Nothing will stop artists. Not really, no. Nothing will ever stop creativity and love. Maybe things like I dunno a global wide pandemic can slow it down, but nothing will ever stop us. Even on pause, there is beauty in the way we think and feel. 

Blue, purple. Purple, blue? Blueish purple, but wait, no maybe it is purplish blue? These thoughts have been racing my mind for the past month or so. Me, a college student, a person who thrives on a hectic schedule and having too long of a to do list, finds herself unmotivated, tired, and obsessed with figuring out what color her bedroom walls are.

Does the name William Shakespeare intimidate anyone else? Last semester, I was in an acting class and the second half of the syllabus was dedicated to Shakespeare monologues and sonnets. I had never read a Shakespeare play before and I was petrified.

Theatre as an art is inherently collaborative. It takes a team. What happens when we are separated from our ensemble? How can we continue to create in isolation? Most of the time the creativity in our craft is assigned. Don't get me wrong, this doesn't negate our art by any means, but as theatre makers, we are usually creating in the context of a larger project. We often have little control over the big picture: such as being cast as a role in a musical or asked to design the set for a specific play. 

The Assistant Stage Manager is a role that is often forgotten about especially in a college production. However, our job isn't to be recognized, our job is to take care of our cast and crew. Our job is made much easier when the cast and creative team are kind, positive, and punctual. However, this isn't always this case. Regardless of your cast and creatives, there are some things that you can do to make the experience as best as possible for all involved.

Being in the theater community right now has been a lifeline for many students. Creators have banded together to produce some incredible works within the confines of a shelter-in-place, providing a sense of normalcy for many theater students. We may not be able to go to the theater or attend our normal classes, but there is plenty going on in the theater community for collegiate theater students to engage with and learn from. For many, it's what is keeping them sane.

Being a senior theatre major with only a few performance-based classes on my docket, (one being our showcase which was inevitably and indefinitely postponed), I began to question how this transition was impacting the students of the classes below me. I interviewed one student from each class to see how their educational experience has been impacted, and to parse out the feelings these changes have evoked.

One of my favorite activities is reading books and what better time to do that then right now when we're all stuck at home? Unfortunately, there are many theatre related activities we cannot participate in right now but one of the best ways we can learn more about our crafts and read about others in our fields is by reading about them. There are hundreds of Broadway related books, script writing and acting guides, memoirs by our favorite stars, and more! I thought I would share some of my favorites with you all to hopefully get you all back in the mindsets of creating art and learning about those who you look up to.

Ah, Zoom. The new favorite of the college class streaming services. Derived from the Latin a?oeZaboomafoo,a?? it roughly translates to a?oewell, it's better than Facetime.a?? I have to give Zoom credit where it's due during this time of unexpected changes in education: It's straightforward! It's easy to use! And frankly, it's made me really miss my in-person lectures. Staring at a screen can get pretty mundane pretty fast. So, fellow students, I've compiled a guide of tips and tricks to spice up your Zoom classes! 

As soon as you can, get involved. Don't wait to get your name circulating around your department. Volunteer and offer your assistance to others. The best way to get familiar and comfortable is to GET INVOLVED. 

What do you think of when you hear a?oeBroadwaya??? Wicked, Company, Hamilton, Little Shop of Horrors, or Les Miserables? I bet The Glass Menagerie or Brighton Beach Memoirs weren't the first titles to enter your head. Have you ever thought about why that is? Why does the modern theatrical audience favor a musical over a play? 

When creating a musical, there are many places that one can draw inspiration from. Some, like Lin-Manuel Miranda, read a book and are determined to see the story play out on stage. Others take the songs of others and create a plot around them, like the music of ABBA in Mamma Mia. A few are even able to conjure up entire worlds out of their minds. But one of the more popular forms of media to be adapted in the past few years has been the world of cinema.

1. You're doing full monologues in pajamas

This weekend was originally supposed to be our opening night for our production of Everscape, but instead I'm sitting at home for the. . . what, eighth day in quarantine? But I'm not going to spend a lot of time talking about what I'm missing - everyone is feeling the same thing right now, missing out on showcases or productions, so I'm not going to keep telling the same story for long.

While everyone's technological abilities certainly may vary, all performing arts students- theatre majors, dance majors, and design technology majors alike, are now facing the additional struggle of completing their theatre education from the comfort of their own homes. Many facets of each of these performance divisions are simply not as teachable or as attainable when students and teachers cannot be in the same room, working off the energy that physical presence supplies.

Since the day that the theaters in New York closed, I've felt a little emptiness in my heart. Not seeing the actors I follow on social media getting ready for shows that day, was a strange experience as I'd grown so used to it over these past few years. Looking at photos of the Theater District in Manhattan felt like looking at a ghost town, with only a few people wandering around outside and no sign of the usual buzzing energy.

My college was scheduled to perform Heathers in May. But you know with all the coronavirus going around and schools closed, and stay-at-home orders issued, we all knew that it very likely that the show was not going to happen. As sad as it may be, that is the reality: the show can't always go on.

I don't know about you, but this time of year is usually super busy for me! However, now that we are all spending a bit more time at home, it is a bit easier to find a free moment. If you're a theatre student, you likely were planning for some sort of audition when school was still physically in session. Luckily, being at home doesn't mean you can't still prepare for future auditions.

One of the the things that has made a huge difference in my college theatre career has been getting involved in as many organizations as I can.

There's a lot going on in the world right now - and with social distancing, it's easy to feel alone. But as Sondheim taught us, No One is Alone. Everything is kinda crazy - how do we, maybe the touchiest and neediest kinds of people, manage being away from our theatre family for God knows how long?

Each year at DeSales University, the class of graduating seniors has the incredibly unique opportunity of taking on, first-hand, the task of uniting as their own theatre company to produce a children's show, building everything from the ground up. Nearly a year ago, my class started to gather (sometimes at unmentionable hours) to choose our show, as well as vote on which members of our class would make up the fabulous production team. For our capstone project, we, rather unanimously, landed on The Jungle Book, and the planning began!

As a Senior Theatre Major at Texas Christian University, the spring break of my last semester was to be spent in NYC showcasing before dozens of industry professionals between three showcases and an evening at 54 Below. Little did I know that my trip would be marked by one of the biggest moments in Broadway history. 

Unfortunately, when our campus closed and we were sent home, our play was put on the backburner. It hasn't been officially closed and there's hope for it being pushed for the next semester, but it is tremendously disappointing, nonetheless. 

Frustrated, restless, anxious. Do these feelings sound familiar? The times that I should be up in front of the class performing or directing children in a TYA scene, I am now spending staring at my computer screen. I want to be doing things, not simply discussing doing things. I find myself grieving: Grieving the missed opportunities, grieving my lack of control, grieving the loss of my immediate and intimate community at Samford University.