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Dance OnStage Blog Staff Dance OnStage Blog Staff

Competitive Dance Should Be Embraced As A Team Sport By Schools

“I have friends and family who push their kids away from dance, gymnastics, theatre, and into sports, even if their kids don’t have much organic interest in it. This could not be more wrong. Dance takes as much practice, good cheer, sportsmanship, and fitness as any of the other sports.”

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Community Theatre Christopher Peterson Community Theatre Christopher Peterson

I Can't Stand Censorship in Community Theatre

For over forty years, I have been performing and directing in community theatre, and one thing has been a real concern to me…censorship of a published work.

I guess for me; it is about presenting the piece as it was written for the stage. By not doing this, you are not giving an audience the real product as it was meant to be. I was involved in a production of The Full Monty, and we did THE FULL MONTY at the end of the show. Audiences loved it! You do need to have the right lighting effects in order to pull this off, of course. But we did, and it went off without a hitch.

When allowed to direct it for another theatre company possibly, I asked if they would be going all the way. Their answer was, “No.” That cemented my answer for that opportunity.

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College, Observations Christopher Peterson College, Observations Christopher Peterson

Dear Theatre Students, Don't Throw Away Your Shot!

Dear theatre students,

We’ve met before, but as a reminder, my name is Chris and I am a theatre professor.  While I might not be YOUR theatre professor, and while I don’t claim to speak for ALL theatre professors, I wanted to take just a moment to talk about your futures.  I think what I have to say is important to those of you in college theatre programs, and also those of you who are hoping to go into a college theatre program—but perhaps other theatre artists, in various stages in their careers, might find some utility in my advice.

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