When I heard that they were making “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar” a musical I was really excited. The movie is VERY underrated. If you watch it with an open mind and heart you will see that there is A LOT of substance in it and it is something I feel works perfectly for the stage.

I saw the poster same as everyone else. Steven Spielberg is set to direct a remake of West Side Story with Tony Kushner providing the screenplay. Holy hell was I unprepared for the social media arguments I saw play out in my newsfeed. Apparently, there are some who believe something’s coming and it’s not all good. 

Let's be honest, nepotism is rampant in theatre communities. Whether it's professional settings, community or educational, directors casting their children in lead roles is practiced far and wide. While I don't agree with the practice and do find it more than a bit unethical, I've come to the realization that rather than getting stressed, I have two firm beliefs for those who do it

“If I just move on not knowing what’s ahead of me”, 2016 Tony nominee Alex Brightman told me, “I knew I would always find great things to do.” Call him the artistic nomad.

For reasons I understand much better now than when it was happening years ago, I was rejected repeatedly by the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. I didn't really know how these things worked, I sent them my best stuff, they turned me down. Nowadays I see their point and I am working harder. Fortunately for me, the program's namesake wrote a book.

Whether it's myself witnessing it firsthand or accounts I've heard from others. The amount of sexual abuse and misconduct in community and college theatres is right on par with every other industry out there. What makes matters worse is that there aren't unions to protect community theatre performers. And while colleges have staff set up to protect individuals from sexual abuse, we've seen from schools like Michigan State, that schools fail in this area as well. 

In the last few weeks, I have spoken to almost a dozen people regarding claims they brought forward to me. With their permission, I am going to share with you their stories with the following series of articles.

Theatre newcomer, Arielle Crosby, is no stranger to the stage. A native Detroiter, Arielle has been singing all of her life and has been performing since the age of 11. It all began with winning the city-wide Delta Sigma Theta sponsored Jabberwock Talent Competition and led to performances across the eastern/southern region of the US and countries around the world.

It’s hard work running a theater company, even harder running one designed for kids. There’s several not for profit and for-profit theater companies that focus their efforts on children’s theater. Based on my experiences as both an audience member and performer with children’s and community theaters, here are some examples of what NOT to do when in charge.

Musicals are incredible works of art. The dancing, the singing, the acting, the lyrics - all work together to create an incredible experience for all involved.

Even ones that may seem more comedic have their very touching moments (yes, I’m looking directly at you, Something Rotten!)

The beauty of musicals is that no matter what you feel, there’s a song for that. There’s a show for that.

Broadway theatre is one of the biggest draws for tourism here in the Big Apple. All year round, but especially during the summer, it’s what people from across the world come here to see. However, what people outside of the city often don’t seem to realize is just how much brilliant new writing, and how many of the next potential Broadway performers, there are Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway. When discussing these productions, the theatre festival scene is at the heart of much of this talent and creative energy.