BWW Blog: Dinner at Denny's

Being involved in a theatre production means two things: hard work and late nights. This is especially true as a student, whose schedule is also filled up with classes, work, extracurriculars, group meetings, homework, and if you're lucky, a social life. As the choreographer for the spring musical, being in rehearsals every night requires focus and the time outside of rehearsal is spent adjusting, writing, and re-writing choreography. The dance numbers are constantly cycling through my head. I fall asleep thinking about them and most of the time it's my first thought when I wake up. It's hard work, but I love every minute of it.

In my own experience, I've had to find ways to make all of my responsibilities fit together and still somehow sleep at night. Sleep was definitely the first thing to be sacrificed over the past three years. I think my sophomore and junior years I was averaging about four or five hours of sleep per night consistently. This semester - finally, during my last semester of college - I've found a good balance that allows me to get plenty of sleep at night (when I am responsible enough to).

Late nights are still inevitable as a student. The setting for some of my favorite college memories may be surprising, but this late-night diner has come to feel more like a home than a business. Denny's has become the theatre kids' go-to spot for all post-rehearsal activities. It's a place where we can combine homework, food, and social life. What more could you ask for?

At this point, we've become very comfortable at the restaurant. We know the servers by name and usually get a hug when we walk in the door. We know that at ten o'clock on the dot every single night, the music switches over from pop music to country music. We know where every outlet in the building is, and when we walk in the servers usually wave at us and tell us to sit wherever we want. We sit at the big booth in the back and run lines for the show. We've had cast parties and Green Room Club events in their back room. We say it jokingly, but honestly, Denny's really has become a theatre-kid home.

I think these are going to be some of the memories I'm going to miss the most once I graduate. Once I walk across the platform to get my diploma, my reasons for visiting Denny's will drop drastically. The only reason I'll have to come to the diner is to actually eat food. Which is a strange concept when I'm used to moving in and setting up a desk, complete with laptop, chargers, textbooks, and pencil cases. We've taken the theatre kid stereotype of showing up in full stage-makeup after every show to a whole other level - we've just moved in.