Theatre - Blog Posts

"Born to be in a hospital, forced to be in a jail cell" - my irl bsf (who plays toad), 2025

JANE DOE FROM RTC. I can hit the high notes but I fear I am an alto and sound better in lower roles. Also I can act like her I just have to stop masking /hj

But unfortunately my school can only do musicals appropriate for young kids (we're a K-12 school) and the local community theatre doing ride the cyclone you have to be 18+ so 💔 probably not gonna do ride the cyclone ahshshs

honorable mention to Jeremy heere from bmc, I could play him very well because my range is within the range they have him sing in, and I kinda act like him, but I fear I am afab non binary (though i do play a man in the current production im in..) and again my school is a K-12 school so no 💔

theatre kids of tumblr. reblog this with that one role you know you’d be good for but you’ll never get

for me it’s hermes from hadestown. also maybe skimbleshanks but i think i could get that one if local theatre group did cats.

wow you guys LOVE this post i’ve gotten like 10 notes in the past ten minutes. i’d like to add that i would make an AMAZING orpheus because my range is the same and also i play guitar. unfortunately they do not love the concept of orpheus being a transmasc teenager. so

What Are Your Top 5 Favorite Musical Songs?

Here are mine(in no particular order):

On My Own: Although I’ve haven’t experienced romantic love yet, I adore this song! It’s well orchestrated and sung by Frances Ruffelle, her voice is beautiful.

The Wizard & I: I can relate to Elphaba’s wish to be accepted since I felt that way too. Idina Menzel’s sings amazingly and gets into character so well. I also saw this song performed live and the way it’s done on stage made me like this song more.

Satisfied: Love the blending of rapping and regular singing in this song. It works so well! Renée Elise Goldsberry nails it and made me see Angelica in a different, but good way.

Breathe: I haven’t heard the whole soundtrack yet, but “Breathe” is such a standout to me so far. Again, I relate to Nina’s fear of disappointing her family(I feel that way 24/7). Mandy Gonzalez sings very well and her high notes are delightful to hear. As an Hispanic, I really enjoyed the addition of Spanish.

I Don’t Need Your Love: Izuka Hoyle nails the vulnerability of Catherine Parr’s sad story of losing her love, and her growing confidence in herself later on. The latter part of the song makes me feel so powerful. All the women singing together by the end was so good! Their voices blended so well together.

Yeah sambas look cute and are popular but every time I put mine on I’m overtaken by the insatiable urge to do the box step and sing a show tune

Y’all can go on and on about niche fandoms, but I think I may have one of the nichest

Trap.

Trap, by Stephen Gregg. It’s a play down in documentary style where the actors in it play monsters playing actors playing characters playing monsters playing actors playing characters. It’s very meta hahaha

But when I tell you I’ve been trying to find fan works for this, I mean I’ve been TRYING. There are 6 fanfictions about it, and all other fan works are mostly just people talking about when they were in this play.

Please try and read it or watch a school/theatre that is putting it on a production, it’s so darn good and I love it.

yall i have a rent obsession now how do i stop being a theatre kid and crying over a fictional couple

I can do it with a broken heart is genuinely so depressive episode whilest being in a musical coded, like yeah I’m sparkly and in full glam makeup and singing about getting married , sure I go home and stare at my pills for hours praying for a burst of strength to either take the bottle or to get up and leave, but like this show would fall apart without me doing everything behind the scenes and they can’t replace me this late so really I’m being silly and selfish so I need to get over this already

Growing up is actually just enjoying the exact same things you enjoyed at 14 years old, but in a more gay way

Leitmotifs drive me insane, like I hear *repeated melody that has an association with a person, idea, or situation* and I go *tears up the fucking rug like a dog*

the staging and lighting in the big ensemble scenes are so beautiful <3

🎥 @medium-observation

god the spring show that we’re doing for my highschools orchestra is scratching my brain SO GOOD RN OMLLL, we’re doing “Kiss Me Kate” and the instrumentals are just MMMMMMH *chef kiss*

MODERN AU KAZZLE DAZZLE

Who else wants a emo theatre kid Kaz in a modern highschool AU, with a bad emo haircut, an obsession for sunglasses and dramatic gloves (gloves for trauma), UNO, cards, mirror selfies and takeout, and a crush on his Lil sister's bestfriend, star gymnast of Ketterdam High, Inej Ghafa and gets teased abt it by his annoying older brother Jordie.

Tag(s): @bookworm-center

Spot, sitting on the ceiling fan: Brooklyn's here

Jack, swatting him with a broom: how did you get in the lodge house?

-- My Added note since this is from fangirls-thoughts--

I have a habit of getting onto and into things I am not meant too......Given that, I am constantly seeking up on people by hiding on top of things. I scared my tech manager during one of our shows because I got up on a vending machine and hid until he passed by......Pretty sure I almost gave him a heart attack

As a light operator for a high school with whom the stage manager loves me, I can not even give you a number where they have just wanted to kill everyktage hand and actor alike because of this. Then there’s our amazing tech dad who just eats Doritos in our microphones during shows just because he can.............

Here’s a fun game to play backstage! Simon Says, but instead of Simon it’s Stage Manager Says and everyone just LISTENS TO THE STAGE MANAGER AND THE PROPS WOULDN’T GO MISSING GODDAMMI-

in my first year doing high school theatre i tried to use a fog machine (cuz my dad owns one and i knew how to use it) but as soon as it entered the theatre it S T O P P E D W O R K I N G and so we had to cut it :(

Technician: Why are you so concerned about the haze machine?

Production Manager: Because on the last show, we had to… uh…

Lighting Designer: Wank off the haze machine live on stage mid-show to make it put out any fog.

Technician: Well that’s the first time I’ve ever heard someone say those words in that order.

I literally posted nothing about our show but you can follow along with the quotes I submitted to whatislifebesidesrehearsal!

I loved this show, the new grade 8s were so amazing...

*After the last show*

Tech team and Stage Manager: *singing along to ‘Counting Stars’ by OneRepublic while cleaning up*

Actors: *crying*

Stage Crew: *awkwardly trying to move set pieces without disturbing crying actors*

[Actor lying prone after fall]

Director: HOLD

Actor: no I'm okay that was just my commitment to the bit

submitted by @manicpixiemonster

oh the show that my high school theatre company closed 2 months ago had over 200 props if we're counting set dressing (it was a teenager's bedroom so it was MESSY)

[The show contains three props]

Production Manager: what do you think about the props?

Stage Tech: felt over indulged. A little much.

Production Manager: here's the costume storage. What it lacks in convenience it makes up for in space.

As a past Assistant Stage Manager and now full-on Stage Manager for my high school theatre company, here's some things to know: (some of them aren't really ASM but these will be important once you're a full-on SM!)

The actors may think they are better than you. Do with that what you will.

As early as you can, type up (or find an already-typed document) of the script, so you can add all the cues and notes straight on and not have to messily scribble cues on a piece of paper. I colour-code mine, but you can do whatever you want.

Remember, communication is key! Make sure to stay in touch with other departments.

Once you have your typed document (or 'masterscript' as I call it) share it with EVERYONE. The director, the actors, all the other Stage Crew people, and ESPECIALLY your other SM(s).

Stay in contact with your director, and if they have plans for the actors, make sure to let them know as soon as possible.

You will need to come up with a lot of plans on the fly, so know as much as you can! You don't want to be in the dark about anything.

Prepare to wear a lot of hats and do a lot of jobs. As my theatre department has 24 members (cast+crew) I have to do multiple jobs, such as: Scriptwriter, Head of Set, Head of Props, Head (and only member :/ ) of Costumes, and of course, Stage Manager. On top of all that, I am also the only run crew so yay!

Although, if your theatre department is big enough, you will also be responsible for delegating responsibility. Before every rehearsal, go through a shape of the day with your director, and make sure everyone knows what they're doing and when.

Also, drink a lot of water and make sure to keep your voice healthy! The cast for my show is very rowdy, and I've strained my voice on multiple occasions trying to yell over them to get them to quiet down :,)

Anyways, have fun! The only way you can truly make a show good is if you are passionate about it! Being a Stage Manager, and all the responsibilities that come from it are usually overlooked, but at the end, you're helping run an incredible show! Good luck!

Hi! more of a question i have about theatre stuff!!

I just got picked to be the assistant stage manager for my schools show (the addams family) !! im a sophomore in high school and this will be my 2nd year doing theatre at my school; and i hope to apply/get stage manager next year !!

any advice? thank youu !!

Hi!! That's so exciting! (In fair warning, I've not personally worked in stage management, I've only done a course on it, so I've outsourced a lot of this from @manicpixiemonster)

"Enjoy paperwork."

More seriously, the SM team is the centerpoint of information in a production so Be Organized. (Personally I'm a color-coder, but the Best method is whatever one works best for you.) People will be coming to you for questions so be prepared (even if it's about the thing that you really did send three emails and four text messages about already)

This doesn't mean that you have to know everything automatically. If there's something you're wondering about, ask. Especially since you're still in school and (I am assuming here) fairly new to this, take it as a learning opportunity and get involved and ask questions rather than trying to blend into the background.

Be focused because you're a model of behavior for the cast and crew. You want to be approachable but also an authority figure in the room. (This can be tricky, especially in HS since theater tends to be a very social experience)

Confidence is key! And remember you've got a whole team (and production) working with you to make this show successful.

stay hydrated :) also if you've got one, wear a watch.

As our (transmasc!) Assistant Director adamantly put it, "Non-Binary people can have dicks"

Also the problem got sorted but I was so mad with everyone in that argument for a few days but because high school theatre I still had to see them every day...

An actor wanted to change a character's pronouns? (ah, high school theatre)

After about a month of starting this play, one of the actors decided they wanted to change their character from non binary (they/them pronouns) to a cis boy (he/him pronouns) for some reason.

The actor's reasoning was because "I just think it would work better." and "well the character talks about going to the bathroom so..." (as if that changes anything?)

In the original play, that character did in fact have he/him pronouns but the Assistant Director decided they wanted to change a few of the characters' pronouns to be more diverse. So now all the other actors will need to practice new lines...

I mean I guess it makes sense as the actor's gender expression is more masculine but you're an ACTOR. Aren't you supposed to pretend to be a different person?

Well, this doesn't really effect me with sound or anything but I just wanted to share with you guys.

Vocal Director: I’m so sorry to all the mentally ill people. Elf: The Musical did you wrong.

yeah its for the actors' and crew's sake, don't come saying it's for attention span, you've already committed to watching a 2+ hour play.

Unpopular theatre opinion: intermissions are bad and I wish we could just have a 2.5 hour performance uninterrupted, like people manage perfectly well at movie theaters. It always just kills my emotional immersion. Set changes and costume changes valid, but the art form could adapt in other ways. Or making the intermission experience somehow also part of the performance? Just something more interesting and intentional than dumping people out into the lobby to buy m&ms.

Theatre Update or something

Hey, if ya'll have been following up on my theatre debacles, you'll know that I was Assistant Stage Manager for my last show, even though I did more work than the Stage Manager themselves.

Well, because my old director left, (Moon talked about it in their post here, we work in the same theatre company) we got a new one, and because I was the most senior member of the Stage Crew, the Sound Designer was talking to them, and mentioned about me being ASM last year but doing more than the SM, and my director made me the Stage Manager! I finally get the title to go with all the work I'm going to have to do for this production! I'm so happy!

(is this how actors feel like when they get cast as one of the main roles istg)

Anyways I'll try to be more active with my theatre updates, as this is one wacky show and we've got a lot of new people in our company.

Yeah, I love singing and I perform whenever my theatre company does a fusion show (a cabaret show with music, improv, poetry, and acting) I always sing and play piano for it, but don't act.

Even though I do that, I still love doing my job as stage crew, and whenever I'm actually performing onstage, I remember to be nice and respect my fellow techies. (please for the love of everything put you dang costumes away thank you)

Let's normalize tech theatre kids who are also regular theatre kids

Show Week Update!

Before our last day show, the 2 board ops and I replaced the carpet for some reason, after the sound designer knighted me with a broom and the lighting designer talked about how magenta isn't even a real colour, it has to do with the cones in our eyes and how it's actually green but the green cones aren't stimulated. Read up on it, it's really interesting.

For the last show ever of this production, the actors had some fun with their lines, like in scene where an actor was supposed to say 'wow!' they said 'WHEE!' instead. For a scene where everyone had number cards, everyone turned them upside down. One of the characters gave me a bottle of hand sanitizer when i brought out a set piece. Overall, great way to end it, and the seniors graduating said a few words before the show.

Yeah that "WHEEEEEEE!!!!!!" during a scene caught everyone off guard lol

Our last show went well!

There were no sound mistakes (ok that's a lie there was a really small one but no one noticed) and only a few lighting mistakes but whatever. At least no one noticed that much.

Also, the actors included some funny off-script lines for this last show, so me and the lights designer had to keep ourselves from laughing while doing transitions.

And, after I made the announcement on our group chat and pinged all the actors, some of them had the AUDACITY to say;

"Oh thanks, (my name) you're a life saver! People might have forgot their props."

That came from an actor who forgot their costume piece and had to run to get it, and who forgets to put their prop back all the time.

and "THANKS (my name) I'M LAZY"

That came from my friend, who's been on stage crew before. I swear...

Speaking of bad behaviour from the actors, when I was going and doing my rounds and checking everything so we didn't have another mishap, (this show, an actor almost forgot their costume again! Luckily I reminded them to double-triple it!) and they got really annoyed that I was shining my flashlight so I didn't trip on anything. I even had my hand covering half of it! (I attached my flashlight on a chain of carabiners to make the ultimate flashlight)

SPEAKING of tripping on things, while I was going on the stage to stage left, I almost tripped on one of the set pieces we had onstage, conveniently painted... non-reflective black. My shins hurt so much :(

Show Update!

First night show one and done, woo! Still got one more night show tho...

Also, one of the main leading actors was delivering a monologue towards 3 other characters and accidentally did one of their names our of order so just said "and you" but it worked! (I don't think the crowd remembered anyways)

Also, we got our concession stand selling overpriced snacks for the 'experience' so I hope we can get back at least as much as a bucket of paint :/

one litre of paint was like 50 bucks :(

Ok reblogging this because IMMEDIATELY afterwards when I was putting back props and stuff, even made an announcement to the actors on our cast group chat, some actors decided to just leave their props and costumes lying around! This is how mishaps happen!

Since the night show was done and everyone was talking and whatever and getting food from our concession stand, I was running props back, and an actor had a prop. I told them to put it in the props box, but they didn't. I hope they didn't take it home.

SPEAKING of things people took home, I couldn't find my charger block, and I don't think I left it out in the open, so the sound designer pinged everyone in the cast group chat to tell them I lost my charger but no one's gotten back to them yet.

Show Update!

First night show one and done, woo! Still got one more night show tho...

Also, one of the main leading actors was delivering a monologue towards 3 other characters and accidentally did one of their names our of order so just said "and you" but it worked! (I don't think the crowd remembered anyways)

Also, we got our concession stand selling overpriced snacks for the 'experience' so I hope we can get back at least as much as a bucket of paint :/

one litre of paint was like 50 bucks :(

Show Update!

First night show one and done, woo! Still got one more night show tho...

Also, one of the main leading actors was delivering a monologue towards 3 other characters and accidentally did one of their names our of order so just said "and you" but it worked! (I don't think the crowd remembered anyways)

Also, we got our concession stand selling overpriced snacks for the 'experience' so I hope we can get back at least as much as a bucket of paint :/

one litre of paint was like 50 bucks :(