Every episode, my final question is always “What advice would you give to younger artists wanting to pursue a career in acting?” Now that I am almost to 100 episodes with Behind the Curtain, I have heard all sorts of advice.

Take a very, very deep breath. Hold it. And let your mind leave everything else at the door. This is just one of the things I do to prepare myself for a performance.

Tradition and routine are essential to effective performance, as understanding your process is a crucial step for any individual in the entertainment industry.

As 2025 comes to a close, I’ve noticed that the instinct to look ahead feels less urgent than the need to pause. Broadway doesn’t move in neat yearly cycles the way we often pretend it does.

When it comes to being part of a show, there are many things that I have to do before a show starts out of habit, and even out of superstition. Here are some of those things!

Audition season will arrive soon enough. When it does, what matters isn’t how much you pushed yourself beforehand, but whether you arrive with enough steadiness to respond rather than react. 

One of the most wonderful parts about being a part of the theatre community is meeting the incredible people involved in it including incredible exchange students who I have been lucky enough to call my friends.

Thinking about 2026, the first year that I’m going into not being a teenager anymore, I feel like it’s becoming more important to me now than ever to make a name for myself.

December is a month that always inspires thoughts of tradition. So, in honor of it, I would love to showcase some of my favorite traditions (and routines) that surround theatre! Theatre invites so many traditions and tt is always fun to hear other people's perspectives!

I absolutely love winter break, having a few weeks to hang out at home (or wherever) is wonderful. Yet, I often find myself with a good amount of free time. Over the past four breaks, I have curated a list of ongoing tasks that I can always turn to if I want to continue to grow over break!

What do you do when it’s finally time to open a show? Here are the rituals and routines I rely on for success on opening night.

I often think about the traditions that my future students will do before, during, and after shows. Then, I reflect on the traditions I still carry with me that I used to do with my theatre friends while we were in shows together.

This blog explores Francis Ford Coppola’s profound legacy at Hofstra University, tracing how a theatre student-turned-legendary filmmaker helped shape the department’s culture and traditions. It highlights Coppola’s impact on student-led productions and his creation of Poo-Wah-Bahs, a ritual that asks you to slow down and recognize the work of each individual player. Nearly 70 years later, this tradition continues to unite generations of Hofstra theatre students. Through personal reflection, the piece examines how legacy, community and creativity converge in one of the department’s most cherished rites.

As they say in the beloved musical Funny Girl, “people who need people are the luckiest people in the world.” I have always believed that being bitten by the theater bug is one of the greatest gifts I could ever receive.

The brief in-between space is where preparation meets presence for me, and where my nerves begin to fade. It’s the place where I get to step fully into my work, remembering everything I’ve learned and prepared for, and leading with confidence and love for what I do and the stories I get to tell.

I will always hold a special place in my heart for Anita’s Gelato and Playbill-stalking.

I have managed to intertwine my passion for disability advocacy and the arts in my work and am on my way to becoming not just an arts professional, but a change-maker who can shake up this industry, as they say in Wicked, for good.

These traditions hold such a special place in my heart. Looking back, those acts of kindness and silly chants have never left me. They have always sparked such confidence as well as a fondness in me.

It sounds like the goal of every girl at the beginning of a romcom (that or being so weird because of her oh-so-uncool glasses.) Finding times to celebrate your wins is essential to continue on your path, especially if your path leads to the theater.

Theatre games are what make the world go round. It sounds funny, but the skills practiced during drama club games are greatly beneficial to developing a young performer’s skills, on and offstage. Next time you are leading a drama club or theatre camp, try these games to warm up your students before rehearsal. 

It is so important for theatre goers to find pieces that they can connect to and learn from. Every woman should read or watch this play once, and every man should experience it twice to get a close up lens at the everyday experiences of our peers that are so easily overlooked.

Here are some ways I plan to spend that downtime so I can still get my creative juices flowing and stay entertained during this upcoming month-long break.

Pursuing theatre definitely comes with its challenges, so it’s incredibly important to find a place that not only supports you in becoming the best version of yourself but also keeps you feeling inspired and excited to create.

I am someone who has always prided myself on hard work and commitment to my projects, so having to step back and not give my 100% for the first time ever is terrifying. It’s hard enough being in so much pain at any given time, but when it starts making you question who you are, it’s easy to spiral. 

If you celebrate, Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas! If not, Happy Holidays to you! I don’t know about anyone else, but my favorite time of the year is the holiday season because that means food, family, and, as a student, a break from school.