Student Blog: Back In The Swing Of Things

Hi everyone! I am so excited to introduce myself as one of Broadway World's 2025 Fall student bloggers. This is an amazing opportunity, and I'm looking forward to sharing a bit of my life with all of you!

It’s now October, which means we are back in the swing of things here at Clark University. I can hardly believe this is my last Fall semester. Time has been moving both incredibly fast and excruciatingly slow, something I've noticed more and more as I approach the end of my college tenure. One thing that helps me deal with this time paradox is taking interesting and worthwhile classes.

This semester, I am taking four classes: two for my English major and two for my minor in Theatre. I’ve always loved reading and theatre in my free time, so studying English and Theatre at school feels like a natural extension of what I already enjoy. Diving into them academically doesn’t take the fun out of it. It actually makes me appreciate them even more, giving me new ways to think about the stories I love and the productions I work on.

My first English class is History of the English Language. This course explores the 1,500-year history of the English language and its impact on culture and society. We read literature starting from Old English translations all the way up to modern-day examples. I am currently writing a paper that explores the etymology and definition of the word “puppet.” Next, I'm taking my English capstone. This is a required course for all Senior English majors and is essentially a culminating project for our degree track. I’ll be working on a pretty extensive research paper this semester, and though the thought is daunting, I'm still looking forward to it. We’ve been learning research methods and brainstorming ideas with fellow classmates in this discussion-based seminar. Currently, I have a fairly solid idea of what I plan to write about. I hope to explore themes of the Gothic and the emotion of fear in children’s literature, specifically some of my favorite Grimm’s Fairy Tales. I've always been drawn to the work of The Brothers Grimm and look forward to diving into this nostalgic body of work with the academic knowledge I've gained over the past few years of my college education. 

Over in the world of theatre, I'm taking Introduction to Technical Theatre. This class delves into the fundamentals of theatrical design, encompassing scenery, lighting, and sound. So far, this has been a very fun and hands-on class. We learned how to build theatrical flats and each made our own mini version. Last week we applied muslin to our flats to practice painting later on. We have also been learning how to draw in perspective, which, although challenging, is incredibly rewarding when done accurately. I hope this class will provide an opportunity to grow into a more well-rounded theatre artist. I bring experience in stage management and costuming, but I’m ready to expand my knowledge in lighting, sound, set design and construction. 

The last class I'm taking this semester is the Theatre Practicum. Theatre Practicum at Clark functions as both a class and a production. Instead of meeting in a traditional classroom, we rehearse twice a week during scheduled class time. The course is designed to provide students with hands-on theatre education by taking them through the entire production process. It’s an opportunity to learn through hands-on experience. We are engaging with text, developing characters, building technical elements, and collaborating as a company. By the end, we not only have a finished show but also a deeper understanding of how theatre is made. For this Fall’s Practicum, we are producing a new student adaptation of Moliere's Tartuffe!  Working on shows like this, which are written, designed, and acted in by students, is one of the highlights of the theatre program at Clark. I am the stage manager for this production and am thrilled to add such a cool experience to my resume. 

I can already tell that though this semester will be a busy one, it will certainly be fulfilling both academically and creatively. From research papers to stage managing a mainstage show, I'm sure to have my hands full, but in the best way possible.