Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice wrote EVITA (partially) because Tim Rice was obsessed with Evita’s face on a postage stamp as a kid. One of their source materials was The Woman with the Whip (though never credited as such? Typical.), which was written by someone who was born in Argentina, had neither met Evita or had any basis for her “sources.” Why is this depiction of Eva Péron the most notable and given the most priority?

On behalf of OnStage Blog, I had the pleasure of speaking with two of the stars of Jersey Boys. Nicolas Dromard portrays Tommy DeVito, the Four Seasons guitarist that made most of the band’s business decisions in its early days. Mark Edwards plays Nick Massi, the deep-voiced Four Seasons bassist, who has his own take on how things really went in the early days. Both Dromard and Massi look and the sound the part, and both had some fun yet inspiring responses to contribute.

In this field, rejection is common. Sometimes we blow an audition. Sometimes we drop the ball on an interview. Sometimes we get the job and make a mistake…and lose that job. Often in these cases, the blame is on us. We might not have prepared well enough, focused well enough, paid close enough attention, or done enough research. These times are hard, but them’s the breaks. If you don’t do the work, you don’t get (or keep) the job.

The entertainment industry is rough, man. We actors pound the pavement day after day to book one job, but you know what? It’s totally worth it. However, after some speculation, I began to wonder what Casting Directors could do to help us actors book that job more easily? What can they do to make our audition experience less stressful? They give us do’s and don’ts of what they need from us in the room. What if we did the same for them?

I have noticed something that is becoming a larger problem. It's a virus that seems to be creeping into the communities these local theatre inhabit which, I feel, can lead to catastrophic results. It's called complicity. 

Two days ago, when responding to a tweet regarding a potential National tour of Groundhog Day, composer Tim Minchin stated that, unfortunately, plans for the tour had been scrapped. 

The weight and overall health of performers is something that is under constant scrutiny. I've written in the past about the pressures to stay thin in order to look like a more desirable candidate for a gig. Unfortunately, that pressure can lead to catastrophic results such as eating disorders and drug abuse.  

When going back and thinking on my past experiences, I can say that while I never sexually harassed or abused anyone, I know that there was an instance where I failed to properly put an end to it. 

I think overall, that I have learned it doesn’t matter when you audition.  What matters is that you go and give it your best shot.  Because when you audition won't matter, if you are what the director wants and you are right for the role, you will wind up getting the part.

The works of Joe Iconis are becoming something of an audition standard right now. In my latest rounds of college auditions, I've heard more people use "Michael in the Bathroom" than ever before.