BWW Blog: Introductions and a Brand New Playhouse

By: Mar. 19, 2019
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BWW Blog: Introductions and a Brand New Playhouse

Hey, I'm Cassie! I'm a freshman stage management major at Point Park University. I'm super excited to be a student blogger for BroadwayWWorld for the next few weeks or the indefinite future... who knows? I'm a huge Broadway and theatre nerd, as I'm sure most of you reading this are, and unlike some theatre people, I played a few sports in high school. I'm constantly listening to new musicals, and in my free time when not at theatre school, I'm always researching and googling the latest Broadway buzz or show. Theatre is quite literally my life.

Spring break has just ended, and I'm currently stuck in an airport. My flight has been delayed about 10 hours since the original departure time, and I keep wondering to myself if I will make it back in time for my mandatory script analysis class tomorrow. We'll see what happens! Point Park may be noticed mainly for its dance and musical theatre programs, but the other programs within the theatre department are not to be overlooked! We put on roughly eighteen productions every year, and every season includes a wide range of titles and styles. And probably the coolest thing about Point Park, we have a brand-new playhouse! It includes three different theatres; a large proscenium, a larger black box (known as our transformational space), and a smaller black box. Four large rehearsal studios, plus a spacious shop for each of our technical departments (I work in the paint shop!). It's super exciting to be able to open a brand-new facility and work through the challenges of working in a new space everyone is unfamiliar with! We have BFA programs in Musical Theatre, Acting, Theatre Production, and a BA in Theatre Arts: Performances and Practices. Surprisingly there are not many schools with a BFA in Theatre Production, especially for stage managers. So, getting to work towards a full BFA in Theatre Production is great. More theatre classes are better than more general education classes (and much more fun)!

This fall, our musical was Cabaret, which I feel like every college included sometime in their season this year, and opening this week is Sunday in the Park with George! Getting to recreate a Seurat painting on a large scale was such a fun experience. We finally hung the finished drop last week, and it looks spectacular. I can't wait to see it with full cast, costumes, set, and lighting in a few weeks! I love being able to really see each part of what goes into a huge scale production because in high school theatre the budget and level of commitment is not always what you see at the collegiate level. Plus, functioning as close to an equity level as possible in our rehearsals is great for both the actors and stage management team!

If you're ever on campus or want to learn more about Point Park's theatre programs, please feel free to reach out! I'd love to show you around or give you any information I can! I know when I was looking at schools last year, I always preferred speaking to current students in the desired program rather than the admissions counselor. Or if you just want to chat, that's cool too!

Instagram: _cassiemckay_

Photo Caption: My friends Logan, Georgia, and I before a performance of Evita at Interlakes Summer Theatre this past summer.



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