Student Blogger Lily Kaufman asks successful theatre artists, actors, producers, administrators, technicians, and writers what they would tell their 18-year-old selves if they had the chance.

I was ridiculously excited. Especially when I found out we were going to see Aladdin On Broadway. I had never seen a Broadway show before, what I didn’t know was how it was going to affect me

I’ve loved theatre since I was very young. And I’ve loved literature for even longer. For a long time, I thought of these as two fairly unrelated important facts about me. But I’ve recently come more and more to the realization that at the core of these is the same passion: a deep love for stories and storytelling. 

In shows where the music is part of the gimmick, musical numbers are used in the same way as musical theatre: to share information with the audience and present emotion too great to speak. However, there is another type of musical television show, one where the songs are not the norm. I’m talking about the one-off musical episode. 

With the recent announcement that Jonathan M. Chu will be officially directing the Wicked movie adaptation, a slew of dream castings has followed on social media websites everywhere. So I decided to take my own crack at it. Here’s my ideal casting for the movie! 

Read the latest from student bloggers Isabella, Josie, Khailah, Paige, Liam, and more!

As the number of movie musicals in the making continues to rise, I think we are overdue for a Fiddler on the Roof remake. To get the ball rolling for all you big-time producers, this is my dream cast. 

I used to feel that before I considered singing a song, it would need to check every box on my list. But now, I choose material that makes me infinitely happy, and challenges me just the same. I also used to dread trying to find new songs that were a good fit for me, but now it is a mindless activity I do almost every day. And I love it. We are so lucky that our trickiest homework of the week might just be that we need to find that perfect jazz standard for class. Revel in it!

This semester, I had the privilege and honor to be cast in another production at Niagara University. Vital Signs is a collection of monologues for and about women. This show encapsulates the trials of what being a woman means. It has been super rewarding being in this show, however this experience has been very different and unique to anything I have experienced before. 

I think that the theater industry has a long way to go when it comes to the relationship between disabilities and the stage. Seeing disabled people succeed in this industry has given me the confidence I need to continue finding my path in theater. There are also times, in this industry, that make me feel small and misrepresented. But, in the future, we can just hope things get better.

This month marks one year since the world went absolutely crazy, and I thought I’d dedicate some blog space to addressing “the pandemic wall.” I heard this phrase recently, and it really sums up how I’ve been feeling lately.

“Sometimes you just need a smile. I can’t fix the situation we’re in. But sometimes you just have to sit in the mess with people, and just be there. And it makes all the difference.”

If you haven’t heard of the game Six Degrees of Separation, you’re missing out BIG TIME. Six Degrees is the kind of game you play on a road trip in hour 7 out of 12, when everything else has become boring. 

I’ve decided in the aftermath of my crippling solitude to create a list of male Broadway characters based on if they would be good boyfriends or not. This list is ranked from worst (9) to best (1). Let’s begin! 

No matter where you’re headed, the perfect music makes any trip that much better and memorable. Adding these five songs to your playlist will turn the long ride or flight into something fun and will define your trip for years to come. ​​​​​​​

Professors are the gateways into your college careers, they can either make or break an institution for a student. Sometimes you meet a Professor that becomes your champion, a person who will cheer you on when you fail and when you succeed.

Fall back in love with your gift. Use your talent anytime you can! The theatre is waiting for us as much as we are waiting for it. So, BE READY!

Read the latest from student bloggers Jaclyn, Drew, Madison, Rachel, and more!

After binging the show, Abigail wrote two songs (Oceans Away and Burn for You). She shared them on TikTok, the most viral of all platforms, and it was an instant success.

My first opportunity of this semester has been through my school’s student led theatre organization, Pinnacle Productions. I was cast in Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive here at Point Park University.

I got to sit down and have a conversation with two CCM Seniors, Joshua Kenneth  Allen Johnson and Jack Brewer of MT 21’ and discussed what it was like to  transfer everything they’ve learned from the classroom into the virtual world of a  showcase.

In honor of my snowy environment, I bring you my 7  favorite snowy songs to play on a snow day. 

There are a lot of bad movies out there, ranging from moderately bad to absolutely horrendous. I want to look at some “so-bad-it’s-good” films that I believe would make hilarious musical parodies.

With all of this time in a room by myself, I’ve turned to the old  standby, dream castings, to occupy my time. And let me tell you—I would pay good  money to see any of these shows. So, without further ado, here are just a few of the  castings I’ve dreamt up during quarantine.

For three artists, this provided an opportunity to create their own work. Katarina “Kat” Lopez, Maya De La Torre, and Megan Rackley are the force behind The Podcast Players, an up-and-coming theatrical company which strives to create accessible theatre for all.