It is late July 2022, marking my fourteenth Disability Pride month and the fourteenth anniversary month of my being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

Maybe the musicals in this list aren’t exactly summer musicals, but what I love about them is that if I’m listening to them, I could feel like the main character during these hot days and I think that’s all we need sometimes.

The music in the movie Forrest Gump was a central part of the plot, believe it or not.

Last week, I had the opportunity to sit down with the director, choreographer, and set designer of The Summer Theatre of New Canaan’s production of “The Wizard of Oz”: Corinne C. Broadbent! Be sure to follow the yellow brick road to stonc.org for tickets - now through July 31st!

Caution: the brain may wander. Side effects may include a distrust of your own senses, a disorientation of self, and a mild to severely good time. You may not be who you think you are. But we’re all in it together. Welcome to Theatre of the Mind, created by David Byrne and Mala Gaonkar.

Are you a college student interning in New York for the summer on a budget, but you want to see a lot of theatre? Or are you moving to New York in the fall and planning on seeing as many shows as possible? Luckily, it is possible to see almost any show without breaking the bank!

With the long days full of sunshine, the rising temperatures, and the extra time off for students, individuals, and families alike, it becomes clear that summer is here and so is the unique American holiday - the Fourth of July. I have listed the four quintessentially patriotic musicals to help get you ready for this coming weekend. Whether you stream these works in your free time or listen to the curated playlist below, these musicals are sure to put you in a patriotic mood.

My biggest piece of advice to you is to be bold. I regret being terrified of speaking up or taking on new things. Don't be afraid to do what you love which is theatre! You'll be free, taking opportunities you otherwise wouldn't have. Now, I'm making art in a new way.

All I knew about COMPANY was that I was entranced by its design (killed it, marketing team), I loved the art on the Playbill, and as a college student, I loved the $59 price tag of the rush ticket even more.   ... As a musical theater major, it was an exceedingly rare thrill to go into a show knowing absolutely nothing about the plot. In hindsight, I do not know if I would have asked for a warning, if I could have gone back in time. 

Something they don’t tell you enough about college: you don’t have any time. You’d think that, if you’re majoring in some sort of art, you’d have ample ability and time to do, create, and work on the art you care about. I thought that. I thought wrong.

'I really saw myself in Bobby, because he’s a dreamer, but also is scared to take that step, and for me it’s theater, cinema and every story I read, see or every experience that I have in my life that inspires me to take action and makes me keep going.'

Even four days after the fact, it still has yet to dawn on me that I've left the teenage years behind.

I had many plans for what I wanted my last BroadwayWorld article to be as a Student Blogger. As I have just graduated, and the program only goes until then, I knew my last one had to be special. I considered writing a piece on how scary it is to enter the real world and explore the possibilities that life is completely in your hands. The thought crossed my mind to write about my experience writing for this fantastic website and how it's helped me grow both as a writer and a person over the last two years. There were a million ideas.

I am a lover of all things Broadway. Minus a few very select shows, I'm pretty much game to see anything that graces one of the famous stages in New York City. However, the shows I usually see are rooted in a strong interest and that's usually the driving factor for me getting tickets and going. This past April, my best friend surprised me with tickets and a trip into the city to see her favorite musical of all-time, Beetlejuice. Because she's a big horror fan, she adores every bit of the show and was equally excited to share the magic of the production with me through this surprise. But if I'm honest, without this specific reason provided by my best friend, I most likely wouldn't have seen the show myself.

Now that the school year has drawn to a close, many graduating high school seniors are preparing for their first year of college, which is no small task. Choosing to major in theatre is not for the faint of heart, but it definitely isn’t something to be scared of.

I finished my junior year of college at NYU Tisch Drama about a month ago now. It was a great year, and it was also a very challenging year. I hope that my senior year will be everything I want it to be.

We are artists. We have the power to use our voices in compelling ways. We know how to make people listen. Let them know how you feel about the state of our nation. Speak through your art, and tell them we want change for the better. This is not only a call to action but also a reminder that what is happening is not normal or acceptable.

The sky is blue, the sun is out, and theater classrooms around the country are empty, which can only mean one thing: it’s summertime! Now that you’ve finally survived finals, written your last essay, and handed in your last test, you might be wondering — what the heck am I supposed to do now?

Diana has been on my mind for many years. In fact, I actually wrote about it in quite a few of my earlier articles, constantly stating that it would be the first show that I wanted to see once Broadway reopened. If only I knew just how much of an impact this show would have on my life.

A few years ago, Broadway social media accounts rarely posted performance videos except for little clips meshed into advertisements. However, we are now seeing a shift in Broadway’s digital marketing to include longer show clips, to encourage fans to post covers, and to target users of each social media platform differently.

What I learned from the Ph.D. students is the wide range of skills and disciplines one can acquire from this particular type of degree program. I’ve seen Ph.D. students become professors, directors, dramaturgs, dancers, etc. As someone who is drawn to dramaturgy, but still finds joy in other areas of theatre, I am interested in pursuing a path that allows me to explore different roles in the theatre. A Ph.D. can seem like it is solely focused on research and more individualized study, but students also gain communication skills, problem-solving skills, and other abilities that relate to successfully working with others. 

In addition to the excitement that comes with seeing new Broadway shows and their performances as part of the annual Tony Awards ceremony, many of these new productions will also release cast albums to forever preserve their show’s music and iconic performances. Traditionally, new musicals develop a cast album where the actors and musicians record the music from their show, on their days off in a studio, culminating in an album that is released to the public. This method has been exhibited in famous musical cast albums such as 'The Phantom of the Opera' and 'Les Misérables' and more recently in shows such as 'Flying Over Sunset.' However, with the release of more cast albums this year, composers, producers and directors alike are finding ways to shift the traditional paradigm when it comes to recording new musicals.

Just writing this post was also so hard. I’m procrastinating a lot and getting distracted easily too. I think it is important to take holidays as a break but at the same time, this is your chance to do more things to help you in the future.

This one-of-a-kind school is located in Sherman Oaks, California, and educates young adults on the autism spectrum “for careers in animation, visual effects, 3D gaming, and other related fields in the digital arts.” 

In the art of learning are the answers you are looking for and the keys to transform your life. Learning leads you to find your authenticity, to be free and to think for yourself. Today I want to break a spear in favor of quality, effort and hard work.