Advice for the college kid struggling through midterm season-- how to cope, recover, and thrive!

Transferring schools can be a difficult adjustment. I started my freshman year of college at Florida Gulf Coast University as a Marketing major, but after spending Summer and Fall semester there, I realized it really wasn’t the place for me.

I grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, which believe it or not, has an impressive arts community. I've always been incredibly grateful for this because, without the opportunities I grew up with in my community, I wouldn’t be where I am today - studying at a university with great Fine Arts programs and lots of experience already under my belt. 

Ella Sigurdsson is a costume designer, makeup artist, and theater artist; along with being a full-time student in the department of theatre arts at Western Connecticut State University (WCSU). I recently had the opportunity to speak to Ella about how she handles her life as a costume designer, pursuing a career, being a full time student, and her social media presence; all while keeping her passion for design.

I love getting to do things like this. I love organizing things, I love putting together cabarets and shows, I love it a lot. I like getting to see folks come out of their shell and get to perform.

There are no words to describe the adrenaline rush of being in an audition room or seeing your name on a cast list. The biggest things to remember are to be prepared, be confident, and have fun. Theatre is supposed to be a fun and creative experience and the pressure of an audition shouldn’t dampen it.

Four jobs, multiple other on and off campus roles, a 4.0, and a grant to work on a dream project at my college. As I approach the halfway point of my 2nd semester of college, self-discipline and self care has been more important for me than ever. Hi, I’m Bri - a new Broadway World Student Blogger. Let me provide you with some background information about me:

At my university, one of the performing arts clubs, Dramatic PAWS, is producing Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic. For those unaware, the play tells the story of Hogwarts during Harry Potter's years from the perspective of the Hufflepuffs. I’m an avid Harry Potter fan, so naturally, I felt compelled to audition. Here’s a breakdown of how it went.

Studying abroad has been like one giant whirlwind so far. I have had the privilege of having so many new experiences and incredible moments, so I thought I would share a few of my most cherished!

The first time I did a show for more than one night, our director told us not to fall victim to the 'Sophomore Slump'. Now as an actual college sophomore in her second semester, the warning still rings true,

Hello y’all! For the next couple of months, I’m shining a light on one of the coolest parts of UC San Diego’s theatre department. Every spring quarter features a culmination of artistry that brings grads and undergrads together from all theatrical disciplines: the Wagner New Play Festival. The engine that revs the festival to life is the cohort of MFA playwrights. Each of them spends fall and winter quarters working on a piece ahead of its world premiere production in the spring. We have five playwrights this year, so this article is the start of a five-part series where I’ll be sitting down for a conversation with each of them. I hope reading these will be half as much fun as I had putting this together. 

So far, I am loving UCF. Although the transfer process was very stressful, finding a school that caters to exactly what I want to do is so amazing.

For as long as I can remember I have been performing in some capacity. I was always humming a tune around the house or bopping from dance class to dance class with my younger cousin Adeline. My parents thought it was important to immerse me in the arts from a young age and for that, I am forever grateful.

Growing up in a small beach town, opportunities in the arts and humanities were slim to none, so moving to a city like Orlando has broadened my horizons with what I can pursue. I’m currently working towards my bachelor’s degree in English Literature with a minor in Theatre and a certificate in Editing and Publishing, so my schedule is far from light!

Hi there, and welcome to my first ever blog post! My name is Eva Viciana, and I’m so excited to share my journey in the world of entertainment with you all! Currently, I’m studying Entertainment Business at Oklahoma City University.

As a senior in high school who is anxiously awaiting the beginning of her BFA musical theater journey, I'm trying to savor every last moment of high school.

Meet Maxwell 'Max' DeVivo, one of our new student bloggers! In this blog, he shares what theatrical projects he's currently working on, how he got into acting, singing & performing, as well as his experiences in joining a performing arts high school as an acting freshman major. Read the article to learn more!

2025, while proceeding achingly slowly and all-too-quickly all at once, is in full swing. It is proving to be a year of discovery and new opportunities. In the coming months, I am going to continue doing that work. I hope to slowly find my footing and gain more confidence. I want to continue finding my voice, both metaphorically and literally, and developing this craft which I hope to one day be able to call mine.

I'm a performer of 15+ years turned journalism major, and I love it. Come and hear about my journey: from LaDuca's to the limelight, and everything in between.

Meet Joe Shoen, One of our student bloggers for the Fall/Winter season! Read about his experience in the performing arts and learn about the newest production he has taken on.

As mentioned in my latest article, I’ve written a musical! I’ve written several chunks of musicals and more MT style songs than I can count, but for the first time I’m actually doing it! This is the one I want to be my first composer/songwriter debut, opposed to the several plays I’ve already put out– so the next big project I’m working on is going to be recording a demo of all the songs in the show. What this means though, is that I’m gonna be faced with a lot of new work and challenges I haven’t had to face before as I double down with getting this show into the eyes and ears of the public. Here’s a candid look at how I plan to do this as a beginner!

I can’t control my employers, honestly can I even control myself at this point?..... All jokes aside, as long as this summer I have my health, and my friends, I think I’ll be okay.

That is one reason I love new work so much is I love getting to help create something from scratch and be there right at the beginning of it and grow with it.

I am so blessed and privileged to get to do all that I do and I’m excited to see what the semester brings!

My first show of 2025 is Gone Missing by The Civilians and Michael Friedman. Aysan Celik, an original Civilians member and the wonderful director of this production, brought me aboard for this thrilling project as the assistant music director to musical superhuman Dr. Kyle Blair. At our first rehearsal, Kyle discussed his thoughts about why it is we sing in theater, connecting back to the principles of opera and the overflow of emotion that exceeds what dialogue can hold. I thought I would talk a little more about it.