Theatre was something I knew I was interested in ever since I was little. I joined the drama club in fifth grade, but I was a shy little flower back then. I didn't think I was good enough to continue theatre when I reached the sixth grade. But when I saw the performances my school put on, I was amazed. The costumes, the dancing, the singing. I was drawn to it. So the next school year right after that, I knew I had to join them. I couldn't stand and watch anymore. I wanted to be on stage. I wanted to wear the costumes and dance with the ensemble and sing my heart out. I had to be a part of what I was tragically missing! 

Let's be real. I want to score tickets to Lin Manuel Miranda's new hit musical Hamilton. So, imagine my dismay when I am waiting in line to enter the theatre doors of another musical in New York when all of a sudden, some lady begins to talk about how confusing Hamilton was. 'I don't understand. Why are they all black? The presidents weren't black.' This brought to my attention how blind certain people can be to color-conscious casting. Recently, Hamilton posted online that they were seeking 'non-white' performers to fill the spots of characters in Hamilton. This notice sent up almost immediate conflict because of the term 'non-white'. Lawyerly responses stated, 'The New York City Human Rights Law forbids discrimination in hiring based on race.' In other words, there can be no limitations or restrictions in the hiring process based on what someone looks like physically.

"Nevermore". Blackout … Lights up. Bows. Appreciative gestures to the tech crew. Company bow. The end.

The 'Gershwin Musical Comedy Extravaganza' CRAZY FOR YOU opens at Faith Conservatory.

Hey there fellow theatre fans!  My name is Kaci, and I welcome you to my little blog series focusing on theatre communities and acting from a Texas perspective.  I am a high school student currently working on Hamilton.

In the performing arts world, new talent is always sought. With thousands and thousands of young student performers, it's sort of hard for many kids to seize an opportunity for themselves. And when one small audition finally crosses a kid's path, it's even more difficult to compete with the loads of others just like them, hoping for a start to their dream career. Luckily for Parkway Middle School of the Arts, an opportunity came riding their way, and boy, did they take it. 

It has been quite a stellar theatre season for the Ft. Lauderdale High School Stageplayers, who took creativity to a new level with two of the most vibrant musicals available. FLHS Drama has put itself on the map in the past in the ever-growing South Florida theatre community; the Stageplayers received the Southeast Regional High School Theatre Honors Program Award in 2015. Despite the accolade, FLHS Drama refused to take a breather. The club buckled itself into the driver's seat of South Florida high school theatre, speeding to new intersections of artistry and charisma. 

It's cutting down to the wire on our production of Bye Bye Birdie! We have about three weeks left until opening night on May 11th, and we have so much left to do. We've blocked and choreographed everything except 'Shriner's Ballet' and 'An English Teacher', so now it's time to polish our dances to make sure they look perfect! Choreography is such an important part of this show, so we definitely have to work extra hard with our choreographer and vocal director to make sure that when we dance, our vocals stay strong, which has been sort of a weak spot for us so far. Another huge part of this show is off-focus acting, which really comes into play the most during 'Honestly Sincere' as all the teens, adults, and even the mayor's wife can't help but be mesmerized by Conrad's charm. 

As I sit typing on my laptop, I know deep inside that I am less than 24 hours away from tech week. This tech week will be my third tech of the year.

I am currently in the final stages of presenting a one weekend performance of Peter Shaffer's award winning play, "Amadeus". Researching the Sam French website, I notice yet again that few high schools attempt to take on this intricate and thought-provoking piece of art. And in this instance, although this is my second time directing this play for high school, this is now a new, revised script, due to the author's constant amendments.  I've spent the last six months designing and the last three months directing this award winning classic for our school community here in North Adams. With three dress rehearsals next week, we open April 28th at Drury High School for a three-night run. 

Sometimes things in the theatre don't go according to plan. People fall through, issues arise, or other unforeseeable issues occur but knowing how to get through these things can make the overall experience better. Below I have compiled a list of tips that I have learned from some of my most stressful theatre experiences.

Sometimes ever the brightest stars don't get their chance to shine. On March 23rd, the world of theatre lost yet another uprising star. Parker Leikam, an 18 year old senior at South Jefferson High School in Adams, New York, was killed in a head on car collision only two blocks from his home. Police reported that the other driver tried to pass a vehicle in front of him, entering a no passing zone, and crashing into Leikam's minivan.

Anyone who's ever been involved in theatre can probably give you a mile-long list of stressful events and situations they've encountered on the stage and behind the scenes. Of course, you rarely ever notice these times when you're watching us perform. That's part of our job; we have to be able to work around the kinks for the sake of the audience. However, some of these matters are slightly more pressing than the usual 'kinks.' As it should happen, my school has just started work on its production of the classic musical Oliver! The set show dates are May 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th. We started working with little more than a month to put the whole thing together. This isn't the first time that a lot of us have dealt with such circumstances, and for anyone else who can relate to them, I've developed a short list of pros and cons, playfully entitled 'The Good News' and 'The Bad News.'

The first-ever adapted version of GREEN DAY'S AMERICAN IDIOT intended for performance by high school students is currently in development and will debut today, April 14. The pilot production is being presented by Jonathan Dayton High School in Springfield, New Jersey. Check out a behind the scenes look below!

The first-ever adapted version of GREEN DAY'S AMERICAN IDIOT intended for performance by high school students is currently in development and will debut today, April 14. The pilot production is being presented by Jonathan Dayton High School in Springfield, New Jersey.  Check out a behind the scenes look below!

Despite taking extreme precautions and detailed safety checks, two high school students in New Zealand were injured during the school's production of the Sondheim musical SWEENEY TODD

One of the greatest parts of being undeniably dedicated and addicted to musical theater is that you are constantly surrounded by a plethora of individuals who share the same passion; especially in high school. High school is abnormally the "best and/or worst time of your life" in just a mere four years. It is a one of the most formative times in an individual's life, when one truly begins to become the sort of individual that will carry them well into adulthood.  This is why the performing arts are vital in my personal high school career. If I am unhappy with my own life, through theatre, I am afforded the ability to step into another character's shoes and "become them" practically every day. Because I am so active in theater, my entire friend-base consists of other thespians that I have performed with in the past. These bonds and talents exist, not only in the local community theatre troupes, but in my own high school's theater program as well.  I believe the incredible ability to work together on stage in spite of personality conflicts, extreme exhaustion at times, vast differences in age, and the daily "drama" of a typical high school student's life is one of the factors that makes the Hilton Head Christian Academy's drama department so successful and why it has been a major component in shaping so many spectacular young adults.

PIANO SLAM 8, an annual competition for writing poetry inspired by music for Miami-Dade County's middle and high school students, presents its 16 finalists for an exciting and engaging live performance at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday, April 13th at 7:30pm. The mission of PIANO SLAM is to utilize music as a tool and motivation to give youth a voice and develop creative writing skills through artistic expression. 

The first-ever adapted version of GREEN DAY'S AMERICAN IDIOT intended for performance by high school students is currently in development and will debut on April 14. The pilot production is being presented by Jonathan Dayton High School in Springfield, New Jersey.  Check out a sneak peek below!

Santa Susana High School, a award winning performing arts high school in Simi Valley, California presents: The Addams Family. Presented in our state of the art Performing Arts Center, the dates for the 6 show run are April 22, 23, 29 and 30. Santa Susana High School continues their tradition of producing top quality productions utilizing student producers, co directors, production orchestra and a student crew for sound, set, stage and tech support all led by our amazing teaching staff. In addition, this cast contain two actors nominated for 2015 Jerry Herman Awards (Grant Measures and Josh Ponce.)  This is a can't miss event!

Guilderland High School's drama club, The Guilderland Players, will open their 47th musical on March 10th with a production of the Tony Award winning hit, 42nd Street. The show, originally appearing on Broadway in 1980, features music by Harry Warren, lyrics by Al Dubin, and a book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble.

Nashville audiences this weekend find themselves with two concurrently running opportunities to bask in the warm glow of Miranda's heartfelt creation as Hume-Fogg Academic High School's Theatre presents In The Heights for a three-performance run (which premiered last night - on Broadway, naturally, Nashville's Broadway) and Street Theatre Company, which tonight opens its 11th season with its mounting of the show that will run for the next three weekends.

Broadway World Austin continues our series looking into Austin area theatres with the Fine Arts Academy at McCallum High School. As Austin ISD's district-wide fine arts intensive high school program, it provides arts education for 9th - 12th grade students pursuing an accelerated arts curriculum as fine arts majors. McCallum Fine Arts Academy attracts a diverse student body from all over Austin, including students who attended public, private, and home middle schools. We sat down to talk to director Joshua Denning to get a deeper look into this program that is producing theatre that holds up to the work being produced on any stage in town.

BroadwayWorld interviews Ron S. McCan, director of The Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts' spring musical, CABARET. Ron is the Assistant Director of the Theatre Program at Asawa SOTA and an alum of SOTA?s Technical Theatre Department (Class of 1995).

The busiest times of the musical theater world is quickly coming amongst us, especially for high school thespians- spring show season. Community and local theaters are either holding auditions or waiting for a stressful week of tech before productions that have the potential to be massive moments in the theater and community history.  For high school students, this is the most exhilarating, yet draining, season of the year. Fortunately- I am one of these students.