Student Blogger: Alexandra Boccone

I was instructed to write my reflection in this format: favorite character, song, actor/actress, and production. While many of the shows my teacher told me to listen to were ones I was familiar with, it brought me great joy to explore musicals I have yet to discover then.

Learning online is nothing like having an actual class in a proper classroom. It lacks the 'human connection' if you could put it that way. However, this does not mean that it ceased to exist given everything is online. We are fortunate to be living in a time of advanced technology and therefore we are still connected but electronically.

What really helped make the learning process faster was that my professor’s selection of songs for the recital were from either Broadway or West End musicals like The Sound of Music or Jekyll and Hyde. Majority of them were songs I knew since I was a child or I just learned them throughout the years.

As early as my sophomore year in college, I began to itemize a list of possible topics for my thesis. I was not looking forward to the whole thesis writing bit. However, things lightened up a bit as soon as I started to think of titles which I felt would excite me the most and therefore make my work easier. I came up with color-blind casting.

To bring a story to the stage is such a privilege. I was given the opportunity back in 2019 for which I not only directed but I also acted and choreographed the show. It was a humbling experience for me and the cast and crew. I realized that we are in our own right storytellers of our own fate and that we have the power to make dreams into a reality for as long as we believe in ourselves and others.

In life, I believe that it is always good to be aware of the different perspectives there may be towards scenarios like the phenomenon we are currently facing. I find it vital to take the initiative to reach out to others and get their opinions or insights.

As my graduation date inched closer, it dawned on me how I felt somewhat unprepared for what is in store. Especially now that we have been dealing with a global dilemma, I can’t help but think about what is going to happen for the likes of me.

As the well known saying goes, “the show must go on”. But now that we’re still living amidst a pandemic, until what extent does that saying hold true?  No one in their wildest dreams would have imagined that we would live in a time such as this. We all thought plagues were a thing of the past like in Shakespeare’s time. But here we are! Living in both fear and hope with a virus that has created such catastrophic effects across the world. One of them would be the suspension of live theater. On the flip side, the lockdown has brought new beginnings and discoveries for the performing arts even to a student like me.