In 2017, artist Kristen Visbal designed a statue known as Fearless Girl. The statue was originally scheduled to be standing for a single week, but after the public reacted so lovingly to it and what it stands for, Fearless Girl finds herself still standing strong after four years of appreciation from the public. You can find Fearless Girl standing firmly right outside the New York Stock Exchange, a business primarily inhabited by men. Fearless Girl stands for all the women who have experienced some sort of hardship when it comes to performing their jobs to the highest potential.

For this installment, I spoke to Martín Acuña, host of BACKSTAGE TALK podcast (@backstagetalkpod on Instagram), about his story and how he got involved with theatre.

Read why the iconic 2013 Disney Channel Original Movie, Teen Beach Movie, should be the next musical the hit the Broadway stage.

'I always had a hard time explaining why I have such a strong attraction to theatre. My default answer, the one that everyone most enjoys hearing, was: 'because I want to inspire others.' It's true, of course, but it's not The Real Answer. The Real Answer, quite simply is, 'because there's no nonsense - everything is right there, as it is.'

It is entertaining to reflect on the madness of a tech week, and rewarding to be reminded of the success brought by hard work. I will never be able to articulate fully just how grateful I am to be able to keep studying and performing in productions right now. The Drowsy Chaperone has been just a beacon of joy in my life, and I’m sure that extends to my peers and even our audience members.

My final school supply list as a college student consisted of just two things: a book co-authored by the Dalai Lama and a pack of three Speevers juggling balls - complete with a carry case for convenient access! While I knew the book was for spiritual guidance (as I’m also taking a course aptly titled “The Art of Happiness”), I was skeptical

For a theater and arts lover, there is just too much to do on campus and too little time. Maybe grad school is the answer. That would also guarantee uninterrupted access to French fries at the Student Union!

In a world of ballads and dance breaks, beats and bars and breakdancing also has a place.

Safe & Sound the Musical brings attention to mental health, self-love, toxic masculinity, equality and kindness. The character Love, played by Block, guides 3 characters toward rediscovering who they are by reconnecting them with their inner child.

When I was about 7, I saw the West Side Story movie for the first time, and I loved it. I memorized the entire script, snapped my way around the school yard during recess, you know, normal kid stuff. Even then, I remember thinking “hey, this Sondheim guy is pretty cool”.

In this blog, Claudia Quintero Franco a lucky, passionate Mexican girl shares how Passion Always Finds Its Way!

The truth is, we all have something we don’t like about ourselves. Right now, that’s my skin. It’s a continual process to accept yourself. When I look back at my life, I’m sure I’ll regret all the time I wasted worrying about being “perfect.” There simply is no time to waste. So why not accept ourselves where we are at today?

The Queen’s Gambit has been one of my favorite shows of 2021. And after watching it, I can safely say that Beth Harmon is not the type of character who would sing out her feelings. She’s introverted, a young girl dealing with mental health issues in the harsh spotlight of the chess world.

In order to graduate from Samford University as a theatre student, one must complete a final thesis called a “Catalyst project.” This year, two senior Theatre for Youth majors, Anna Johnson and Chloe Tower, teamed up to reach students on the other side of the world through their collaborative senior project.

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.