by Lola Furbee
Welcome to Lola’s Show Biz Studies! My name is Lola Furbee, and as I’m currently writing this article, I’m a sophomore at North Central College. I’m double majoring in Communication Studies and Theatre: Directing and Dramaturgy Track with minors in Marketing and Theatre (I know, a mouthful). Aside from WONC, I play the clarinet and serve as the Media Relations Chair for the Cardinal Athletic Bands and I’m the treasurer for the arts management organization on campus, Catalyst Creative.
I joined WONC about one year ago now, and so far, I’ve had a great time working DJ shifts, writing up newscasts, and creating articles for the website. If you’ve ever had the chance to catch me on air on Sundays, there’s a good chance you got to hear me blabber on and on about my theatre exploits of the week. Even the articles that I’ve written for WONC in the past have solely been reviews of NCC Theatre Department’s productions from the past two semesters. Hence, I came to the inevitable decision to create this ongoing article series dedicated to theatre.
Showbiz Studies will be my outlet to write down all of my theatre-related thoughts, and to anyone who’s had the misfortune to witness my theatre-related rants in real time, you know that I have many. I frequent Broadway in Chicago productions as much as my budget will allow, and I’m no stranger to stalking theatrical social media accounts for the latest updates. My love for this medium has even shaped my collegiate years, and hopefully my future career if all goes according to plan. I’ve only scratched the surface with the reviews I’ve written for WONC in the past; Showbiz Studies will dive into my experiences working in theatre, my stance on the Tony Awards, my opinions on my favorite musicals, and so much more.
To those of you who have not had to bear witness to any of my theatre rants, you may be curious as to what about this specific art form compels me to be so passionate. This is a question I often used to ask myself, as I was finding myself, seemingly for no reason, drawn to the stage. Around the age of twelve it felt like, overnight, I turned into this all-obsessed theatre kid. Looking back, I definitely have my parents to thank for giving me the bug. Pretty consistently, I can remember them taking me to see local productions of plays and musicals when I was as young as five-years-old. The integral catalyst, though, the event that I credit to my theatre-loving heart to this day, is seeing my first professional musical in the sixth grade, The Phantom of the Opera. I’ve re-lived the experience so many times in my brain that the memory of seeing this show has been ingrained in my being ever since. Nevertheless, I’ll be sure to write about all those thrilling details in a future installment of Showbiz Studies.
Getting back on track, I’m looking forward to what Showbiz Studies is going to look like in the future. I already know I’m going to have a grand time writing down all my theatre thoughts in a more structured manner, and I’m sure my friends and family might be relieved to hear they won’t have to listen to my theatre tirades again (let’s be real, I’m still going to bother them with my thoughts). Most of all though, I hope Showbiz Studies introduces new audiences to this incredible art form. I often find that new crowds come to the theatrical space with many preconceived notions, especially when it comes to musical theatre. I want nothing more than to break down these expectations and prove that theatre is more than a cliche song and dance. Theatre is so much more, and I want nothing other than for everyone to get the chance to experience its excellence for themselves one day.
