Student Blogger: Emma Rose Dorsch

I was never really a non-show tunes person, but I quickly learned what every theatre person knows. Pop songs are important to know and not just as a pop-culture-savvy person on this planet. Performers need to be able to sing it all. Here is how I learned to embrace my inner Pop Diva.

In shows where the music is part of the gimmick, musical numbers are used in the same way as musical theatre: to share information with the audience and present emotion too great to speak. However, there is another type of musical television show, one where the songs are not the norm. I’m talking about the one-off musical episode. 

Fellow late-teens and early-twenty-somethings, consider this your invitation to play the music and light the lights. It’s time to meet The Muppets, on your couch tomorrow night.

When I first heard of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, I was excited and intrigued. As a fan of both Marvel movies and musicals, a show about musical superpowers seemed right up my alley.

Storytelling is more than just reading a book out loud or telling a spooky story by a campfire. It is the art of conveying information and stories to others.

Last week, we began to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I’ll be working under an extremely gifted stage manager who also happens to be one of my best friends.

As for leisure time, I find myself turning to another form of entertainment; late night tv talk shows. 

As times change and we become more conscious about the media that we consume and the stories that we tell, we must ask ourselves; are the dated, racist, and sexist elements of Golden Age musicals so problematic that we can’t appreciate them today?

Ask anyone that knows me to describe me in one sentence, and I can bet you that they would say “Jewish and likes theatre.'

Hello folks! Sorry that it’s been a while, but I’ve been very busy! Namely, tonight we open my University’s production of The Women by Clare Boothe Luce. I’m playing a bunch of roles in an ensemble track, and the whole process has been an exciting, Zoom-filled blast. 

A new school year has begun, or will soon for many. A new year full of new possibilities, and new relationships.

Like many fellow theatre people, and just, well,a?? people, I have anxiety. Certain situations, or even nothing at all, can cause me to have panic attacks and suddenly assume the worst. When I get like this, one of the few things that can mellow me out is music.

My Judaism and theatre have always gone hand in hand.

Many leading lady roles in the musical theatre canon could not only be played by plus-sized women easily but when played by plus-sized women, add an extremely interesting and revolutionary take on the role.

Not shocking, being a Musical Theatre major, but I sing. A lot. Under my breath, while cleaning, even aggressively lip-synching while working out. Singing for me is an instinct. But not lately.

No role challenged me as much as an artist or showed me the power of performance more than when I got to originate a role. 

It's a dreaded question for theatre majors everywhere; What's your backup plan?

I'm unashamed to say that my favorite musical is Hairspray. One of my fondest childhood memories is singing along to Mama I'm A Big Girl Now with my Mom. Beyond nostalgia, it has a great message, and I relate to the character Tracy Turnblad.

We all know dating is hard, but dating in as a Musical Theatre major? Insanely difficult.