Everyone has a role they would love to play but “can’t” because it is not their gender. This writer feels that there are plenty of roles that could be gender flipped and would have no negative effect on the show, and may even make the show better.  Hamilton was revolutionary because it changed the race of famous figures who were white. That’s an excellent start for growing the diversity on stage; but I believe we can take it one step further.  By changing the gender of certain roles, it gives a production a completely new take.  It can make a show you’ve seen for years suddenly feel brand new, like you’re seeing it for the first time.  

As performers, we find ourselves in the dreaded “off-season” far more than we probably want to. Either work is hard to find, or we move cities, or life throws us curve balls that force us to take breaks. This time of year, college students are returning home for two weeks or more, which I recall seemed like an eternity after a semester of nonstop work. 

Lea Salonga is a household name, at least in my home. Growing up she was basically the only Asian leading lady I saw in Broadway shows. She was also the first ethnic Disney princess I was exposed to. To this day Jasmine is still my favorite princess. She also won Best Lead Actress in a musical in 1991 for Miss Saigon. She has since had an incredible career and is still killing it!

Ms. Salonga is currently performing in Once on this Island on Broadway as Erzulie. Go see it. This show is beautifully staged and the performers are fantastic storytellers.

Finals for a theatre major isn’t as easy as people outside of the theatre world may think. We may not spend hours in a lab trying to perfect an experiment, but we spend hours in the theatre trying to perfect that monologue for class. We spend hours in the library trying to research classic works. We try to power through the common core classes when we drive to find more creative ventures than memorizing scientific formulas. In reflecting on this semester’s finals week and the past finals in my last few years as a college student, here’s how I survived this semester’s finals

Dear Santa,

We, the Board of Directors of Anywhere, USA's Players' Club Community Theater would like, this year, to make something of a special request. We've been quite happy over the past few years to have a few of our technical requests granted. The digital light board is working fine, and those new fixtures (I think the 'techies' call them 'instruments') just make everything on stage look great. I'm not sure our patrons are noticing, but we are.

Getting cast in an international tour is a huge thrill for any performer. You get to see the world and share your passion with foreign audiences. You'll enjoy many moments but also face challenges that come with continuous travel. While touring Japan, here are some tips I picked up along the way. 

‘Twas the night before Christmas, Broadway all alight,
And Aladdin was making three wishes that night.

Anastasia was wishing to know who she is,
And Miss Saigon was wishing she soon would find Chris...

We live in bizarre times.

I don’t think I need to tell people that for them to know, but I think it bears reiterating just how bizarre things truly are. In recent years, more of us who create and produce theatre have been contemplating the question of how to respond to the current social and political climate, and what can artists do in these times to try and make the world a bit better, as many of the issues we face continue to leave us divided and uncertain about the world we will leave for future generations. Yet there is one demographic that should especially be considered, when thinking about this topic.

The latest live televised musical “A Christmas Story,” brings Pasek & Paul’s 2012 Broadway adaptation of the nostalgic Christmas film to the screen. But does “A Christmas Story” fulfill my Christmas wishes? Or is it a big lump of coal? Here’s my take.

Chicago is coming back to the West End!

Just in time for Chicago turning 21 in 2018, the spectacular production is coming back to the West End, and will be playing at the Phoenix Theatre from 26th March. Featuring iconic showtunes like All That Jazz, Cell Block Tango and Razzle Dazzle, Chicago's jazzy songs and seductive storyline have made it one of the most popular musicals of all time. Casting for the production will be announced next year, and I already can't wait.