Student Blog: Come What May: A Look Into New Beginnings

Hello one, hello all! I’m Callum Korock and I’m so ecstatic to be one of BroadwayWorld’s newest Student Bloggers! This year, I’m in my freshman year of college in the Pacific Northwest, far away from home. Being far away from home means having new challenges to navigate that I didn’t even expect as a freshman: not being able to visit family as often, being on a different schedule than the rest of my college friends, and having to truly navigate a place that doesn’t feel like my own. 

Already having to deal with a huge life change of being out on your own, it adds another layer of stress when you’re thousands of miles away and across the country. At the time of writing this, I have not had much time to feel homesick since the first two weeks of school have been incredibly jam-packed (yes, I just finished my SECOND week, we start late over here). My college is on the quarter system, which means we have ten week sections put into three terms over the course of the school year— giving us both a blessing and a burden. One can argue that such a short term gives students more opportunities to take classes, along with the benefit of not having any midterms. On the other end, such a short time frame requires classes to be more packed with information and the workload can pile up fairly quickly if you aren’t careful.

Luckily in the first two weeks, I have not had too many assignments for it to get to an unbearable point. This term I’m taking both Intro to Acting and Theatre Production I, two classes that are challenging me in two different ways. First, Intro to Acting is challenging my previous thoughts and practices by giving me new and improved tools on how to approach scenes from a different view. Second, my Theatre Production course is challenging me in all aspects because I have mostly been on the acting side of theatre with my only technical experience being running a light board and senior directing a show— so naturally, helping build a set is not my forte. However, I did not let that fact intimidate me too much because I have always wanted to learn as many theatre-related things as possible since I knew I wanted to pursue it professionally. Even though it was quite intimidating to operate a drill for the first time, it made me realize I truly love everything around theatre— both the acting and the stagecraft of it all. 

Speaking of acting, I had my first audition at college yesterday (at the time of writing this) and it unfortunately didn’t go as I hoped. What was quite odd about the whole experience was this was the most nervous I felt I had been in a long time when auditioning. In general, I get pretty anxious around the time I have to prep for my audition but I am usually able to use those nerves to get me through the performance— this time I could not. Right after I slated and began the monologue, for the first time ever, I drew a total blank. Nothing came to mind. Out of the many times I had rehearsed this monologue, none of the lines leapt out of my mouth like they had before. Luckily, I was able to restart and recover, but on the way back to my dorm I sort of shut down. I got in my head, until I realized something. I know this sounds cliche, but being able to acknowledge that I was in that room for the first time and went up to do something I was initially terrified to do at this level is something I should be proud of.

Being able to say I’ve done some scary things this early in my college career, especially as a freshman, is something I can pride myself on! Saying to myself, “You did it. Now let go. Breathe,” has become my new mantra after every audition for the last nine months. To be in a completely new place and adjusting to an unfamiliar workload have made me realize how important it is to give yourself grace and patience when needed. With all of this in mind, I welcome all of the adventures and experiences this budding chapter has to bring. In the words of my roommate’s favorite actor, Ewan McGregor: “COME WHAT MAY!"