Response to Austin's blog

It's been 3 years that I've known Austin Westergom. I met this crazy kid in "Seussical" and again in "Cinderella Wore Combat Boots" and again in "High School Musical." Two of those times I was against him for a role. I can honestly say that he has the potential to be a great performer one day if he sticks to theater. Don't let that get to your head though, man. You have to work for this and I can see that you are willing to, and never lose that ambition. You've got a lot of charisma, sometimes more than me (WOW). Now build that confidence and you'll be kickin' butt in those auditions and shows. Unfortunately, Austin and I suffer from the same drawback: singing. From what I know he is as shaky with his voice as I am and that is a very hard thing for actors like us to endure, especially when it means the difference between principals and chorus. But Austin and I also share another trait. We have been given the gift of comedic timing. We know how to turn a line into a side-splitter. I personally appreciate this gift more than that of a nice set of "vocal chords." You should too, Austin. Because laughter is what makes the world go round! To make someone laugh is to put a picture in their head and make them believe that something YOU think is funny is hilarious to them. So Austin, in the words of Donald O'Connor "Make 'em laugh, make 'em laugh, make 'em laugh!"

My Response to Kia's blog

So, Kia, you've got the right idea. That's exactly why I love the theater. It's were you can make a total fool out of yourself in front of hundreds and not even care. I never knew that you felt this way about theater because you were always a shy guy, someone who would rather shun the limelight. You've stepped out of your comfort zone quite a bit in the past 3 years and I'm proud of you for it. Keep it up! Stop caring about what people will say and remember to never put the words "I" and "can't" in the same sentence. Anything is possible on stage, and you'll prove that night after night. Amaze them.

She did WHAT?!

You don't say? A woman dresses up as a man and joins the army? Woah, isn't the penalty for that DEATH!?
Yes the penalty was death and yes, a young woman in ancient China dressed as a man and joined the army. She did a brave thing, she most certainly saved her father's life. But Disney doesn't exactly give us the straight story. Her real name is apparently Hua Mulan. It is true that she dressed up like a man to save her father, but she actually fell in love with a man named Jin Yong whom she shared a tent with. Hua Mulan is later promoted to General, and this is quite amazing to me. She went for 12 years in the Chinese army and was never discovered. For 12 years! Yet I also find it interesting that Disney turns these stories around this way. Disney shows us what they want us to see and what they believe will keep the audiences attention. The website I used to find this info is:http://www.chinaculture.org
Without a doubt, I would say Mulan is one of my favorite tales of heroism. It takes something special and rare to do something so dangerous out of love, a quality that only comes around once every couple centuries in a person.

Research on musical theatre

One of the oldest traditions of all time, one of the greatest things ever created by mankind, and the most entertaining thing to ever touch the stage is musical theatre. The energy, the people and the feeling projected from the stage is phenominal, and it's something that can't be found anywhere else. A musical is a combination of a concert and a drama. It mixes the best of both worlds, the fun and exciting music of a live concert, and the intriguing plot of a drama. What's not to like?
I was interested in the idea of musical descending from operas and so I decided to do a little research on that topic. I found a website and I listed it below:
http://www.musicals101.com/musical.htm
Although this website had a bit of opinionated statements I found it as a good source to learn about the history of musical theatre. To think that operas were perhaps the offspring of musical theatre and not the other way around was quite appealing. I've never been a fan of opera and anytime I hear that "Had it not been for opera, there'd be no musical theatre," my stomach churns. So now I know that all those big ladies with their viking helmets that hit notes unnatural to this world are actually descendents of those sweet young girls that happen to randomly break into song in public. Interesting how that works out...

Let's Learn More About this Theatre Stuff

I'm Glenn Lorandeau and I've never tried this blogging stuff before but in my first blog I'm gonna talk about my experience in the summer theatre program. I was in this program last year and I enjoyed it immensely. This year I think the show will go well and I think a show with as much energy as Mulan will be well received by our audience. Of course we'll need a cast with just as much energy, which leads us to the auditions. The auditions are the second most exciting part of an entire show, in my opinion. The suspense of finding out who got what roles is the most exciting part. I was not so nervous about the auditions because I knew everyone in the room and I felt confident that I would do my best and that our director would like it. Perhaps not as much as another person's audition but I wouldn't let something as small as nerves hold me back. I've been on stage many times and I love it and no matter what role a person has they have the ability to make that role their own and steal the show. So to all my fellow classmates I give this advice: There is no such thing as small roles, just small actors. Make it big, and it's your show. I think this experience will be a good experience for me. I'll get to play the bad guy for once and I'll hopefully get a lot of singing practice. I'm sure my class is just as excited as me to get this show on the road!