Musical Theatre Kid Tag

Hey guys. As you know, I enjoy doing theatre tags because it allows me to let you guys into my life as a theatre kid and lets you guys know a little more about me. So today I am doing the Musical Theatre Kid Tag! (Link to where I found the tag)

1. Favorite show you've performed in?
• I would have to say Sleepy Hollow. It was one of the best shows I had ever been in and the cast and crew were absolutely amazing. Plus it was the first show I was in where everyone wanted to be there.
2. Least favorite show you've performed in?
• Christmas on the Gangplank (Read about that disaster here)
3. Favorite role you've played?
• Pin from CinderOz (this was the show I was sick in) because I enjoy playing villains, even if the villain isn't well established
4. Most embarrassing moment on stage?
• I was in one show where I did not know all of my lines. I have never done that since.
5. Worst injury you've gotten from a show?
• I was running backstage in junior high, and I slipped and fell onto a piece of wood. My costume didn't tear, but I definitely cut myself on my upper thigh. That was the worst of it.
6. Go to audition song?
• I haven't auditioned for anything in a long time, so I don't really have one yet. Will let you know when I do.
7. Ever seen any shows on Broadway?
• No, I haven't, but I want to.
8. Broadway Idol?
• Adam Pascal, Barrett Wilbert Weed, Anthony Rapp, Jeremy Jordan, Sierra Boggess, and Ramin Karimloo 
9. Some of my favorite memories from backstage/rehearsals?
• We had this little boy who was playing a ghost in Sleepy Hollow. I was also a ghost in Sleepy Hollow. He went over to the guy who was playing Ichabod Crane and he was told to grab his leg by our director. For context, in this scene, the ghosts were trying to kill Ichabod. The little boy wrapped his arms pretty high up Ichabod's leg. One of the other ghosts said something along the lines of "Woah there boy" and the kid moved his arms to Ichabod's calf. He was a little kid no older than 7 at the time so he didn't understand what he did, but we did get a good chuckle out of it.
10. How many leads have you played before?
• 6 (some of them are questionable)
11. Ever had a rehearsal meltdown?
• Yes, but it was because my director was kind of a bully to me. I am not going into specifics, but she was very intense and intimidating. We didn't get along very well even after working together for quite a while. 
12. What do you normally keep in your rehearsal bag?
• My script, deodorant, perfume, hair ties, and Advil (because I get migraines). It depends on the show as well
13. Have you met any Broadway stars?
• No. Someone, please introduce me to Adam Pascal. Thank you!
14. How many Playbills do you own?
• I have 14 programs if that counts.
15. Ever gotten caught up in drama with one of your cast members?
• Not really, If anything, I've been the emotional support for people. 
16. Whats your favorite costume you've ever worn?
• My costume in Aladdin because it was just a t-shirt and genie pants. It was so comfortable. I still own the genie pants I do believe.
• Also, my costume in CinderOz. That one was pretty cool.
  
• And I almost forgot my dress in Clue. That was awesome.

  

  I'm in the chair if you couldn't tell

17. Whats your least favorite costume you've ever worn?
• My outfit in Christmas on the Gangplank because the wig was terrible.
  
18. Ever had a stage kiss?
• Not yet
19. Tap, ballet, or jazz?
• I did all of these when I was a kid. From what I remember, I would have to say jazz. But I love watching tap numbers. 
20. What's your dream role?
• It has changed a little, Maureen in Rent, Christine in The Phantom of the Opera, and Ivy in Bare: A Pop Opera

Comment down below your answers to these questions if you would like. I would be interested in hearing your answers.

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Twitter: @Theatre_Corner

Update: Finishing the Semester and What is Happening on Here

I'M BACK!!!!!!! Sorry about that unexpectedly long break. Things got a bit crazy over the last few months and I want to share that all with you guys right now.

First off, when I started posting again, I cannot tell you guys how much I loved it. Being able to talk about a part of my life that not many other people in my life get is something that makes me so happy. But there are certain things that take precedence.

Most importantly, school. When I started posting more regularly, I thought I was going to have an easy semester. I was starting my second semester of college and I truly believed that my schedule was going to be really easy. It turns out, I was wrong and I had a specific class that I and many of my other classmates were struggling in. School took up quite a bit of my time and I needed to devote most of my time and energy into making sure I was passing all of my classes, which I did.

Secondly, I was figuring out my fall semester schedule because I have just added a theatre minor to my degree program. I got that all sorted out a couple months back and I was so happy to be able to breathe and not be constantly waiting for emails from my advisors.

Lastly, I needed a mental break. Without going into specifics, some not so great stuff happened in the middle of the semester and I needed time to process everything and one way to do that for me was to put my blog on hold and focus on school and my well being.

After these last few months of finishing up school and taking care of myself, I feel refreshed and ready to get back into the swing of things.

So here is what is going to happen, I am going to continue doing Monday's and Friday's, but until I start my next semester of college, the post time on Monday's is going to change to 1 pm MST so that I can spend some time sending out links to the post and don't have to sit in my car after my voice lesson for ten minutes getting all of the links up. The time will change back to 3 pm MST on both Monday's and Friday's in August because that is when my voice lesson time will be changing.

I will be back on Monday with the continuation of my Rent inquiry posts. Hope to see you then.



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Twitter: @Theatre_Corner

Heathers TV Show: Thoughts and Opinions on trailer

Heathers The Musical Album Cover
PC Here

As many of you may already know, Heathers has been turned into a TV show and the series premiere is on March 7th. If you don't know what Heathers is and why I just happen to be talking about it on a theatre blog, let me explain.

Movie JD and Veronica
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The story of Heathers first came about in the late 1980's as a movie. The movie starred Winona Ryder as Veronica and Christan Slater as J.D. and has a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the early to mid-2010's, the movie was transformed into a musical which performed off-broadway at New World Stages starring Barrett Wilbert Weed as Veronica and Ryan McCartan as J.D. And I have to say, apart from a few necessary changes in order to adapt the movie to the stage, it is the exact same plot.

It is now 2018, almost 30 years since the original movie came out, and it is now becoming a TV show.

When I first heard about this, I have to admit there was a mixture of excitement and fear going through my mind. Excitement for a new adaptation to come out that is easily feasible for me to access, and fear of what they were going to do with this beloved story.

Musical JD and Veronica
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In January of this year, the trailer for the show (starring Grace Victoria Cox as Veronica and James Scully as J.D.) came out and it happened to pop up in my YouTube feed. I was very excited to see it, but as I continued to watch it, that excitement quickly went away.

The trailer was awful. I do believe that they are going for a modern adaptation of the "Killer Cult Classic", but that kind of ruins the storyline a bit.

Disclaimer: I may be getting into spoilers about the plot of the movie and the musical. If you have no clue what the story is about, I suggest you go listen to the musical and watch the movie before you continue reading.

TV Show JD and Veronica
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Since the original story is based in the 80's, there are certain tones in it that would make it hard to adapt the story to modern day. For example, in the original story, there is a character named Martha Dunstock and her character is quite large. In the movie and the musical, Martha is made fun of for her weight and is nicknamed Martha Dumptruck. In the TV show, however, the main Heather, Heather Chandler, is a plus-sized woman and is a symbol of body confidence.

Also, in the original story, J.D and Veronica kill two football players and make it look like a suicide, leaving a suicide note saying that they died because they would never be able to display their romantic affections for each other. Remember, the original story was written in the 80's and the LGBTQ+ movement was not where it is today. Now in the TV show, one of the Heathers, Heather Duke, is transgender.

These both are two very important aspects of the original story that are no longer going to be present in the TV show.

Besides that, I did see quite a bit of the original plot in the trailer, such as the death of Heather Chandler and J.D. and Veronica's relationship. But overall, I feel as though they are not staying true to the original story and that kind of hurts a little.

I feel that they should have kept the original story, time period and all, in order to make a TV show of this work.

I asked you guys on Twitter and Instagram what you guys thought of the TV show coming out and whether or not you were going to watch it. On Twitter, the vast majority of you guys said that you were not going to watch the TV Show. The next highest was that you had mixed feelings about the show, but you were going to watch it anyways, which is actually where I am at. The third highest result was that you didn't really care and then the last place, with 0 votes was definitely watching. 
On Instagram, when I asked if you guys were going to watch it, everyone who voted said no.

Now, I am going to watch the TV show, just to see what they are going to do with it, but as of right now, I don't have high expectations of it being any good. The trailer has really disappointed me.

When Season 1 is over, I will make another blog post giving the thoughts on the show, so stay tuned for that.

If you want to see the trailer and form your own opinions, click here.




Instagram: @The_Theatre_Corner
Twitter: @Theatre_Corner

What Theatre Has Taught Me...

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A while ago I shared a piece I wrote about theatre from my creative writing class in high school. You guys really seemed to like it, so today, I decided to share another piece I wrote.

This one needs a bit of an explanation. What you are about to read was for a concrete poem where the shape was the comedy-tragedy masks. These are the phrases I used in that poem at the time. I would someday like to add to that list so that it can continue on.

Without further ado, here is what theatre has taught me.

What Theatre Has Taught Me...

What Theatre Has Taught Me: 

Break social norms

Don’t throw away your shot

Be different

Be practically perfect in every way

You will find love where you never expected

Revenge isn’t worth it in the end

Wait for it

You can’t buy love

But you can rent it

The world is wide enough

Love is love

Dying is easy living is harder

Brimstone and Treacle won’t work

Sometimes fame comes with a price

People come in many different forms

Everyone has talent

Friends come at times you need them most

Be you

Escape who you think you are

No day but today

Find yourself

Love who you are

Be brave

Keep going

Be fearless

Reinvent yourself

Escape from your troubles

Loving friend

Friends who actually care 

We rent emotion

The theatre fam is the best fam

Theatre teaches us so much. Not only about life, but about ourselves. Theatre gives us this chance every day, whether it be within a character we portray or a musical we listen to. There will always be more to learn, and theatre will always be there to help us learn them.

Follow me on social media for more

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Twitter: @Theatre_Corner

The Musical Theatre Tag

When I first started this blog over a year ago, I did a little thing called The Theatre Tag. I thought it would be cool then so that my readers could get to know me better. Since it has been over a year since that post went live and I have been exposed to more musicals, I thought I would do The Musical Theatre Tag.

Plays or Musicals?

I honestly enjoy both, but I love singing songs with lots of character portrayed in them so I have to go with Musicals

When did you start liking the performing arts?

When I was in 7th grade, over six years ago.

Ever been in a musical?

I have been in a few musicals, and I loved every second of it.

What was the first musical you saw on Broadway?

I have not seen any musicals on Broadway, nor have I been to New York. I hope to go there one day.

If you could be any female character in any musical who would you be?

Probably either Joanne or Mimi from Rent.

Which male character?

I would really like to be either Mark from Rent or William Shakespeare from Something Rotten!

Favorite musical song to sing in the shower?

Currently it is "Out Tonight" from Rent, but I also enjoy singing "Another Day" from Rent and "Easy as Life" from Aida.

Who is your favorite theatre actress?

This is really hard. I would probably say either Idina Menzel or Tracie Thoms.

Actor?

Definitley Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp and Jeremy Jordan.

Favorite film adaptation of a musical?

Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd and Rent. Also Mary Poppins, but the movie came out before the stage adaptation.

What do you think is the most overrated musical?

Lots of people I went to high school with really like 13, but I don't necessarily get the hype. It is a good musical, but the music is not for me.

What musical made you cry?

Rent, it still does.

What musical made you laugh?

Something Rotten! I was laughing so hard when I saw it.

Are there any musicals you saw and hated

I feel like there probably has been, but I don't remember. I tend to like most shows.

What musical do you want to see as a film?

Hamilton, Wicked, Something Rotten!, and Bare: A Pop Opera.

Which musicals are you dying to see?

Hamilton (which I am seeing in February), Book of Mormon, and Dear Evan Hansen
What is your all-time favorite musical?

Rent, if you couldn't already tell from my previous answers.

What would you do if theatre didn't exist?

I don't even want to think about that. So much in my life wouldn't have happened. I wouldn't have met some of my amazing friends if theatre didn't exist. I have grown so much because I am a theatre kid and I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world.

I tag all of my readers to do this tag. Leave in the comments of this post your answers because I would love to know.



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Update and New Schedule

Hey everyone. Long time no real post. Sorry about that. Life has just been a bit crazy as of late and I thought that I should give you an update as to what's been going on.

Earlier this year I graduated from high school. With that came a lot of stress thanks to school work. My final semester was quite tough and it became a time of focusing on homework and grades. But, I finished off high school and was very relieved to be out of there. When I began my senior year, I didn't want to leave all of my friends, but by the end of it all, I just wanted to be out and away from the stress for a while.

In late August, I began my freshman year of college. I enjoyed the first semester and loved how new everything was. But with that came an adjustment period. I was having a hard time adjusting to the condensed courses and how fast paced everything was. It probably didn't help that I had some classes that were quite difficult as well. My school schedule was also quite different from what I am used to. But all in all, I feel that I have acclimated to my new environment and will be fully prepared to take on my next semester.



With the New Year upon us, I wanted to find a way to fit blogging into my schedule as well. I very much enjoy posting on here and I hope to do more of that. This means that I have made a new schedule that I feel I will be able to stick to fairly easily.

Next semester, my classes are scheduled closer together, with the exception of one morning class three days a week. This means that for these days, I will be free for most of those days. This gives me a good portion of time to blog and do my school work.

Here is how I plan to post on here from now on as well as some content I hope to do on here as well: 1) There will be a new post on here every Monday and Friday at 3 p.m. starting January 5th. 2) Musical of the Month will be back at the beginning of every month with the exception of January due to a few other posts I want to get up before it. 3) You guys voted and I will be posting my Rent Inquiry Blogs from my ENG 101 class on here. They will be posted every other Monday starting January 8th.



And finally, I would love to know what you guys would like to see on here. Please send me suggestions either via the comments, Twitter, or Instagram.

I wish you all a Happy New Year. See you in 2018.

Sincerely,

Carlee


Instagram: @The_Theatre_Corner
Twitter: @Theatre_Corner

The Theatre Fam is the Best Fam

When I was in creative writing, my favorite topic to write about was theatre. If you can't tell already, I really have a passion for it. Lots of my friends liked my pieces and I felt like sharing some of them with you.

This first one is a personal favorite of mine. This was the first one I ever wrote for my creative writing class. The topic was to write about a groups stereotypes, and obviously I gravitated towards theatre kids. I showed this to a few of my friends, who  loved it, and even my theatre teacher. She told me that it was very heartfelt and genuine. She even asked me to print her a copy of it. So here it is.

The Theatre Fam is the Best Fam

My Theatre Family

We are the theatre family. We are loud and obnoxious. We like to spend most of our time in our theatre class room and love every second of it. We act different in front of theatre kids than we do around our other friends because we are allowed to truly be ourselves without fear of judgment. We support each other through everything. We bond over Hamilton and any other show we are listening to at the time. We wear our cast shirts no matter how long ago the show was. We spontaneously burst into song and don’t care who is staring at us. We have playbills covering our walls from all the shows we’ve seen. We are wild and crazy, but extremely awesome.

But when there is a show that is a whole different story. If we are lucky enough to be cast, our whole

world changes for months. Our rehearsal space becomes our home away from home. We basically live there until we finish striking the set. We lose any reminisce of a social life. When anyone asks us to hang out, our favorite line is “I can’t, I have rehearsal.” We try our hardest to be off book as fast as possible, but it doesn’t always happen. Sometimes, we are not off book until the week of the show. We know not to touch other people’s props because the stage manager might actually kill us, but we do it anyways. We laugh and joke with our cast mates, telling stories of previous shows we’ve been in. We try our hardest not to get sick by taking every cold medicine known to man. We know the closer it is to show week, the closer it is to tech week, A.K.A. hell week. During tech week is when we really feel like we live at the theatre. We live off of pizza and junk food and do our homework when we are not on stage. This is also the time where sleep becomes a word with an unknown meaning. We fall behind on homework but somehow we are able to catch up. We perform opening night and we are extremely nervous. After that, it’s a breeze. We take our final bows, relief washing over us. Then, we strike the set, beginning to feel sad that it’s all over. After the show closes, we go through PSD (Post Show Depression), not knowing what to do with ourselves anymore. That’s when we start looking for the next show.

I love my theatre family, and no matter what happens, I know that this is where I belong.

Sincerely,

Carlee

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Twitter: Theatre_Corner

Thespian, Techie, or Bi-techual?

With theatre kids, there are many different types. There are three types of theatre geeks that we know of: Thespians, Techies, and Bi-techuals. They are all essential to the theatre community. But, what exactly are these types, and how do you know which you identify with. Well, here are the definitions of  these types.

Me as Juanita from Blues.
PC: Emily Woodward-Shaw

Thespians are usually actors/actresses. They are the ones who are always on the stage performing their little hearts out. Also, I should add that someone referred to as a thespian could also be a techie because of the International Thespian Society. If you are inducted into ITS, no matter if you are an actor or tech, you can be called a Thespian. For example, I was inducted into ITS in May this year, therefore, I am a Thespian.

PC is here

Techies: People who work on the technical aspects of theatre. They are your stage managers, lighting, sound, etc. They are the people who build your sets, change scenes, anything that does not have anything to do with actually acting on the stage. They are what put the show together.

Bi-techual: someone who works with both the acting side and teching side of theatre. They can be acting in one show and then teching another, and enjoying it all the same. 

Now, you may be wondering which type I fall under. I am a bit complicated. 

From 2012-2014, I could have identified myself as bi-techual. I used to tech children plays at my local community theatre, and I loved it. The only problem was, I didn't actually know what being a techie was. I didn't know about building sets or lighting. I was used to just prompting kids with their lines. In the summer of 2014, I learned about building sets and working with tools, and it just wasn't for me. In December of 2014, I teched my last play. I was actually a tech for a while. But this ended up turning into a last minute understudy role, but that's a different story. After that, I have been a thespian. I love actually being on stage and being a part of the cast. I have a lot of respect for techie's and what they do, but I don't particularly like to build sets which is why I am no longer bi-techual.

Next time you see a friend who is both a techie and a thespian, you will know who they actually are called.

Sincerely, 

Carlee

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Twitter: Theatre_Corner

The Theatre Tag

I was just sitting here thinking, and I thought that you guys might want to know a little more about my theatre background, and part of my love for theatre. So, I looked online for a theatre tag and I think I found a good one. Without further ado, I present The Theatre Tag!

Q: How old were you when you first started doing theatre?

• I was in my first production when I was 7 year old. It was a part of a summer camp at my towns local theatre and my group performed an except from The Wizard of Oz. Though being a part of the Lullaby  League was fun, I didn't pursue theatre for five years after that. The first production that got me into theatre was when I was 12 when I was cast in Aladdin.

Q: Current show(s) you're in?

•  I am currently in a show with my theatre class. We are performing a one act called Blues as a canned food drive.

Q: Have you ever seen any shows on Broadway?

• Unfortunately, I have not. But, I would love to go to New York and see a show on Broadway sometime in the near future.

Q: How many shows have you been in?

• I have performed in 15 shows and worked as a tech in 6.

Q: Favorite musical? Favorite play?

• Musicals: Hamilton (Duh), Shrek, Rent, and Sweeney Todd
• Plays: Twelfth Night and Clue

Q: Favorite role you've ever played?

• My favorite role I have EVER played is probably Pin from CinderOz (an original production). I liked being able to create a voice and a character that was completely different from who I am.

Q: A tip you'd give to new theatre kids?

• Don't expect to get the role the first time. It can take a long before it happens for you. Just stick with it and be patient. It will come. Also, there is always something to learn, so be open to learn something new.

Q: Dream role(s)?

• I would definitely LOVE to either portray Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd or Elphaba from Wicked. Or maybe even both.

Q: Biggest theatre pet peeves?

• I H-A-T-E HATE it when people say good luck instead of break a leg. It takes everything in my not to correct them. Also, it irritates me when my computer says that "theatre" is spelled wrong. It bugs me more than you know.

Q: Favorite improve game?

• I am a sucker for revolver, good advice bad advice, and categories.

Q: Ever have a stage kiss?

• Nope.

Q: What are you're theatre strengths/weaknesses?

• Strengths: memorization and projection
• Weaknesses: Articulation

Q: Do you have a crazy cast party memory?

• I was one of the techs for Seussical the Musical my freshman year of high school. I went to the cast pool party, which was crazy in itself. We ended up pushing everyone in the pool. We also ganged up on the guy who played the cat in the hat.

Q: You're most awkward onstage moment?

• When I was in CinderOz, during our first two performances, our lighting tech had some technical difficulties. Oz and I had to enter with the lights still on when they were supposed to be off.

Q: Most challenging role you've ever played

• Definitely Mrs. White in Clue. I have a lot of sexual lines I had to say and I even had to say one to a women who is usually directing my performances. Let's just say, I was still laughing at my lines during tech week and I couldn't look my director in the eye when I said the line.

Q: Why do you love theatre?

• I love theatre for so many reasons. I love being able to create a character is nothing like who I am. I love the rush I get on stage. But most importantly, I love they people in this family. I love how caring and accepting the people are, and I personally love my theatre family.

Theatre is such an important part of my life, and I love every thing about it.

Sincerely,

Carlee Williamson

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Twitter: Theatre_Corner

Welcome!!!!

Me as Pin in CinderOz

Hello Theatre Geeks, Thespians, and whatever else you want to call yourselves,

My name is Carlee and welcome to my new blog. Some of you may know of my other blog Carlee's Cosmetic Corner that I have been running for the last two and a half years now. That was back when I was first starting to get into makeup and all things beauty. I still love it, don't get me wrong, but another love has a bigger chunk of my heart than makeup and that's theatre.

My program Mary Poppins

I started actively pursuing theatre when I was in the seventh grade. My junior high was holding auditions for Aladdin, and me and one of my friends decided to audition. We both got parts. Since then, I have been a part of over 15 shows (most of which have been original scripts) and have auditioned for more than that. I am now nearing the end of high school and have continued to have theatre present in my life.

Having theatre in my life has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. It became only natural for me to write a blog about it. So get ready to be sucked into the world of performing arts. I promise you won't regret it.

Sincerely,

Carlee W., your fellow theatre geek.

Instagram: @the_theatre_corner
Twitter: @theatre_corner