#acting major

[fandoms-my-fandoms]

Here is a list of 50 of my current all time theatre dream roles (musicals and non-musicals) because I am a female acting major who is having trouble in believing my dreams for my future are attainable at this current moment:

1. Christine Daaé - Phantom of the Opera

2. Emily Webb - Our Town

3. Belle - Beauty and the Beast

4. Katherine Plumber - Newsies the Musical

5. Elizabeth Bennet - Pride and Prejudice

6. Veronica Sawyer - Heathers the Musical

7. Maria - The Sound of Music/or/West Side Story

8. Hodel - Fiddler on the Roof

9. Zazzalil - Firebringer

10. Eliza - Hamilton

11. Laurie Williams - Oklahoma

12. Cinderella - Into the Woods/or/Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella

13. Narrator - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat

14. Princess Anna - Frozen the Musical

15. Hermia - A Midsummer Nights Dream

16. Elphaba - Wicked

17. Glinda - Wicked

18. Éponine - Les Misérables

19. Winnifred the Woebegone - Once Upon A Mattress

20. Miss Honey - Matilda the Musical

21. Ariel Moore - Footloose the Musical

22. Dorothy Gale - The Wizard of Oz

23. Lucy van Pelt - You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown

24. Princess Fiona - Shrek the Musical

25. Viola - Twelve Night

26. Hermione Granger - A Very Potter Musical Trilogy

27. Ginny Weasley - A Very Potter Musical

28. Eliza Doolittle - My Fair Lady

29. Leading Player - Pippin

30. Natalie Haller - All Shook Up

31. Miss Saundra - All Shook Up

32. Cosette - Les Misérables

33. Princess Ariel - The Little Mermaid the Musical

34. Eva Peron - Evita

35. Maureen Johnson - RENT

36. Mary - It’s A Wonderful Life

37. Sue Snell - Carrie the Musical

38. Truly Scrumptious - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

39. Johanna Barker - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

40. Molly Aster - Peter and the Starcatcher

41. Gertrude Fail - Failure: A Love Story

42. Brooke Ashton - Noises Off

43. Megara - Hercules the Musical

44. Mary Poppins - Mary Poppins

45. Nora Helmer - A Dolls House

46. Queen Elsa - Frozen the Musical

47. Charity Hope Valentine - Sweet Charity

48. Fanny Brice - Funny Girl

49. Anya - Anastasia

50. Jane - Tarzan

There’s probably even some that I forgot to put on this list that should probably be in the place of some of these other roles, but I did want to incorporate roles from non-musicals as well. I do acknowledge that this list is still very much mostly musicals, but I fear I have not read many straight plays. Also, most of the work I’ve already done is musical theatre. Which is why I’m an acting major. I want to be exposed to more pieces of theatre that don’t have singing and dancing. There are a bunch of shows that I would love to be in, but don’t necessarily have dream roles solely because they are either ensemble heavy productions or they would just be really fun projects to work on. For example, my school, Illinois State University, just did Bonnie and Clyde the Musical. That shit was GUT WRENCHING. I would have loved to be apart of that project. I don’t exactly have a dream role in that show because every role in Bonnie and Clyde is so essential to telling that story. I am however, working on my first MainStage production here at ISU. I am playing the Nurse in Equus. Again, not a show that I had any dream role going into being cast in this project. But, this story is very heavy and unique. I have never worked on a show as different and dramatic as this one. I am really excited to be part of this cast, and I will be happy to post information about this show in the weeks to come, or you can message me and ask for more details! Thanks for reading my extra long blog post for today! :)

[thestudyofdrama]

Top Seven: Websites

I’ve scoured the internet high and low for some fantastic websites you can spend time on, without feeling like you are missing out on theater stuff during the pandemic.

1. For Podcasts...Broadway Podcast Network

So. Many. Podcasts! That focus specifically on theater, Broadway, and the West End! Did you know that Tim Rice, Donna McKechnie, and Kerry Butler all have podcasts? Listen to them here, along with podcasts on backstage happenings, show-based series, and even some Dungeons and Dragons played by thespians!

2. For Streaming Shakespeare...Globe Player

I am personally having a war with myself to switch from Netflix and Hulu over to subscribing to the Globe’s streaming service. Not only do they have shows in English, but in performed in other languages too! Lithuanian productions of Hamlet with subtitles, a South Korean production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and one of my favorites, Twelfth Night with Stephen Fry as Malvolio and Mark Rylance as Olivia!

3. For Book Box Subscriptions...Dramatists Play Service Book Club

I, again, personally have not used this service. It’s a quarterly (and somewhat pricey) book subscription box, at $34.99 for a box of  seven plays delivered four times a year. I’m not someone who has book box subscriptions, but if I ever become one, it would absolutely be this one.

4. For Brushing Up on Your Shakespeare (Scansion)...Precanned Shakespeare

Are you performing Shakespeare soon and haven’t the faintest idea on how to score your lines? Thank goodness for Precanned Shakespeare! This site, presents each play and sonnet by Shakespeare with each line of verse scanned with syllable notes, indicating where the emphasis in lines and words belongs.

5. For Reading Plays Online...Scribd

If you subscribe to any reading-focused website, it should be Scribd. There are so many nonfiction, fiction, and audiobooks here for your enjoyment. Know what else they have, at the price of $9.99 month for access to everything? Hundreds of plays and musical theater books.

6. For Finding DVDs and CDs of International Shows...eBay

I’ve found a million different cast albums for Wicked, Elisabeth, Tanz der Vampire, and more, that you can’t find on Amazon. There is far more memorabilia from various productions than on Amazon.

7. For Finding DVDs and CDs and Sheet Music and More of International Shows...Sound of Music-Shop

Goodness I love this website. I can’t find sheet music for Die Päpstin anywhere else but here! You can use their advance search to filter shows by country, which streamlines your quest for more international musicals even quicker!

[darkdoelette]

[theatricalbellarke-blog]

HAYLEY is 21 and studying Acting/performance to become an actress for the stage and screen. When not performing and laughing until her stomach hurts with her friends, she can be found having heart palpitations over the 100 and the AMAZING cast and well developed characters. She started watching the 100 while roaming Netflix and season 1 was streaming. It was history after that. She is smol and passionate - often denying that she is a complete romantic and is usually more than not thinking about Bellarke. Alongside co-blog runner Courtney, she can’t wait to explore, respect, analyze and fangirl over the 100, in a truly dramatic fashion. 

personal blog: (home-and-free)

[5-to-places]

Here's to the Theatre Majors

-whose parents told them they wouldn't pay for college if they majored in theatre (this actually happened to a friend if mine, it made me sick to my stomach when they told me) -who are constantly lectured on the importance of "fallback careers" -who constantly hear "it's never too late to change your major" -who always get the response of "theatre....cool...." when they tell people -who are asked if they're going to get a "real job" -who constantly hear about the "starving artist" stereotype I'm only just starting college so feel free to add what I missed, but here's to the Theatre Majors, let's prove them all wrong guys

[thestudyofdrama]

Clothes All Thespians Should Own

1) An all-black outfit: Black shirt, black pants, black socks, black shoes. Long, short sleeve, and tank top. This is number one on this list, because it’s the thing you will need most often, no doubt.

2) Character shoes.

3) Ballet shoes (for dance class), tap shoes (if in tap class or in a tap show)

4) Hair ties and hair clips for people with long hair

5) Your show/company/school will either give you a show shirt, or request that you pay around $20ish to order it in. In my experience it hasn’t been a requirement, but I like to have a collection of show shirts nonetheless

6) Comfortable undergarments. Unless you are doing a period piece in which you are wearing period accurate underthings that will be shown, comfortable undergarments are an absolute must. You are moving around on a hot stage for usually two hours at least, sometimes more, sometimes less. The last thing you want is to be taken out of character because your underthings are making you uncomfortable.

This last one is a tip: Be aware that some shows will ask you to bring in your own clothes to wear as a costume, and that you will be leaving those clothes in the dressing room, and that they will need to be laundered, and that you will need to wear other street clothes to rehearsal if you are changing into the other outfit.

[thestudyofdrama]

Skills I’d Like to Have

Polyglot: I’d like to speak several languages. Specifically, at minimum, Spanish, French, German, and Dutch. There are others, but I’d like to be completely fluent in those four. Why? There are a ton of plays and musicals I love in those languages that I would love to direct or act in.

Dance: I love musical theater, and I love dancing, but I have two left feet! I’m aiming to take more dance classes in the future.

Athletic ability: I’m a total klutz, but if I can lift a bit more or a run a bit faster or be able to swim, there are more roles and possibilities open to me.

Piano/guitar/harmonica/instrument playing: There are so many roles that either include or are improved by the actor being a proficient musician. Currently, I play piano, I’m working on acoustic guitar, and I’m about to start electric guitar, but I’m aiming to get a harp next year or in 2022 and take lessons.

Baton twirling: Because it’s fun, that’s why!

Whistle with my fingers: So I can hail a cab in the Big Apple!

Moonwalking: So I can show off at parties!

Juggle” Party trick!

Tie a tie: Because I want to wear tuxedos and look hella dapper!

Say the alphabet backwards: Tongue twister for vocal warm ups!

Stage combat: So I can be in ALL the Shakespeare! I want to be Mercutio! I want to be Hamlet! I want to be a sword wielding Beatrice!

Morse Code: I don’t know, it just seems like a cool thing to know and put on a resume!

Start a fire with tinder and kindling: In case I’m ever in a survival movie!

Knitting: It’s cute stage business!

Swimming: So I can be prepared in case I decide to work as a professional mermaid

[thestudyofdrama]

Who all is taking theater history, and who still needs to take it? I’ll be sharing my etsy store soon, and there shall be PDF study guides galore. Once I acquire a good printer, I will sell (at some point this year), flashcards on various theater subjects.