A Day in the Life Of… CCU MT 2014

When I look back to my life three years ago at the point of auditioning for colleges, I remember wondering what it was actually like to be a musical theatre major. No matter how much research you do, how many students you question, how many times you visit a school- nothing can truly teach you what it is really like until you are living it. Now I am into my junior year, and am interested in finding more ways to fully inform prospective students and other intrigued parties what “A Day in the Life” consists of.

So I came up with the idea of not just writing out my day, but taking my readers on a journey through photos. One Monday a month for my blog, I will be taking a trip through the eyes of a BFA Musical Theatre junior (class of 2014) at different well-known programs around the country. So, of course, we begin with my own school and my own Monday… a day at Coastal Carolina University! I tried to stay as unobtrusive as possible. Although I informed people of what I was doing, I turned off the flash and aimed for the most candid and honest pictures that I could. What’s “A Day in the Life” worth if it’s not sincere? So, enjoy- and let me know what you think!

Although I am probably not going to be doing another issue on CCU, next month we will join a student from Ball State and see a day in her shoes, and I hope to continue including these posts if people enjoy them.

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I wake up! On this particular Monday, I managed to get to sleep in until 7:30. I roll out of bed, hop in the shower, and get dressed for my day. I know that I have a full day ahead, so I pack a full back pack and lunch box- filled to the brim with binders, ballet flats, and plenty of snacks. I wave to my roomies (also BFA Musical Theatre girls in my year) and start my day.
(© Alexa Doggett)

I walk to school pretty much every morning. The theatre building is close, and when the weather is nice (which is almost always) a walk in the mornings is really beautiful and invigorating.
(© Alexa Doggett)

On Mondays and Wednesdays I work from 9:00AM-11:00AM in the theatre office. Technically my job is as “Student Audition Coordinator” so I schedule and then run all of the auditions for the BFA program. But in mid-September, there isn’t too much bustle in that department yet, so I mostly assist our wonderful theatre admin Kay with various copying/general office duties.
(© Alexa Doggett)

Next up is ballet class with professor/choreographer Barbara Hartwig! It’s a two hour class- typically with an hour of barre work/stretching and then the rest of the time is divided between center and across the floor work. On this particular day we began learning our first combination as well! Almost the entire junior BFA class is present, so it’s wonderful to watch each other learn and admire how much we’ve grown since Ballet 1 freshmen year.
(© Alexa Doggett)

The view from my spot at the barre!
(© Alexa Doggett)

Because our day is so filled, we don’t have a lunch break. We go straight from ballet (11:00-1:00) into Directing (1:00-3:00)- so we pack a lunch! Here’s a shot of 2 of my roomies and I eating our lunch in the acting studio before our professor arrives.
(© Alexa Doggett)

After a quick lunch, we go straight into directing with Monica Bell. She has been our acting and movement teacher (and often we’ve been directed by her!) for the last 2 years, and now we are able to learn a different skill from her. Here, she gathers the class in a circle to discuss our initial readings of a scene from the Yasmina Reza play Life x3.
(© Alexa Doggett)

Our main assignment for Directing 1 revolves around a scene in which we will direct. As students, we were paired off and are each given the same scene and the same actors- all culminating in a final presentation where we show what we have learned. We are still fresh into the process, so I don’t know my actors or even what scene I’m doing- just the play: The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman.
(© Alexa Doggett)

After directing we go straight into Acting 3 from 3:00-5:00. Acting 3 at CCU is “Alternatives to Realism”, a class that explores… alternatives to realistic theatre! At the beginning of class this time, we were handed back our tests on the Laban effort actions. Michael and Drew go over what they might have missed.
(© Alexa Doggett)

After our tests were handed back, we did a short warm up, and “check in” session, we explored some Feldenkrais. Our professor Gwendolyn Schwinke is certified in the method, and (like Laban) it is helping us learn more about our bodies to apply to our acting. Afterwards we worked exploring and applying Laban to our monologues from Sarah Kane’s 4:48 Psychosis.
(© Alexa Doggett)

After our long, three-class Monday we (as usual) move as a class in a herd back to our respective cars.
(© Alexa Doggett)

After grabbing a quick dinner back at home, we all jump in the car and (legally) speed to rehearsal. Here is my roommate Hannah (Rocky Horror’s Janet Weiss!) taking a quick cat nap on the way.
(© Alexa Doggett)

Before rehearsal begins for The Rocky Horror Show, cast mate (and certified instructor!) does a few quick Zumba routines to get the blood flowing and our heart rates/energy up… if the rest of our day wasn’t enough!
(© Alexa Doggett)

Here’s a quick shot of the creative team (from L-R: Choreographer Barbara Hartwig, director Robin Russell, stage manager Will Dameron, and one of our ASM’s Erika Whatley) preparing for the night. In the back you can spot some cool character research Robin dug up on giant post-it notes!
(© Alexa Doggett)

A candid of the cast actually rehearsing I snapped in the midst of choreographing “Charles Atlas.” You can spot Columbia, Frank, and Rocky in the foreground with Brad and Janet and some phantoms in the back. For this particular show, we are rehearsing Monday-Friday from 6:00-10:00 and Sundays from 1:00-6:00, but that’s fairly standard for CCU mainstage productions. We rehearse for approx. 3-4 weeks… and Rocky opens October 11th!
(© Alexa Doggett)

And then… I get home and crash on the couch. Typically, depending on the amount of homework I have, my house is full of old ladies who are in bed by 11 at the latest on school nights. But I can’t function without at least a good 8 hours of sleep, so early to bed/early to rise is an absolute must! Eventually I make it from the couch to under the covers and… goodnight!
(© Alexa Doggett)