Look, I have many opinions about the Donald Trump Presidency. I have even more opinions about those who supported him and still support him to this day. However, what I won't do is try to generalize nor try to stereotype who they are.
I wish I could say the same for others, such as singer John Legend.
Read MoreAnytime a Broadway show closes, there are a lot of emotions people connected with the show, go through. A performer friend of mine said they go through something similar to the "Five Stages of Grief"(denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance). Anytime this happens, some people deal with it better than others.
Over the past month, the situation involving Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 and its soon-to-be closing has been one of the biggest stories of the year. In my history, it's the first time where social media uproar played a huge role in killing the show.
Now one would think that since news of the show's closing, the social media sniping would come to a halt. I was apparently wrong for thinking that.
Read MoreIt’s that time of year again. The show/season has been announced. And it is time to get going. We need to find a director, a production team, and of course a cast.
Last year I took on the role as co-producer for my local community theater’s first two productions of the season. This was my chance to see and learn how things are done right from the start. Someone thought I would be a good producer and asked me if I would be interested in the role. I am always willing to learn more and said “yes” because I also like to try new things.
Read MoreThe end of August is usually a time where college seems to be on everyone's mind. Whether it's incoming freshmen getting ready to move into their residence halls or high school seniors preparing their applications, college is a constant discussion.
For theatre students, where you attend can certainly have an impact on your career with the type of training you receive. It's also important to note that while each school listed here is excellent, a college degree doesn't guarantee success nor is one required to become successful in this industry.
Here at OnStage, we take months to research the best BFA programs to come up with our own lists.
We're going to do separate lists for each type of degree field. Let's start today with BFA in Dance.
Read MoreRecent debate about a production of Albee's 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?', in which the Albee estate withheld production rights due to the fact that a black actor was cast in the role of Nick, is just another of many examples which in my opinion prove that we need to accept certain things and move on.
Read MoreEMACT (Easter Massachusetts Association of Community Theatres) is a great organization dedicated to assisting its member theater groups in various ways. One of which is through an awards program. The DASH (Distinguished Awards and Special Honors) awards are essentially the Eastern MA equivalent of the Tony Awards. I don’t know if other areas of the country have organizations dedicated to recognizing local theater and talent but if not, they should. It’s amazing- here’s why.
Read MoreBefore I begin to address this, there is one very important matter - which I boldfaced above - that I would like to address. Instrumentalists, you are not background wallpaper to us, the singers. Speaking as a professional opera singer who has also done musical theatre and concert work, at no point, ever, have I considered the pit musicians anything less than colleagues and collaborators. This is a disgusting statement to make about highly trained instrumental musicians, and I am very sorry you had to deal with hearing it (and for those who have worked there, had to apparently endure this idiocy.)
Read MoreI have always been someone who doesn’t only listen to the cast album, but learns everything I can about the show. I watch cast interviews and behind the scene videos on YouTube and if the show is based on a book or a movie, of course I read/watch that too.
Read MoreThere’s a new musical that should really get a shot on the Great White Way, and I’m not just saying that because I’m part of the original cast recording. Well, maybe just a little... I mean I wouldn’t complain if the creative team took me along for the ride to the Broadway. Anyway, Bubble Boy the Musical, written by the writers of the Despicable Me franchise, Cinco Paul, and Ken Daurio is that new musical.
Read MoreThe majority of plays are centered around, as Hamlet put it, “words, words, words.” From Shakespeare’s soliloquies to Mamet’s fractured urban poetry to Durang’s whimsical prose, dialogue is often the most important aspect to any given play. But what happens when your play features almost no dialogue at all? Bess Wohl’s “Small Mouth Sounds,” which is playing New Haven’s famed Long Wharf Theatre from August 30-September 24, is such a work. It takes place at a silent retreat and only contains a handful of spoken lines, most of which comes from the mouth of actor Orville Mendoza.
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