Hello lovely readers!
This milestone has been coming up for a while, and I am so thrilled to finally share what I have prepared for it.
I wanted to make a list of 100 things… But how could I choose?
This led me to create multiple lists of favourite shows, songs, theatre inspirations, and of course, your questions, which all add up to 100!
This isn’t a short one, so let’s get started:
10 Favourite Musicals I’ve Seen Live
Rock of Ages
Bat Out Of Hell
A Chorus Line
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Waitress
Wicked
Les Miserables
The Last Ship
Newsies
10 Musicals I Want To See Live, But Haven’t Yet
On Your Feet
Bandstand
Tina!
She Loves Me
Hamilton
Jesus Christ Superstar
Caroline, or Change
What The Constitution Means To Me
Come From Away
Diana
10 Musical Moments/Numbers
Overture
Elphaba Flies - Wicked
Day-O and Act 1 Finale - Beetlejuice
Finale - Les Misérables
Right This Way - Bandstand
Paradise By The Dashboard Light - Bat Out Of Hell
Megamix- Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat
Megamix - Mamma Mia
Omar Sharif - The Band’s Visit
Curtain Call
10 Musical Theatre Albums
The Canadian Cast Recording of The Phantom of the Opera
The Bridges of Madison County
Six
Bat Out Of Hell
Bonnie and Clyde
Kinky Boots
Waitress
Bandstand
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Catch Me If You Can
10 Musical Theatre Inspirations
Chilina Kennedy
Kerry Butler
Lulu Lloyd
Ruthie Ann Miles
Catherine Charlebois
Teale Dvornik
Xena Gusthart
Gabi Epstein
Danielle Steers
Lorretta Bailey
10 Theatre People I’d Love To Have Lunch With
Paul Wonterek
The Granddaddies of MT
Granddaddies of Musical Theatre
Julie Andrews
Kate Lumpkin
Barbara Cook
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Stephen Sondheim
Lin-Manuel Miranda
My Top 10 Dream Roles
Amalia - She Loves Me
Glinda - Wicked
Raven - Bat Out Of Hell
Ella - R&H Cinderella
Katherine - Newsies
Janet - The Rocky Horror Show
Hope Harcourt - Anything Goes
Cosette - Les Miserables
Julia - Bandstand
Sophie - Mamma Mia
10 Of My Favourite Musical Theatre Songs To Sing
Vanilla Ice Cream - She Loves Me
Someone Handed Me The Moon - Anne And Gilbert
Love Will Come And Find Me Again - Bandstand
What Baking Can Do - Waitress
One Fine Day Reprise - Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Let It Go - Frozen
Fight For Me - Heathers
Thank Goodness - Wicked
Journey To The Past - Anastasia
Santa Fe - Newsies
Answering 10 of YOUR Questions!
What musical, if any, could you picture yourself seeing 100 times?
I honestly don't know! It would probably be something like Mamma Mia, or Rock of Ages, or Bat Out Of Hell: those shows that are non-stop fun!
However, I think my final answer would have to be Wicked. It's a classic and always gives me a warm, happy feeling.
How have you been staying creative during the pandemic?
One of the few bright sides to the situation is how much time we’ve received. So, I haven’t really been creative in different ways, necessarily, but I have time to create in all the ways I’ve wanted to.
I’m still writing here, and taking voice lessons and other classes to continue my training.
I also had the opportunity to organize a few virtual concerts, as well as start as a co-host to a podcast, which are things I’ve always wanted to do, but didn’t have the opportunity to before.
This answer kind of leads into the next question:
How do you stay motivated to create during the pandemic?
I get this a lot. I definitely need to start off by saying that there are times I haven’t been motivated to do much of anything. In this virtual world, it’s so easy to look at something and assume someone is creating and thriving all the time, but that isn’t true. It’s been key in keeping myself inspired to remind myself that my real life isn’t something I can or should compare to someone else’s highlight reel.
As for motivating myself, I’ve really just been gentle with myself. There are no huge deadlines or anything right now, so my goal has been to just take that pressure off and do what feels good for me. Sometimes that’s multiple projects at once, others it’s just time for Netflix and snuggling the cat.
I have been not only more motivated, but more fulfilled by taking the time on whatever it is I’m working on, to make sure it’s what I’m passionate about and want to be doing, and to take breaks while working on it.
What musical did you get into for the first time last year?
This is definitely a hard question to answer because theatres have been shut down for quite some time. That being said, I was able to attend the virtual reading of the developmental lab for shAme, which is a new rock musical based on The Scarlet Letter. It was really exciting, and it’s definitely going to be my new musical obsession once more content becomes available. I can’t wait!
What are your TOP THREE musical theatre numbers of all time?
Of all time? Geez.
This is really hard! But I love Right This Way from Bandstand, Seize The Day from Newsies, and Raise You Up/Just Be from Kinky Boots.
Where do you prefer to sit: Balcony, Orchestra, or Box?
I really love this question, because my answer is actually “anywhere but a box.” Because it’s not easy to see the stage from a box. As for Balcony vs Orchestra, it really doesn’t matter much to me, and most of the time depends on pricing as well as the show itself. If it’s a dance heavy show, or one with large effects, the balcony provides you with the opportunity to see everything, but with more intimate pieces, being closer is much better. That being said, I’m lucky as Mirvish in Toronto usually has sales on their orchestra seats, providing that premium seat experience without breaking the bank.
I do love the mid-orchestra seats though, they really are the best of both worlds.
What is your favourite theatre snack?
Well, I don’t want to eat inside a theatre, and one of my pet peeves is when audience members around me do. I usually go for a meal before or after a show, and going to Fran’s downtown is always a nice preshow treat!
I did love the pies at Waitress, though.
Would you prefer a musical to be adapted for the screen, or released as a proshot?
Proshot always. I love a good movie musical, but so much gets lost from stage to screen. A proshot at least showcases theatre artists, the work of the original creatives, and might even inspire someone to go see a live musical. It also would serve to make theatre accessible to those outside of major cities.
What are your TOP FIVE favourite blog posts so far?
This isn’t an easy question to answer! I definitely have a few favourites, so I’ll share them below!
I got to interview Rebecca Caine, one of my idols, and she is just the loveliest!
Another interview I loved was with Emma and Hannah of Bringing You Broadway, an organization dedicated to bringing musical theatre to exceptional kids:
I also managed to gather all of my feelings to talk about To Kill A Mockingbird:
I loved digging into the real life stories behind hit musicals, especially Hamilton:
And of course, my very favourite posts are the lists of my favourite female characters in musical theatre:
What’s next?
My goal for this year was to get out a post a week, but clearly that’s changed a bit.
I have a bunch of pieces in progress, and will be sharing them with you very soon!
There’s a lot on it’s way here, and on Breaking The Curtain as well! Speaking of the podcast, I am still slowly working on transcribing the episodes for you all, and they will be posted here as I work my way through them!
5 Things I’ve Learned (As A Blogger and Performer)
Don’t be afraid to ask questions, or sending invitations… If you don’t ask, you’ll never know.
Trust your gut.
Follow your heart - Commit to what you’re passionate about.
It’s okay to make mistakes, they make you better.
Take every opportunity that comes your way, you can learn from everything.
5 Things I Love About Theatre
It heals.
It teaches.
It inspires us - not only those who wish to work in the arts, but at our core level as humans.
It connects people from all walks of life.
Music uses both parts of your brain!
If you made it to the bottom of this page with me, thank you so much for taking the time to help celebrate this milestone!
As I mentioned, this isn’t a number I ever imagined hitting, and it’s because of you that I’ve come this far. If there is ever anything you would like to see on this page, let me know and I will do my best to make it happen!
Here’s to 100 more!
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