Student Blog: Finding the Balance: What it's Like Being a First-Year College student in Theatre

Hello! My name is Parker, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be a Broadway World Student Blogger. I am a first-year college student at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. I’m studying Musical Theatre and Creative Writing and am taking five classes this semester. Three of which are in the performing arts category. First, I am taking “Actor’s Workshop: Activating Text.” In this class, we dive deep into contemporary plays like Witch by Jen Silverman and John Proctor Is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower, and analyze given circumstances and character objectives while using the text for acting exercises. Next, I am taking “The Broadway Musical: Something Great is Coming,” where we learn about musicals such as Show Boat, Oklahoma!, and Fiddler on the Roof that have revolutionized theatre as we know it today. Lastly, in my performing arts classes, I am taking “Jump Cut: from Stage to Screen to Social Change,” where we discuss plays and musicals written to reflect what was happening in the world at the time. We just finished our unit on Hair by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and started Pass Over by playwright Antoinette Nwandu. Along with my performing arts classes, I am taking “Hard Times Require Furious Dancing: Movement as Language” and “The Art of Loving: Discourses of Desire in the Renaissance and Middle Ages”.

I am also excited to share that I’m in two productions this semester. My college is doing a staged reading of The Intricacies of Post-Shooting Etiquette by Brian Evenson, where I will be reading as Hartwin. I am also a part of the Musical Theatre Ensemble’s fall production of Godspell, where I am playing Celisse! I feel incredibly grateful to have been chosen for both projects and to have the opportunity to keep pursuing something I love. Performing has always been one of the things that makes me feel most alive, and being back in the rehearsal process has reminded me of how much I love being on stage.

I am looking forward to continuing to grow as a performer and discovering what I can learn from these experiences.

I have been in college for a little over a month now, and it has been a big but welcomed change! I grew up going to very small Catholic schools that were over 7x smaller than Sarah Lawrence, and part of that is a little nerve-racking. However, I have loved meeting new people and having the opportunity to learn more in depth about things I’m interested in.

One of the biggest things I am learning is how important it is to balance academics and my social life. I want to make sure I always put time and effort into my classes and keep up with the assignments I’m given. But I also want to take advantage of the little things that make college special, whether it’s having a movie night with my friends, going out to a party, or simply spending time with the people I have been meeting. I want to enjoy these moments without falling behind in school. Finding the balance between school, rehearsals, and making memories with friends is something I am still working on. But I am overjoyed for these opportunities to continue growing.

Lastly, I wanted to say thank you for reading my first article for Broadway World! I’m excited to keep writing about my college journey, involvement in the arts, and hopefully share advice that has been helpful to me.