hard. I truly do love what I do yet there are moments that it is all just too much. Burnout sucks and that’s never going to change, but having an identity away from your professional and academic work is deeply important. 

As the Summer theatre season is coming to a close, I think about how fortunate I’ve been to see as many shows as I have this year. I’ve been seeing lots of live theatre as of late, including but not nearly limited to The Prom at Playhouse on Park, The Mystery of Edwin Drood at The Goodspeed Theater, and Cabaret at The Kit Kat Club on Broadway. While I try to see shows as often as I can, really taking the time to see as much as I have been lately has really reminded me of the importance and value of seeing live theatre as a performer myself– something I wanted to cover for this month's topics!