‘Beetlejuice solidified that it is okay for one to grieve, but still acknowledge that it is okay to move on with life and recognize that there is still so much to enjoy even if their loved ones are not present.”

It’s almost Valentine’s Day! The season of love filled with chocolates, flowers, hearts, teddy bears, and gooey romance. It’s time for me to put on my comfiest pajamas, grab my most fattening snacks, and overanalyze couples from musical theatre productions instead of forming any sort of real relationship. What does your favorite musical theatre couple say about you?

Let's face it: you've chosen a tough business. The competition is fierce, and people can be ruthless at times.

Chances are you are doing musical theatre because you are passionate. You can't imagine doing anything else. This is what you want more than anything, so it hurts that much more when things don't work out.

So how do you deal with that?

A number of years ago, I decided to try my hand at directing.  I had been involved in community theater for several years as an actor and felt I wanted to experience the dramatic arts from another angle.  I expected there to be learning curve (which there was).  What I didn’t expect was how directing changed my perspective as an actor, especially when it came to auditioning.

Perhaps our understudies are underappreciated, and it's time we shouted from the rooftops about the amazing amount of time and effort they put in to these roles without the payoff of audience feedback.

“Dear 15-year-old me choosing an extra-curricular activity,

It’s difficult to choose an activity, isn’t it? When you’re new to the school, you want to make sure you’re in the ‘right’ friend group. What do I mean by ‘right’ friend group? ‘Right’ means who you get to be the real you. ‘Right’ means friends you are comfortable with. A friend group that accepts each other...Where can you nurture a friendship like that?

In the theatre.”

Auditioning with a reprise is a fantastic choice of material. Typically they are already short cuts, contain some great performance moments and can even show off your acting range. I’m honestly shocked I don’t hear more of them in auditions.

No matter if you are going into musical theatre, classical music, or even pop music, a strong and solid vocal foundation is where everything begins. But how to begin? Its a big old world out there, even bigger now that the internet has made everything available at the touch of our fingertips. A  word of caution as you take this very crucial first step; not everyone is what they seem. It used to be that snake oil salesmen the like of Pirelli were found only at the circus; now they can be found in the pages of well-known industry magazines, on YouTube, and from self-professed ‘coaches’. So how can a young singer take the first steps?

I love Center Stage. There I said it. And I'm not ashamed to admit it either. It is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. If I pass it on TV, I can't stop watching it until I see everyone clapping around Jody to the piano version of "We're Dancing."

“This movie is something that I will hold close to my heart as I move forward in my theater career and I hope everyone will be as inspired by it as I was.”