Guest Blogger: Kellie Williams

Julie Andrews' new Netflix series, Julie's Greenroom, premiered last Friday. I didn't expect to like it since it is geared toward younger audiences, but I ended up loving it! It features really catchy songs and many important lessons about all the different parts of the arts: from singing as a group and writing songs together to improv and even clowning. Here are five of my favorite things about the show:

Broadway shows are amazing, and if I could I'd see one every day. But since I'm a student on a budget, I have to keep my eyes peeled for more cost effective ways to see theatre in NYC. Here are my tips:

Last month, my sister and I attended the third and final day of BroadwayCon 2017. We had such a great time all day, but here are the highlights of our day:

Earlier this month, I saw Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 on Broadway with my mom and sister. It was unlike anything I've ever seen on Broadway-or anywhere-in the best possible way. Here's a list of my top three favorite things about the show:

On Sunday November 6th, the Broadway Advocacy Coalition held the first in a series of monthly events called The Invitation. The theme was Political Participation. The Coalition has teamed up with professors, lawyers, and students at Columbia Law School in an effort to bring the arts and policies together. The Broadway Advocacy Coalition was formed after a social media post from Amber Iman became a movement. Her fellow Broadway actors Adrienne Warren, Britton Smith, Cameron J. Ross, Christian Dante White, and Jackie Bell came together with her to organize an event to bring to light the plight of Black people in America. After the success of that first event, Broadway for Black Lives Matter, they decided to expand their programming to include The Invitation.

I binge-watched the entire first season of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend last month because I'd been hearing good things about it for a while and finally decided to see it for myself. It absolutely lives up to the hype-it's unlike anything I've ever seen on TV. The brainchild of Rachel Bloom follows a big-shot New York lawyer (played by Bloom) as she moves across the country on a whim to be with her high school boyfriend whom she hasn't spoken to in more than ten years. You can imagine the chaos that ensues. The show is a theater kid's dream. Each episode is like a mini-musical. The songs are amazing, the dialogue and storylines are hilarious, and the characters are, like every day people, flawed but lovable. In honor of Season 2's upcoming premiere, I thought I'd share my top five favorite songs so far (in no particular order):

Recently, I had the amazing opportunity to interview Rafael Casal, co-creator of #BARS workshop currently in association the Public Theater. He is a rapper, poet, actor, playwright, teacher, and musician. His highly socially-conscious work combines elements of hip-hop music and theater in a unique way. It was only fitting to have the interview in the Public Theater.

Over the summer I read Reasons to be Pretty and its companion, Reasons to be Happy by Neil LaBute. I enjoyed both of them, and became very invested in the characters' lives. In honor of this weekend's premiere of the third installment in the series, Reasons to be Pretty Happy, I thought I would share five things that I hope have happened between the second and third plays.

On Wednesday August 31st, 2016, Rory O'Malley hosted Hamilton's last live lottery drawing show. The popular tradition had only been around for just over a year, but in that year it won the hearts of many Hamilfans just looking for their shot at the hottest ticket in town. Although it is truly sad to see Ham4Ham go, I choose to celebrate its short but illustrious life.

This summer I am volunteering at the New York International Fringe Festival. The Fringe is a good platform for experimental theater and social commentary. This week I saw my first Fringe show ever, Financial Slavery: The College Debt Sentence. It tells the story of three college students with varying amounts of debt. The show incorporates real statistics and the stories of real people, as well as spoken word, video projections, and audience interaction.

I skipped my senior prom to see The Color Purple on Broadway, and I have zero regrets about it.