Divas are a classic theatre troupe that have appeared in productions for decades. So often divas come off as brazen, brash, and dramatic, having a shallow personality and the constant need to acquire attention. Earlier in April my peers and I began work on "Hay Fever" by Noel Coward, a play that puts a dramatic family under the microscope and examines the interactions between relatives that don't fit the standard definition of "normal." I was thrilled to have been cast as Judith Bliss, the matriarch of the Bliss family and an ex-starlet herself. Through the process of this show, and using Judith as a lens, I have found the "diva" to be so much more than the dramatic figure he or she is often portrayed to be, but rather a complex and insecure character that can be challenging to decipher. 

 Many people think theatre is a temporary thing for themselves. Just an enjoyable hobby to pass the time, because it is very frequent that someone who indulges in the theatre does not pursue it as a career. This is why many people don't take theatre as a big part of their life. They may say, "Oh, I was a part of the drama club way back in high school." But what do they not know is that the theatre becomes a part of you that never dies.

For my school's spring play, New Albany High School presented a production of the classic Shakespearean tragedy, Macbeth. The director and teacher of the drama department at the school, Elliott Lemberg, decided to stray from the typical setting of late 1500s Scotland and put a Kabuki twist on it.

Standardized tests already put unnecessary stress on students. 

The Arts & Culture Trust will be awarding 17 performing arts scholarships this year to Grade 12 learners and individuals under the age of 25, as well as first- and second-year students in acting, singing, dancing and musical theatre. Aspiring performing artists are reminded that the deadline for registration is Tuesday, 31 May 2016.

Way back around October and November, a class of eighth graders started writing their very own musical. And I am proud to say that I was in that class! At first, it started off very small. All we had were notebooks and pens and little ideas in our minds that sounded very stupid at the time. We had no idea that such small efforts put together would end up making such a big production.

?Your craft is only good with continuity over time. - Me. just now. But seriously, continuity is important, especially when it comes to theatre and the arts. As actors, we grow with every performance, every note, line, and count a step building stairs that only go up. In theatre news, there is never an actor who talks about not pushing themselves for years to be their best before getting their big break. Big breaks come with practice and dedication, not sheer luck and ability. For high school students, theatre can seem like a school year activity, summers spent relaxing. I mean, I get it: high school is the high note and the summer is the needed catch breath. Yet, this industry and profession finds itself with more of a willing supply than demand. For this reason actors need to, more than ever, develop their craft to be the best it can be any chance they get, especially high school actors. 

Hello hello hello, fellow theatre fans! My name is Daniella, I'm 17 and I'm new here today. The small town in New Jersey that I come from seems so far away. Actually it doesn't, as I am writing this from my school library and unfortunately do not live in New York City yet. But I digress. Through this blog, I plan to document the life of what it's like as a teenager obsessed with musical theatre. Due to my passion for this art form, there aren't many times in the year when I'm not working on a production in some capacity. However, every year since I have begun participating in local theatre, I have not performed much during the spring beyond my school's spring musical, which usually has performances in March. In the beginning, I found it unfathomable to not be involved with productions during this time, but as the years go by, I continually discover that it can be helpful to take time off from performing. Here are some of my tips for dealing with not being in a show:

Ah, stage kissing. It makes me nervous just thinking about it. Kissing is hard enough, but rehearsed kissing? On a stage? In front of an audience? The mere thought of it sounds downright uncomfortable. Throw in the added ingredient of high school, and you've got yourself a mess. High school is full enough of hormones and drama, and stage kissing just adds another unnecessary dosage.

We only have six days left until ECHOStage's cast of Bye Bye Birdie takes the main stage! As we prepare for the move into our performance space, we have to strike our set, repaint it, and load it up into the drama room and eventually into the U-Haul. Most of our focus has been on the MacAfee's house. This is our first time building a house like this, so it's definitely a learning experience for all involved. Because of a project like this, our cast really noticed the importance of teamwork. There's something everyone can help with, even a cast member with no artistic abilities whatsoever (me) can help paint the drops a single solid color and manage to be successful at it!! It's not even just the structure of the house itself, but all the little details that go into it, like sketching and painting details like the oven and little things that will make it more realistic. 

I recently had the pleasure of seeing my friend Gabrielle Dixon perform on the Fulton Stage in Ghost the Musical. Gabby and I have been in Hairspray before where she played Motormouth Maybelle, and I played Lil' Inez. It's always a joy and so much fun to support your friends in a show. In Ghost the Musical, the part of Oda Mae Brown (played in the movie by the famous comedian, Whoopi Goldberg) is portrayed brilliantly by E. Faye Butler. A few days ago, Ms. Butler's understudy, Janelle McDermoth who normally plays Clara, went on as Oda Mae which meant that my friend Gabby had the chance to play Clara, Oda Mae's sister.

For those of you not familiar with the musical Fiddler on the Roof, it is a show about a Jewish family that lives in a small village called Anatevka in 1905. Tevye, the father of the household, struggles to maintain the family's traditions while three of his five daughters wish to marry for love. During this time, the tension between the Jews living in Anatevka and the Russian Tsar continues to rise.

I sat on a bench by myself beside a winding staircase and several closed doors, where other 17-year-olds like me were pouring their hearts out in audition room. I smoothed my dark blue dress and twisted my perfectly curled hair in between my fingers anxiously. My right leg was crossed over my left, and my foot was tapping the air sporadically as if that would help ease the nerves. I looked at the clock and only 30 seconds had passed since I had last checked the time. 

The people you surround yourself with have a great effect on what you do, how you act, and who you are. As performers and people who have an interest in the entertainment world, we have big dreams and many critics. And of course, being in high school and trying to figure it all out doesn't help either.

With Hamilton making a splash on the Great White Way, and shows like Waitress bringing a new sound to the theatre community, there is no denying that pop musicals are making their mark on Broadway. New productions combine daring storylines with catchy songs that are definitely not considered "traditional musical theatre." These productions feature a genre of music that reflects the changing world around us and a generation coming in to their own. Besides a fresh sound, these musicals offer one more element reflecting the progression of our modern world: empowering roles for women both on and off the stage, bringing progression out of storybooks and in to reality for a new generation of female thespians.

Spanaway Lake High School rocks you into the 60's with the hilarious musical, HAIRSPRAY. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

On Sunday afternoon, I had the pleasure of attending my school's Society of the Arts induction ceremony. It honors women who have graduated from our school and gone on to Broadway or have successful jobs in the Arts. I enjoyed hearing stories of past productions at my high school that took place on the stage that I am performing on today. After the ceremony, I had the pleasure of asking three of the honorees, all past theatre students, one question: What would you tell your high school theatre self now after achieving your goals?

I wake up to sunlight streaming in my window and birds singing "Opening Up" from Waitress.  There's a delightfully positive mood in the air that signals that something amazing is about to happen.  I check my phone and…

?Spanaway Lake High School rocks you into the 60's with the hilarious musical, HAIRSPRAY!

Check out my vlog post below, asking the question, 'What are your theatre traditions?'

There comes a time in every young actor's life where they're cast in a challenging role. Whether the part is physically demanding, musically difficult, or just a strange role to play, all actors have been there at some point or another. When most people recall their hardest roles, it's a fond experience. Maybe they were a lead dancer in Anything Goes, and they hadn't taken one tap lesson in their life. Maybe they were Princess Fiona in Shrek the Musical, and they had to paint themselves green in between scenes. Maybe they were Cinderella in Into the Woods, and they had to fall flat on their face every other scene. What was my hardest role? I was the front end of a cow.

Yes, that is a Wicked pun in the title, and yes, I did mean to make that pun. I don't think I have to explain the importance of musical theatre to a website of the biggest theatre geeks on the planet, but I do think I should explain the importance of musical theatre to me. 

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:

It was Monday afternoon, and the dismissal bell had just rung. I tried to clear my head as I said goodbye to my friends who were going home to nap and study for the impending math final. But, my mind wasn't preoccupied with derivatives or integrals. Rather, it had shifted gears completely from student to director. As I walked into rehearsal, my brain was fully focused on the PAINT that was SPILLED ALL OVER THE STAGE AND THE FLOOR. 

A forest has sprung up in Winter Garden, FL as West Orange High School's production of Into the Woods approaches opening night. The fairy tale musical, written by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, is being presented April 29-30 and May 5-8.