With all of this time in a room by myself, I’ve turned to the old  standby, dream castings, to occupy my time. And let me tell you—I would pay good  money to see any of these shows. So, without further ado, here are just a few of the  castings I’ve dreamt up during quarantine.

For three artists, this provided an opportunity to create their own work. Katarina “Kat” Lopez, Maya De La Torre, and Megan Rackley are the force behind The Podcast Players, an up-and-coming theatrical company which strives to create accessible theatre for all.

There are few performers who can be declared a “triple threat” talent. Ivy Austin is undoubtedly one of them. Austin is a star of stage, radio, and the recording studio, and has been involved with smash hits including “Grease 2,”“A Prairie Home Companion,” and “Sesame Street” where she has recorded with The Muppets since the show’s inception!

The multi-award winning play, Roadkill, was directed and conceived by Cora Bissett, the Artistic  Director and founder of a Scottish company called Pachamama, and has been performed all over the  world, though I saw it in 2010 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

It was recently announced that Come From Away would be filmed live this spring, for release in September. The show, which tells the story of the transformative welcome the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland offered the passengers of the thirty-eight airplanes grounded there on 9/11, is one of my absolute favorites

While of course neither the process nor the content is a ‘pre-pandemic normal’, the barrier of a mask seems unimportant when you get to be doing what you love. 

16 weeks, 112 days, that’s how long I have left until graduation. The days are long, but the weeks are quick, one blink and it’ll all be over before I know it. [...] I just want to be done, but at the same time a part of me isn’t sure I’m ready for what comes next. 

Picture me, an eager college freshman, certain that I could save the world through theatre, but a bit overwhelmed with where to start. I had grandeur dreams of opening my own nonprofit children’s theatre and working with underprivileged youth of some sort.

I decided to interview some of my close friends who also auditioned/interviewed for college theatre programs to see what their experience was like! 

Since the end of my freshman year, I have been on the board of Quadramics Theatre Company which is known for its student directed fall play and spring musical. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Anika Dalvie, a senior studying Psychology, who is the Chair of Quadramics.

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.

3. You don’t need to bring five swimsuits to college - I wish I was lying, but I actually brought five different swimsuits to college. Might I add that I go to school in Boston. Yes, the same Boston that has had snow on the ground for the past 3 weeks.

I have assembled a list of some of my favorite Zoom choreography to date, and I will rank these in this post, from least favorite to most favorite movements. 

Of course, with all this talk of animals prompts a theatrical question: Do you ever sit back and  wonder what happened to the animals who star on Broadway? Nope, me neither… until now. I’m  no expert in the lives of the canines, felines, and other species who have tread the boards, but I  can make some educated guesses.  

As the current treasurer of Alpha Psi Omega, Omicron Epsilon Chapter at Butler University, here some key components and takeaways of my APO experience.

How do Theater and Economics connect? Well, I am interested in the business of the entertainment industry: how shows run on a budget and how people get paid, among other things. Studying business and performance, I am able to experience the arts while learning the theory behind how they operate. 

The folks at Broadway Workshop were gracious enough to invite me back to another “Broadway Day”. This time, it was a little different from sugar, butter, and dancing to a Sara Bareilles lyrical and melodic masterpiece. The bar was already set high from my experience at their WAITRESS Day; I wondered whether my expectations would be met a second time.

I thought I’d compile some of the highlights from each show I saw as not only a way for me to remember some pre-COVID times but to also give advice for theatregoers once the West End begins to reopen.

Self-doubt becomes an issue when it inhibits people from reaching full potential.  Allowing the irrational ideas sparking inside to permeate your craft is stifling. While no one will  ever be infinitely perfect in this industry, being “good” is seemingly impossible when there is a  seed of dread growing inside. So, how do you grab on to the dark cloud above and guide it into  something advantageous?

Theatre will be back soon, but in a whole new way. In the meantime, it sounds cliche, but I miss the little things the most. Here are ten of the most specific things about doing live theatre that I miss (as well as ten that… maybe not).

I have included some of the artists who have music that single handedly kept me sane throughout this pandemic. They’re insanely talented and they deserve so much support - so please, check them out! 

Proshots are a marvelous thing. At the risk of generalization, I simply don’t believe there are any cons. Many proshots begin their lives with theatrical releases in movie theaters across the country. Most of them also see release on streaming platforms, notably BroadwayHD, which is slowly gaining a beefier library.

Theatre would not be theatre without the efforts of Black artists, and it’s important to learn about their impact on the industry. In honor of Black History Month, here is a timeline of theatre milestones achieved by Black professionals. 

As I head into my third week of the Second Semester, I am slowly falling back into the groove of school. While it certainly is not easy doing theatre classes socially-distant with masks, I am still exceedingly grateful for the opportunity to continue learning and growing with my peers.

As my second semester at the University of Pittsburgh carries on, I tend to reflect on what I have accomplished during these unprecedented times. Looking back to the start of the school year, I am astounded by the many things that have changed.