Arts & Theater
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Trans-Inclusive Casting Requires Musical Flexibility — OnStage Blog
Noah Webster submitted this, and it got me thinking, “If musical directors really wanna be trans-inclusive in their casting, they’ve gotta be willing to adjust vocal parts at least a little.” I will say this up front. I am not a music composition expert. I do not read scores fluently and I have never orchestrated a show. But I have…
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Stories Miss the Adult Version of Toxic Femininity — OnStage Blog
Nick Lopez wrote, “Toxic femininity is real in the adult world and it’s time to start putting it in stories outside of the stereotypical high school culture.” At first I wasn’t exactly sure what he meant. We all know the phrase “toxic masculinity,” which gets dissected constantly, but “toxic femininity” is less mainstream. And when it does pop up, it…
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Queer Tragedy, Queer Joy, and the Space Between — OnStage Blog
Stephen Callum Bryum left an interesting comment. “Is it time to stop over-producing queer tragedy and instead produce queer joy?” Over the past few decades, the queer plays that have risen highest in the theatrical canon tend to carry a lot of weight. The Laramie Project, Angels in America, The Inheritance, Fun Home—these works are monumental, memorializing trauma and forcing…
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Fat Characters & Actors Deserve Better — OnStage Blog
Noah Webster wrote the following: “There need to be more roles written for fat actors that don’t also lock fat actors out of playing other roles in the show. E.g. Tracy in Hairspray, Nadia in Bare, and Martha in Heathers are good roles—but the way that their stories center around fatphobia and, specifically, the contrast of their fatness/perceived “ugliness” compared…
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“Some Things Are Meant to Be”
That stillness, the calm acceptance in Beth’s voice, is what makes the song devastating. We expect tragedy to roar, but here it whispers. And in that whisper is something unshakably true. Sometimes the people we love most are the ones who teach us how to let go. There are plenty of great musical theatre songs about death, but most of…
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How Can Theatre Fandoms Be Less Toxic — OnStage Blog
by Chris Peterson Let’s get real. Theatre fandoms are some of the most passionate groups you’ll find anywhere. We obsess over every note, every costume detail, every twist and turn in the story. That kind of passion is awesome. But sometimes it goes sideways and turns into straight-up toxicity. When that happens, what should be fun ends up full of…
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Quentin Tarantino Coming to the Stage? I Can’t Wait — OnStage Blog
by Chris Peterson Quentin Tarantino is writing a play. Just typing that feels like a plot twist. For three decades, his name has been inseparable from cinema: the whip-crack dialogue, the shocking bursts of violence, the monologues that build like symphonies of menace and wit. He is a director who has reshaped how we watch movies. And now he is…
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What Makes a Perfect Opening Number? — OnStage Blog
What makes these songs unforgettable is not only their music but their confidence. They know exactly what they need to do, and they do it without apology. They do not waste time. They do not hesitate. They tell us: this is the story we are telling, and this is how we are telling it. When an opening number falters, the…
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How Actors Can Build an Acting Business Plan in 5 Steps. — OnStage Blog
— The 5 Day/5 Month Planner is a fast and furious guide to getting you motivated, confident and moving towards your acting goals without waiting for any permission or “the right time. ” This is your career, and you’re in control. You’ll have 5 days to put together your 5-month plan. Each day will have 5 action items related to…
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An Open Letter to Tech Week — OnStage Blog
I’m writing this letter from the battlefield. It’s Wednesday—well, early Thursday now—of Tech week, and the show I’m working on opens Friday. I’ve slept 8 hours in the past 3 days. The paint in my hair is at least a couple of days old and I haven’t changed my clothes in a week. I can’t remember the last time I…
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