Christopher Castanho - Page 2

Broadway musical licensor Theatrical Rights Worldwide (TRW) and Rock The Audition's Sheri Sanders have partnered to create a series of new rock musicals that bridge the gap between popular music and musical theatre.

FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents '54 Sings 1776' on July 3 and July 4, 2017. The Fourth of July meets Broadway in the fourth annual concert staging of the beloved musical, 1776, at Feinstein's/54 Below.   Featuring Broadway stars like Carrie St. Louis (Wicked/Rock of Ages) and Kyle Scatliffe (Les Miserables/The Color Purple) you're sure to feel patriotic watching this beautifully staged concert.

The Jungle Book, a short play based on the classic stories by Rudyard Kipling, is Roanoke's very own Mill Mountain Theatre's summer outreach production, taking live theatre to unconventional settings, including parks and libraries. This production feature's MMT's 2017 Summer Apprentice Company. I was lucky enough to sit down with the director and adaptor of the well-known tale to hear about the process creating this new play and learn more about how Mill Mountain Theatre is spreading the gift of theatre across Roanoke, for free.

Shenandoah Conservatory's popular web series The Dream Team concluded its story with a riveting series finale last week. The Dream Team is an original series created by two Shenandoah University students in October of 2015, it currently has garnered 12 thousand views on YouTube, over 180 subscribers, and upwards of 340 FaceBook likes. Each episode centered around a freshman theatre class living out their first year of college at the fictional Betsey Bell Conservatory.

You don't always need a fairy godmother for your dreams to come true. Nineteen-year-old Emily Bautista was lucky enough to have extremely supportive parents and a boatload of talent instead. The thankful and humble young woman is now performing eight times a week in the Broadway revival of “Miss Saigon” as an ensemble member and understudies the lead: Kim. Emily and I actually went to high school together at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts for Musical Theatre, and I was floored and overjoyed to see that she had been cast in the production. Bautista took some time in between shows of the Tony-nominated production to chat with me about her experience landing her first Broadway show.

'Ay carajo, it's hot!' Can be heard at the Theater of the Performing Arts, but it's not due to the temperature on Washington Street in Hartford, it's about the temperature In The Heights. With a diverse and talented cast of thirty students, The Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts' spring musical proudly presents 'In The Heights' written by the Pulitzer-Prize Winning Writer Lin-Manuel Miranda, most famous for his recent creation: HAMILTON.

As I am graduating from Shenandoah Conservatory in the next couple weeks, I have been reflecting on the programs and faculty members that have positively impacted me during my time here, and ironically I have learned so much about myself and my craft outside the classroom. I credit a lot of my artistic growth from spending time in the dance studio, practice rooms, and rehearsal hall during late nights after classes have ended, collaborating with my peers. I think that when going into any industry it is important to have a wide understanding of communication and how to effectively talk to your teammates in order to achieve a goal.

Currently sailing the high seas and freezing hearts with her magical powers in the new Disney Crusie Line production 'Frozen, A Musical Spectacular' is mainstage performer Julianne Daly. I was lucky enough to sit down and chat with the actress and hear about how her experience developing a new musical adaptation of this famous and well-loved Disney film, in addition to being a Disney Cruise ship performer.

How To Succeed has always been on my list of musicals to see, but hadn't gotten the opportunity to experience, until I saw the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington DC's production at the beautiful and ornate Lincoln Theater. The original Broadway show ran for fourteen hundred performances and picked up the Tony-Award for Best Musical and Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1962. The show has been revived several times on the Great White Way, including the 1995 production starring Matthew Broderick and the 2011 revival headlined by Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe.

The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC's LGBT themed production of the classic musical 'How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying' will premiere at the Lincoln Theatre in DC on March 10, 11 & 12, 2017 at located at 1215 U Street NW. This is the first LGBT production of 'How To Succeed' to date. Famous songs like 'I Believe in You,' 'Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm' and 'Brotherhood of Man.' all appear in their original composition, just with a little more glitter! How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying tells the story of J. Pierrepont Finch and his rise to the top of the corporate ladder with the aid of a simple self-help book. Along the way, he learns how to find your name on the executive door and win the secretary's heart quicker than you can say "nepotism." I had an absolutely wonderful conversation with the show's director and the organization's artistic director Thea Kano about her background and why this production is so important.

As relevant today as it was when it debuted in 1937, 'The Cradle Will Rock' electrifies the Tansill Theater stage at Connecticut College, with performances Friday, March 3, at 7:30 p.m, Saturday, March 4, at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 5, at 2 p.m. The infamous musical, a biting critique of unrestrained capitalism and income inequality, features musical styles that leap from classical to jazz to pop and capture a story as satirical as it is uplifting and empowering.

Chris Rice, a current swing in the Broadway company of 'The Book of Mormon' had no idea that when he uploaded his tap rendition of Anna Kendrick's 'Cup Song' on YouTube it would go viral, three years later is has accrued over three million views. I was lucky enough to chat with him during an evening he was not swinging in about his current choreography project featured in 'Broadway Backwards' a fundraiser to benefit Broadway Cares: Equity Fights Aids and the LGBT center in Manhattan, also teasing his newest dance video.

Winchester, Virginia's very own Shenandoah Conservatory's production of Guys and Dolls runs this weekend only, from Friday, February 24th through Sunday, February 27th in the Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre on the campus of Shenandoah University. The boisterous and witty musical is led by Carolyn Coulson (Director), with Rick Edinger (Music Direction), and Jacob Brent (Choreography). I was lucky enough to sit down with four of the show's leading guys and dolls: Taylor Bloom (Sky Masterson), Adia J Seckel (Sarah Brown), Stevie Bovo (Nathan Detroit), and Freya Falkenstein (Miss Adelaide) and hear about their personal experiences working on the Shenandoah production.

Drew Redington is one of the lucky few who decide to take a break from their college theatre program and study abroad on Broadway. An Elon Musical Theatre student, Redington just wrapped up his jump-roppin', tap dancin' role in the ensemble of 'Holiday Inn: The New Irving Berlin Musical' I was lucky enough to sit down with Drew and hear about the journey from his hometown of St Louis, Missouri to the Grand White Way.

BIG NEWS in the world of Broadway Podcasts: Natalie Noack, freshman Musical Theatre major at The Hartt School at the University of Hartford will releases her new podcast 'On My Way to a BFA'. The show will chronicle Noack's experience obtaining her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree for Musical Theatre, while getting to hear from other performers or individuals that she admires.

Are you or your child auditioning for a college Musical Theatre program and have some questions? NEVER FEAR- It is I: Christopher, a current senior Musical Theatre student at Shenandoah Conservatory, here to help the college audition process go as smoothly as possible!

The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC is breaking ground as they announce their production of the classic musical 'How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying' but with an LGBT twist.  An LGBT production of this famous show is to perform at the Lincoln Theater in our nation's capital on March 10, 11 & 12, 2017 at located at 1215 U Street NW.

When scheduling an interview with Broadway and now West End star: Marisha Wallace, I was quickly reminded that London is five hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, so when we found an appointment that was congruently free; it was a little early for me... Flash forward to a 7am interview that started my day on the highest of notes: Marisha's bubbly and down to earth personality drew me in the first moment I saw her perform in the hit musical 'Something Rotten!'

Shenandoah Conservatory's popular web series The Dream Team returns for a second episode this past week. Picking up where we left off: we follow all of the kooky and familiar faces, like Freya Falkenstein's Nora and Emma Benson's eccentric Sierra Farris, but also discover new characters, like Will Westray's Chad. Set at the big Halloween party of the year, things are bound to get a little crazy.

I'm often a very positive person, being able to see the silver lining of every situation, and do not like to admit or submit to hardships in my life. But to be completely honest, 2016 has been a difficult year. As life can be tumultuous sometimes, it can also be magnificent. Alas, here we are, at the conclusion of our year, and I thought I'd do a little 'Year In Review' of my 2016.