Performing in a Broadway show should be a dream come true for anyone stepping on the stage. But according to one actor, the last months of working on Broadway’s Anastasia were a nightmare.

On Sunday, Broadway’s biggest and brightest will converge on Radio City Musical Hall for the 73rd Annual Tony Awards. While many may disagree with me and the nomination totals might say otherwise, I don’t see any one show dominating the evening.

The 2019 Broadway season has been filled with theatre that speaks directly to the culturally relevant shifts shaping our world.  From diversity and inclusion to feminism and politics, this season’s shows have tackled some tough subjects telling the stories that need to be told.  I had the pleasure of speaking with a few of the Tony award nominees on June 3rd at the 2019 Honors for Excellence in the Theater and 2019 Special Awards recipients about the power of theatre to affect change, both personally and culturally.

Community theatre is forever thriving and expanding, with a wonderful mixture of big, bold productions and small, intimate performances across the country. But putting on a show doesn’t come cheap. Why is it so hard to make a profit in community theatre?

While theater aficionados are familiar with many titles and shows the average theater goer can only name a handful of show titles that aren’t musicals.  Bluntly put, musicals fill seats, for the most part they are less risky as well. 

It’s safe to say that people in the world of theatre tend to have particularly strong feelings about the artform. Fans and critics can (and will) loudly and vehemently debate everything from the merits of a particular casting decision, to the trends of the day, to who deserves the Tony.

Someone else’s successes doesn’t equal your failures. You are worthy, you are talented, and you belong right where you are. Do not let self-doubt control your life.  

Depending on where you live the theatre scene usually dies down a little during the summer months, expect for the occasional Shakespeare in nature performance. So what do you do during the summer if your life is theatre?

The Katharine Mcphee girl crush is very real.

I recently saw her in ​Waitress​ at the Adelphi Theatre, written by the incomparable Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson. I didn’t go solely for Mcphee and in fact knew nothing about the show at all, other than I love the composer. I simply bought a couple of tickets as it seemed to have good reviews.

Starting a new show is always an exciting time for an actor/ actress, and it’s an excitement I live for whether I’m doing tech on the show or acting in it myself. But I’ve noticed something particular happening in my theatre community.  There is inherent sexism that is prevailing over every single theatre group in my hometown.  We have about 12 different groups, and we all run into the same problem-  the shortage of men.

One thing that I have seen a lot more often around my theatre community is that people are bad mouthing their first theatre community. Sometimes we don’t realize that other people in our theatre circle are listening to what we have to say about different topics. Including this one which has so much to do with how we are viewed by others, especially potential directors you might work with in the future.

Whether you’re a big commercial theatre company, regional theater, community theater, conservatory, or high school, picking a season should never be random and thoughtless. The shows an organization produce are integral to how it's perceived by potential theater-goers. When choosing a season, it’s important to keep the actors and director in mind, as well as the type of theater-goers you’re trying to attract.