Student Blog: Hello!

Here we go, my very first blog post with BroadwayWorld! I am SO excited to be joining this wonderful, theater-loving community, and I can’t wait to share more about my life as a college student and theater intern with you this summer!

Anyway, hello! My name is Natalie, and I have never written a blog before, so please bear with me <3 How about we start with some rapid-fire facts about me:

• I am 18 years old
• I’m going to be a sophomore at the University of Michigan in the fall
• I’m a Business Administration major, and currently considering a minor in either Performing Arts Management or Museum Studies
• I am involved in a few different clubs at U of M; most notably, I’m an Associate Producer with Rude Mechanicals, the largest student-run dramatic theatre organization on campus. I am also on the leadership team of the business school’s marketing club, am a member of a professional business fraternity, and sing Alto 1 in Women’s Glee Club!
• I love to read! I just finished Bride by Ali Hazelwood about ten minutes before I started writing this post. Still figuring out how I felt about it
• I have a 12-year-old chihuahua-terrier mix named Goldie
• My go-to coffee order is an iced white mocha, no whip

About a month and a half ago I finished my freshman year of college. At first, leaving felt wonderful, A) because I missed home and B) because it meant I was done with calculus(!!!). Now, the feeling is bittersweet. I love being home and I missed my friends and my dog and my room, but I do miss the people and the community I built at U of M. But really, there’s no need to be sad, because I’ll be back in two months (which is actually crazy?)!

This summer has also proven to be full of new opportunities and experiences. Since the beginning of May, I have been working as a Social Media & Marketing Intern at Broadway Grand Rapids, which brings touring Broadway shows to Grand Rapids, Michigan! (Be sure to give us a follow on Instagram and TikTok @broadwaygr.) It has been such an incredible experience so far, and I can’t wait to talk about it more in future blog posts. So far, we have successfully hosted a three-week run of Wicked, and are currently in preparations for MJ the Musical, which opens July 9!

As you could probably guess, I am a HUGE theater nerd. Like I quite literally could talk about musicals and songs and overall theater lore for HOURS.

Some theater facts about me:

• My first Broadway show was Sweeney Todd with Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford
• Counting touring Broadway, my first show was Wicked, which I saw in Grand Rapids (actually at the same theater where I now work!) when I was about 10 years old
• Wicked is my favorite musical, but The Notebook is lowkey working its way up to number one
• I was super involved in high school theater – I was in seven shows, my favorite being Shrek my senior year when I played Princess Fiona
• My top 3 musical theater songs to belt: Requiem (Dear Evan Hansen), The Wizard and I (Wicked), Stupid With Love (Mean Girls)
  • (I will not be accepting any criticism on these choices, thank you!)

Well, I guess that wraps up this first post from me! If you made it this far, thank you so much for reading, and I can’t wait to share even more with you as the summer goes on.

Peace and love,

Natalie

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