​​​​​​Hey! College student here. It’s finals season – but you probably already knew that. It’s an incredibly stressful time for students, and easy to feel burned out. Though I can feel myself approaching exhaustion, I’ve been able to keep moving and working. Every student is different, so I’m not about to tell you “the” way to avoid running out of steam. We all have different responsibilities, and for some students the fatigue is unavoidable. With that in mind, below are some ways I’ve stayed inspired and determined. 

As the fear of graduation sets in, the reality that I'm leaving the last illusion of adolescence I have left and the two friends that have been integral parts of my life over the past four years is a difficult one to realize.

In my humble opinion, these films provide valuable lessons about acting and are overall cinematic masterpieces. I think all young actors who are learning about truth, honesty, subtlety, and character should watch these movies before they graduate.

Whether it be a large dance number, a touching duet, or a beautiful ensemble number— the finale has the ability to set the tone of the show. I remember when I was growing up and doing Musical Theatre as a kid, I always loved the final number of a show. I loved performing in them, watching them, and listening to them on the Original Broadway Cast Soundtrack. The magical energy that these musical numbers is contagious and always follows the audience home.

I've been thinking about Newsies a lot this week. At its core, it is a show about activists fighting for change and battling against the status quo. Obviously, this is a fairly pressing and urgent idea, this week especially. It tells us that we should raise our voices to protest unjust systems, and that if we hold out, important bounds forward can be made to better things for ourselves and others.

The 2021 Yale Drama Series Prize has been awarded to Rachel Lynett who says, 'the seed of the play is two things: One, I wanted to address that the black experience is not monolithic [...] Two, what does it mean when we ask actors to take on all these roles and what's the toll on it for them?'

As you can image, this was certainly a different take on the arts than I had been exposed to before. Thankfully, the learning curve was not steep, because I quickly fell in love with engaging the community and bringing innovate and enjoyable performances to Indianapolis.

A lot of times, the magic of being an actor is lost within the stress of trying to be a successful actor. So what can we do to eliminate that mature and dull reality and focus on the vulnerable beauty of what we are pursuing?

Stage door, fan mail, events at Shubert Alley – the starter pack of an OG Broadway fan. However, things have been changing, and not just because of the pandemic. And that was one of the topics discussed at the BroadwayCon Industry Day, produced by Situation.

Baldwin Wallace Ovation Festival Day of Excellence is kind of like a school science fair all grown up. This year, over 50 award-winning student projects were presented online. The projects came from every academic corner of the University.

If we all come together and fight against these people in power, if we demand change in the industry, we can make theatre a better place for future generations, for everyone who's ever dreamt of being on Broadway. Because we shouldn't have to compromise our art for our morals.

Hide the little jerk in your Google Drive and never look back. Delete the video from your device and then clear out your recently deleted album. After these three steps, you are ready to move on.

There is something really exciting about a Brand New Musical Theatre Program in New York City - Welcome to the Manhattan School of Music's New Musical Theatre Degree! I had the pleasure of speaking with Liza Gennaro, the Associate Dean and Director of the Musical Theatre Program at MSM. MSM has produced several quarantine musicals over the last year, including Rupert Holmes's The Mystery of Edwin Drood!

What did New York City sound like? Where were you when Broadway announced its closing? What were you doing? Were you eating dumplings with too much soy sauce? Were you crying into your Chipotle? I was doing all of that and more. Actually, I was sitting in a dressing room. I was finishing the run of a musical called 'Good News' at Marymount Manhattan College. Here are a few snapshots of 'normalcy'.

Bella (MT class of 2022) and Emma (AT class of 2021) are two fantastic actresses with a little more experience under their belts. I was so happy that they took the time to answer these questions for me! And boy, did they have some awesome answers.

As much as we pretend that picking a favorite show is like 'Sophie's Choice,' we all have that one show that will always have the top place in our hearts. These are my assumptions about you based on that favorite musical.

Are the last few weeks of the semester getting you down? Here are some of my favorite motivational quotes from musicals:

Do you feel guilty when you rest? Rush is the enemy of detail…

For everyone who loves theatre, but feels like it might be a little late to join.

Dr. Errik Hood, Music Assistant Professor of Vocal Performance at NYU Steinhardt, is creating a new breed of virtual productions. Or rather, a new feed. 

Kim's Convenience is one of the greatest shows of all time. This show has heart, comedy and representation. Bet you didn't even know it was a stage play first. Why can't we have nice things? This show meant so much to so many. It represented Asian immigrants and just Asians in general. As a half Chinese child, I related a lot to Janet in particular. Janet dealt with a lot in the show and I related so much to her.

Anyone who knows me knows I make a mean romantic playlist. Without further ado, here are some musical theatre love songs for those days alone when you wish for someone to hold you.

I had just finished about four months of online learning when I started classes at UCM, so it was weird being on a campus again, especially with all the COVID-19 restrictions.

This past week I had the opportunity to speak with Eric about his theatre-related commentary tracks and how he believes the tracks fit into performance art as a whole. Enjoy, and Go Tigers!

Our student bloggers write about how they're coping with the current global health crisis, give insight on their school's performing arts programs, share their opinions on the latest theater news, and so much more. How to find the perfect audition song, interviewing underclassmen, advice for the next generation of college students, and more-- read what our bloggers have written about this week!