BWW Blog: Getting to Know You

Hello, Broadway World!. I was so excited to write my first post and start sharing my ideas that I forgot to share myself, that is, to introduce myself! Before you read my opinions and views, I thought you might want to know a little about me and my theatre journey.

I've always been obsessed with performing, musicals, Disney, and all things vaguely theatre-y (see the pic of baby Emma there, serving a little baby bevel). My first shows were in elementary school, where our music teacher would write original, education-based shows. The one that I remember most was about paleontologist bugs who live at a museum, in which I played a cockroach with a New York accent, which was definitely influenced by my longtime obsession with Fran Drescher and The Nanny. (On that note, Rachel Bloom, please slip my name to casting for The Nanny musical. Or, just be my friend, because you're super cool and I want to be you when I grow up. That works too.)

But alas, time passed on, and I went through an embarrassing amount of musical obsessions and playbills. Being fairly close to NYC I was lucky enough to get to see a few musicals a year with my family. As I grew up, so did my love for theatre and performing. I was in all of my middle school and high school musicals, which yes, are in their entirety on YouTube. (No, I will not provide the links, because if you are going to be cringe-laughing at my eighth-grade performance as Ursula in The Little Mermaid or when I fell on my butt in the middle of my rendition of Legally Blonde's Ireland, you'll have to find them for yourself). I took voice lessons and did a pre-college program, to begin prepping for my college audition experience.

I knew that it would be a bumpy road. As a plus-sized woman (which I will be writing another whole post on), the theatre industry can be tough. Especially the college audition process. My options were already narrowed down, as I wanted a school where I could double major or minor. Also, I did not apply to schools that had negative sounding language about looks and or physiques in their application materials, for fear that they would be a lost cause. After the college audition season, I got into American University's musical theatre program, where I am currently a rising junior. AU's theatre community is an amazing group of artists who have taught me so much both creatively and personally, and I miss them all like crazy.

Other than performing, I also have a love for theatre education and directing. Two summers ago I was the head of drama at my old summer camp, putting on a full musical every single week, and last summer I was an education intern at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. Outside of theatre, I also love reading, writing, my sorority, cooking, knitting, and my two nieces and two nephews.

Well, that's it for now! I look forward to sharing more with you, and thank you for reading!