Guest Blogger: Annalise Prentiss

Most everyone knows the story of "The Princess and the Pea", but few know what actually happened. For instance, did you know that Princess Winnifred, from the Ragnarok Marsh Lilies, actually swam the moat to reach the castle? You'll learn about this and much more from Susquehanna Stage Company's next show, Once Upon a Mattress Jr.!

Over the summer is a great time to visit local theatres and watch some enjoyable musicals and plays. However, this summer there are also many opportunities to participate in fun filled, summer theatre camps. Listed below are some of the theatres that I have performed and/or attended camp and the shows that they are performing over the summer, along with some possible theatre camps.

Performing in musicals definitely has its perks. You can earn money, spend time with friends, strengthen skills, make audiences happy, and of course do what you love! But there is one serious challenge that all actors/actresses are all too familiar with: sore throats. Sore throats are very common, especially with the tentative weather patterns and sudden temperature changes happening now. So to help you cure a sore throat and go back to jamming out to Broadway each day, here are a few tips of my own, along with some other facts I learned after doing some research.

"Oh, the thinks you can think when you think about...SEUSS!!" Dr. Seuss, as most of us know, was one of the most iconic children's book authors. From One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish,  Blue Fish to There's a Wocket in my Pocket, Dr. Seuss never did fail to amuse children. In 2000, Seussical the Musical debuted on Broadway. Written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, the musical incorporates all the memory-making Dr. Seuss stories such as Horton Hears a Who, Gertrude McFuzz, The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, and Oh, The Thinks You Can Think! Seussical the Musical was written to carry on the legacy of Dr. Seuss and to grant good times to anyone who sees it, and Susquehanna Stage Company located in Marietta, Pennsylvania, hopes to do just that.

I recently had the pleasure of seeing my friend Gabrielle Dixon perform on the Fulton Stage in Ghost the Musical. Gabby and I have been in Hairspray before where she played Motormouth Maybelle, and I played Lil' Inez. It's always a joy and so much fun to support your friends in a show. In Ghost the Musical, the part of Oda Mae Brown (played in the movie by the famous comedian, Whoopi Goldberg) is portrayed brilliantly by E. Faye Butler. A few days ago, Ms. Butler's understudy, Janelle McDermoth who normally plays Clara, went on as Oda Mae which meant that my friend Gabby had the chance to play Clara, Oda Mae's sister.

Let's be real. I want to score tickets to Lin Manuel Miranda's new hit musical Hamilton. So, imagine my dismay when I am waiting in line to enter the theatre doors of another musical in New York when all of a sudden, some lady begins to talk about how confusing Hamilton was. 'I don't understand. Why are they all black? The presidents weren't black.' This brought to my attention how blind certain people can be to color-conscious casting. Recently, Hamilton posted online that they were seeking 'non-white' performers to fill the spots of characters in Hamilton. This notice sent up almost immediate conflict because of the term 'non-white'. Lawyerly responses stated, 'The New York City Human Rights Law forbids discrimination in hiring based on race.' In other words, there can be no limitations or restrictions in the hiring process based on what someone looks like physically.