Guest Blogger: Paisley Haddad

Guest Blogger: Paisley Haddad My name is Paisley Haddad. As well as being a Broadway enthusiast, I’m also an active member of my school’s and my community’s productions. I love a good musical, because that means I get to combine my two loves of dance and theatre together. From “picking them up and laying them down” in the audition scene of 42nd Street to being in the human tornado in The Wizard of Oz, I am no stranger to the stage and “All That Jazz”. “All the world’s a stage..”, I love Shakespeare too, could you guess? My most difficult play that I have been in was “Amor Omnia Vincit”, which was mostly in Latin. But even more rewarding was when my theatre group and I went on a mini tour of our area’s elementary and middle schools sharing a production of “Folktales For Fun” . My main goal as an actress is to keep the future generations interested in joining into theatre and keeping it alive. From being in Cinderella I know that nothing is “Impossible” and Joseph taught me that “Any Dream Will Do”. Finally, I’m living my theatre fanatic dream of being a blogger on BroadwayWorld.com!

Check Out My Social Media Accounts:
Instagram: @paisleyhaddad
Twitter: @paisleyhaddad





MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - 'Falling Slowly' in Love With ONCE and SOMETHING ROTTEN!
BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - 'Falling Slowly' in Love With ONCE and SOMETHING ROTTEN!
February 13, 2017

Last Saturday I attended the Broadway tour of Once The Musical. I knew that they had won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2012, but I had never really looked into the show.  I had expected it to be not my favorite of the Broadway series at The Hanover Theatre, but I had been totally wrong. The music was mesmerizing, and the set was cleverly done. Before the show, they let the audience up on stage to buy their drinks from the bar in the pub set that they had created. Not only did that set double as a pub, but also a music store, a house, a Hoover repair shop and much more. Without large changes of sets, they created these different environments with tables, chairs, and a change of lighting. Sam Cieri and Mackenzie Lesser-Roy were strong leads as Guy and Girl followed by an equally strong cast of characters. The simple staging of the show made the small moments usually missed by the audience, more exposed and made the show more emotional. Kudos to Steven Hoggett, the movement director, for flawlessly using movement to move the show along in an eye catching way. Overall, it was a beautifully written and performed musical, that I would see again if I had the chance and would recommend to friends! 

BWW Blog: Paisley Haddard - I Wrote My Own Monologue, Paisans!
BWW Blog: Paisley Haddard - I Wrote My Own Monologue, Paisans!
February 9, 2017

At my high school, we have a Senior Arts project where we have to read a short story by a chosen author, write a paper, pick a theme, and perform an art piece in either theatre, dance, music, or visual art. I chose theatre (of course) to portray my theme of fear of change.

BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - Bringing Historical Women to Life on Stage
BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - Bringing Historical Women to Life on Stage
November 14, 2016

This past Saturday, I was in a show written by my theatre teacher, Virginia Byrne, called "THE WOMEN OF WORCESTER". It celebrated women who were born in or made a difference in Worcester, Massachusetts.

BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - I'm Back!
BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - I'm Back!
October 17, 2016

Hello Broadway World! I'm am finally back for another blog after a long summer of theatre withdrawals. I have been so busy since the beginning of school, with college applications, homework, and just senior year in general. However, now that the applications are in, and my Broadway series tickets have begun, I went and saw Rodger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella Saturday night. It was the national touring cast, and the roles were casted perfectly. It encompassed the spirit of the original Cinderella story while also adding in some comic relief. Tatyana Lubov and Hayden Stanes shined as Cinderella and Prince Topher. It was very interesting to see that Rodger and Hammerstein decided to have one of the step sisters,Gabrielle played by Mimi Robinson, become Cinderella's friends rather than having them both be against her. Although that was the case, the other step sister, Charlotte played by Joanna Johnson, stole the show with her comedy and her Stepsister's Lament. Chris Woods also had the audience's attention with his great performance as Jean-Michel. The Fairy Godmother, Leslie Jackson, had a beautiful voice, which was showcased in "There's Music In You". The dancers were the highlight of the show for me. The choreography and the costumes took the show to a whole new level and made the props and scenery come to life. At some points I found myself watching the dancers more than the actual story because they had been trained so well. I had been in a school production of Rodger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella and it is interesting to see the huge differences between the actual Broadway musical script and the teen version. Also, there is nothing like going to a show at night. You can feel the excitement throughout the lobby and in the audience. Everybody is dressed up and ready to see the show. That's the magic of theatre.

BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - Back to School, Back to Theatre
BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - Back to School, Back to Theatre
August 22, 2016

Going back to school means getting to see your friends again, meeting new teachers, and homework. It also means back to auditions. Whether you are a Freshman or a Senior it is always scary for everybody. From picking the right monologue to the right song, I've got you covered. Read below to see my tips for a stand out audition.

BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - East Meets West-4 Directors Talk About Directing Kids and Teens
BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - East Meets West-4 Directors Talk About Directing Kids and Teens
July 27, 2016

Directing Kids and Teens sounds like a very difficult job, but for these 4 directors, the task is very easy. Cheryl Baxter-Ratliff  (Los Angeles), Joel & Christine Seger (Massachusetts), and Kelley Manson (Massachusetts) have had their fair share of young adult productions to be proud of.  No matter what coast they are from, they all can agree that kids and teens are "sponges" that can soak up information and that they do not have any bad habits they need to break on stage. They also talk about their beginnings in directing kids and teens, memorable moments thus far in their directing, and more. Read my Q&A below to see what they said. 

BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - Touring Theatre Saves The Arts In My Community!
BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - Touring Theatre Saves The Arts In My Community!
July 19, 2016

This past fall my high school's theatre group travelled to local elementary schools to perform "Folktales For Fun", which connected folktales to different countries to teach kids all about different cultures. Some of the stories included Cinderella from Egypt (Rhodopis and Her Golden Scandals), The Three Hares (a take on the three little pigs) from Turkey, The Bremen Town Musicians from Germany, The Snake from Spain,  Why Bears Have Stumpy Tails from Norway,and How Tortoise Tricked Leopard . There were two casts, so that we could make it to more schools than we would have if we only had one cast and to not miss a lot of school ourselves. Our costumes were simple, but effective. The three headed snake was portrayed by three snake hats, the turtle was portrayed by a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles backpack on my back, and many other clever animal hats.  At first, I was a little curious on how the kids would respond to the play, because our teacher told the schools that it was geared toward 3rd to 5th graders. Which is always a tough audience. Once we got out to the schools, it was one of the most rewarding things that I have ever experienced.

BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - It's De-Lovely By The Sea
BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - It's De-Lovely By The Sea
June 30, 2016

This weekend was my first ever visit to the Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, Maine. I have been vacationing in the Ogunquit area for years, always driving by the iconic sign on the scenic Route 1, but have never actually been inside. I have always loved Anything Goes, and my inner Gilmore Girls fan was dying to see Sally Struthers , Ogunquit Playhouse veteran, in a show. The Playhouse had almost every seat in the house filled and everybody was very excited for the show to start.

BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - Summertime and Livin' Is Easy
BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - Summertime and Livin' Is Easy
June 15, 2016

With school ending and spring theatre productions just coming to an end, probably not the first thing on anybody's mind is starting up another 3 month schedule of rehearsals. When you see that audition on Facebook for a summer production, why not go for it? Odds are that you will have a much better summer than you would have had being a couch potato. I know this experience first hand, as 2 summers ago, I joined a local cast of 42nd Street. As much as I love tap dancing and theatre I still wasn't sure if I wanted to devote most of my summer to them. Being a 15 year old in a cast of almost entirely actors that were over 18 was slightly intimidating, actually it was very intimidating. The first rehearsal I walked in with my mother (who was in charge of props for the show) and everybody was so welcoming. From that moment on I knew this was going to be a great experience. As the rehearsals went on, and we were learning dances, songs, and blocking, I felt like everybody was coming together as a cast. After we had finished opening night, I wanted to do the show again and again, and it seemed like our 6 performances flew by in a blink of an eye. I found myself missing laughing backstage, wearing HIGH HEEL tap shoes ( not really a big deal, but it was my first time wearing them), and also just being on stage. Even though I knew that coming September I would be back on the stage, I still missed it a lot. If it means trading in a beach day for a block and tech day, than it's worth it. If the summertime musical scene isn't your thing, then theres many other options for you. Take an acting class, work on your voice with a vocal instructor, take a dance intensive, pick your monologue for the coming year, see that show everybody is talking about on Broadway (and if it's Hamilton, good luck), support your local theatre companies by attending one of their shows, or even just get some tips from online on how to improve your stage skills. So, the next time you see an opportunity to try out for a summer show, just do it! I promise that you will have a great time as well as make some great friends along the way, I know I did.

BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - Thoroughly Modern Sutton
BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - Thoroughly Modern Sutton
May 31, 2016

Boston is really the only city where you can be leaving the Boston Symphony Hall after seeing the Boston Pops and be walking alongside Boston Red Sox fans leaving Fenway Park. This past Thursday I had the opportunity to see my Broadway idol, Sutton Foster, with the Boston Pops.

BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - Hamlet Mania!
BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - Hamlet Mania!
May 12, 2016

Instead of a written final, our teacher has made a compilation of monologues, raps, and a play that brings Shakespeare's Hamlet to a modern day understanding. 

BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - Anything Goes: 3 Reasons Why Schools Should Have an Improv Theatre Company
BWW Blog: Paisley Haddad - Anything Goes: 3 Reasons Why Schools Should Have an Improv Theatre Company
April 28, 2016

Hello Broadway World readers!! I'm dedicating my first blog post to the club that EVERY school should have. That's right, I'm talking about Improv theatre. Here are my three reasons on why schools should add an Improv Theatre Company into their list of clubs:






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