Before I start, I want to make it clear that I do not believe these styles of playwrighting are either superior or inferior to more naturalistic or traditional styles. What I want to do is share the exciting aspects of some of the stylistic elements I have encountered and use in my own writing that I think are worth being used more widely. I shall list three in this first part, and then another four in the next. So here we go. 

Evita is rock opera of contradictory proportions: the music is a hypnotic collision of songs that range from intricate and soaring to just plain weird; it is hailed as one of the greatest woman-centric musicals of its generation, but upon closer examination, uses the male gaze to place its supposed heroine on a shallow pedestal; it introduces Americans to a blind spot in contemporary world history, but ultimately dilutes the political and social climate of 20th century Argentina down to a superficial Cinderella story. In short, it is the quintessential example of two white men putting their words into the mouths of marginalized historical figures, a colonized story camouflaged under a smattering of pretty dresses and songs.

With the rise in popularity of Hamilton and everything Lin-Manuel Miranda, it's no surprise that many theatre companies are rushing to perform his work as much as possible. In The Heights is easily one of the most produced musicals in the world. 

What makes this show such an obvious choice for many theatres is its name recognition but also that it provides an opportunity for performers of color to take center stage in a musical that celebrates the Latinx culture. While many theatres understand this and cast it right, many others fall short and cast white performers in the roles. This is a term we affectionally call, "whitewashing"

Last week Disney's mega-musical, Frozen, opened its out-of-town tryout in Denver. Gearing up for its eventual Broadway opening in March 2018, Frozen is by far one of the most anticipated musicals of the season. Given its following and the lackluster buzz of other new musicals(let's be honest), it's also favorited for a slew of Tony nominations. 

But following opening night, the reviews of the productions weren't exactly stellar. In fact, some could say they were quite worrisome. 

There are some musicals that I adore for obvious reasons. Whether it's their epic score, relatable plot, incredible choreography, I usually know what exactly drew me to each piece.

Then are some that keep me thinking. I know I love them, I just can't figure out why., so you keep thinking about it, listening to it and it draws you back to the theatre for repeat viewings. One of those shows is closing today, Groundhog Day.

I’ll start this post with a story.  The day that the post about the ad favoring Union Actors over Non-Union Actors got posted I had an audition. It was at night in an unfamiliar neighborhood so my boyfriend actually went with me because he was worried about me getting home safe.  After the audition, we were walking back to the bus stop and I started talking about the article.  In his innocence, my boyfriend took the mainstream audience point of view. Believing that union was better.  

If you haven't watched the Drunk History of Alexander Hamilton with Lin-Manuel Miranda, you need to. First of all, because it's hilarious. Secondly, it gives us a brief insight into how much research Miranda did for the show. But most of all, it displays the character of the man itself, which is what I want to talk about today. 

As I stand on the precipice of adulthood (yikes) I’ve been trying to focus on the life I want. As actors, our bodies are everything. They are the vital instrument to our success. We need to take care of our brains, our lungs, our stomachs, our muscles, and every vein and vessel that come with it. Typically, people don’t think about taking such in-depth care of their bodies. As actors, I’ve found that we are more in-tuned and sensitive to what our bodies need.

Okay so let’s start off with a familiar situation: A show. You’ve been cast, you’ve had the table reading, you’ve done the rehearsal, etc. It doesn’t really matter what level you put this hypothetical production in, the point is that you’re surrounded by a bunch of people who are equally interested in doing what you do as well. People, ergo, who are ‘in the industry’. Now – what do you do?