If I had a penny for every time I’d heard that phrase, I’d never need to bother finding a “proper career”…
If you’ll permit me, I’d like to have a little rant about something. Acting is one of my main passions and has been for quite some time but, as a student, I have often been asked to consider a “more sustainable career path”.
Read MorePersonally, I love it when a college tries to make the most of the resources it has to create the best theatre program possible. Whether it's through bold show choices, updating facilities, or hiring a more diverse faculty, anytime a theatre program tries to better itself, it's a win.
Except when they try to over-extend and becomes something they're not.
Read MoreHere at OnStage Blog, we spend months compiling, researching and comparing college theatre programs to come up with what we feel are the very best colleges in the country. While names like Tisch, Juilliard, Emerson and Baldwin Wallace get plenty of attention, there are a ton of schools out there with incredible programs that deserve more.
So we wanted to highlight some of these underrated programs. Whether they are programs that have amazing facilities and curriculum or have a ton of value when it comes to their cost, these are schools that are doing tremendous things in theatre that might not be known on a national level.
Read MoreIt’s almost February, and high school seniors are on pace to graduate and go to college. Some of you may be the star of your last 6 high school productions and can’t wait to be a theatre major!
You may change your mind. You’re allowed to change your mind. Most college freshmen change their majors 4 times. I’m here to help with that process.
If any of the following apply to you, you might want to reconsider being a theatre major.
Read MoreI’m 21, a senior in college, and until recently, I’ve really struggled with accepting my body for what it is and embracing it for what it can achieve. But theatre has helped me change that.
Like many millennials, body image and composition has consumed my thoughts more than I would care to admit. Usually, I’m strong enough to see past the depictions of beauty that do not apply to me, but I feel like there are instances in the theatre business in particular when being a certain size, shape, or color is more favorable than others. And while some stories do require certain races or body types to make a bold, powerful statement, constantly thinking like this takes a toll on any performer.
Read MoreIn 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.
Read MoreOver the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with some amazing people in various productions; people who sacrifice so much time and always bring a positive attitude. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with these folks again.
Read MoreYou go to school, you go to class. You sit and listen to the teacher. You absorb everything like a sponge, work through the new techniques in class, with your scene partners, and at home alone.
Then you notice everything you learn in the performances you watch.
And it never. Goes. Away.
Read MoreTheatre is complicated, no matter what your role. Professionals make it look easy, as any professional in any field does. Stage managers have their blocking, cues, line notes. Actors think about their obstacles and objectives and using their favorite techniques. Costumers need to find or create costumes; sound designers need to make the perfect sounds and lighting designers need to make the perfect light mixtures.
Hopefully, you are doing your part in theatre out of love and passion. Hopefully, what you’re doing isn’t a chore and is something you actually love.
Hopefully, you’re actually having fun.
Read MoreIt’s almost January which means it's prime audition time! You’ve already made the decision that you want to pursue Theatre, but now comes the nerve-wracking audition process. Your mind is running at a million miles a minute and all you can think of is the material you need to learn, the judges you need to impress, etc! I won’t try to tell you it’s going to be easy, but I will give you some ways to make a great first impression at these auditions!
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