A Day In The Life
So far, I've written about different parts of our days. I've told about classes, things we're learning, assignments we've been given, or how the show run works. But how exactly does it all fit together? What does "A Day In The Life" of a Conservatory student actually look like?
I'm glad you asked! :) That's what this post is about. I chose of focus on Wednesdays and Fridays, since those are the days I'm in the shows. The other days look a bit different, since I swing on Tuesdays and Thursdays are my "off show" days. But in case you're interested in knowing what a typical day looks like as a student, here is the answer!
WEDNESDAYS
6:50 – My alarm goes off. I push snooze. ;)
7:00 – Ok, so it’s really time to get up. I give myself a little pep talk and then get out of bed. Get dressed, fix a quick breakfast, pack up lunch and dinner that I’ve prepped over the weekend, and make sure I have everything I need for the day.
7:50 – Leave for the theatre. My roommates and I usually all drive separately since we have our own cars. We have a beautiful drive. We take the back roads through the Amish farmlands. It takes me between 12 and 15 minutes to get to Sight & Sound.
8:15 – Musical Theatre Dance class begins. Warm ups, stretching, across the floor exercises, and then learning choreography for a combination. We all thoroughly enjoy musical theatre!
9:45 – Class finishes up and we have a small break before Cast Meeting begins. The cast begins filtering in as soon as our class is over. I typically take this time to finish my breakfast, sign in on the role sheet, and chat with the other students or cast members.
10:00 - Cast Meeting! We go over the cover sheets and hear announcements from stage management. Sometimes we’ll have notes for corrections that need to be applied to the show. And sometimes members from other departements will come and speak, always in an effort to improve communication throughout the company. Finally, the meeting always wraps up with vocal and physical warmups.
Warmups at the end of Cast Meeting.
10:30 – Cast Meeting ends and we have half an hour to get ready for the show. I usually refill my waterbottle before making my way across the building to my dressing room. As long as I begin putting on my makeup at the 10 minute call, I know I’ll be just fine. I’ve gotten so much faster at getting ready since I first got here! I always enjoy this time because of the fun conversations we have in our dressing room. I’m know that I'm guaranteed to laugh.
11:00 – Show time! Act I. Gath-Hepher, Joppa, and I’m also responsible for a wave during the storm scene.
12:05 – Intermission. Some of the other cast members have costume changes or other responsibilities during this time. I’m spoiled. I get to stay in my ninja blacks, so I have the full 20 minute break to do whatever I need to. I typically use this break to do some Bible reading or focus on homework.
Sometimes I'll try to fit some homework in during the actual show, like this day when I had a few minutes before going on for Nineveh. Full costume and making flashcards. :)
12:25 – Time for Act II! My scenes are Under The Waves, Nineveh, Day 40, and the Finale.
1:30 – The show wraps up. If I’m scheduled for After Show Ministry, I come out in costume and pray with any audience members who ask for it. That’s been such a special time and I love it when I’m scheduled. But it’s typically only once a week. So after most shows, I’ll head back to my dressing room and change into my street clothes. We have a nice long break, and how I spend it just depends on what I need to get done that day. A lot of times I’ll do homework: memorizing monologues or scenes, doing research for performances, looking for new songs, practicing voice, reading and analyzing plays…it depends on what’s due during the week. If I don’t have a lot of homework to do, I may simply read my own books, watch an episode of something, or take a nap (I did that A LOT the first few weeks before I was used to the schedule). My favorite breaks are when I’ll go out to grab coffee or ice cream with friends. There’s some places just a couple minutes down the road from the theatre, plus we usually get Sight & Sound discounts!
Me, Ellie and Abby claiming our free chicken on Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-a. That was a fun way to spend a between-the-show break. You can see the immense, and painstaking planning that went into our costumes. ;)
3:00 – Show #2! This time it takes me even less time to get ready since I already have my makeup on. Do the same thing you did 4 hours ago. Act I, intermission, Act II.
5:30 – And curtain! Our second show is done. Change out of costume, wash off my makeup, gather my things, and head back to the CMR (cast meeting room). I have a few minutes to eat dinner and do any last minute prep for class.
6:00 – Evening class begins. Last semester we had Sight Singing, and this semester it’s Shakespeare. We’ve only had a couple of Shakespeare classes so far, but I really like it and I’m sure I’ll have a post dedicated to it somewhere along the line!
7:30/8:00 – Class ends. It depends on the week as to whether we’re dismissed at 7:30 or 8:00.
8:15 – Head back to the apartment. I usually spend my drive home on the phone. I’ll call my mom or dad, or spend this time talking with Mitch and catching up on our days. The conversations almost always lasts longer than the drive so I’ll just crash on my bed when I get home and enjoy hearing the familiar voices from home.
8:30 – Back at the apartment. I finish up phone calls, unpack my lunchbox, do any dishes that need to be done (dishes are my responsibility on Wednesdays), pack up my backpack for the coming day (so I don’t have to do it in the morning when I definitely won’t be thinking as straight ;), take a shower and get all ready for bed. Some of the other students like to do homework in the evenings, but I prefer to do mine at the theatre during the day so that when I get home I can just relax.
10:30 – Lights out! Okay, so that’s my goal at least. I’m a night owl, so if I get engrossed in a book or an episode of a show I’m watching, or if Mitch and I are Skyping, it might be a bit later than that. But my goal is definitely to go to bed by 10:30.
FRIDAYS
6:50 – My alarm goes off. I again diligently push snooze.
7:00 – Get up, breakfast, pack lunch, fill my water bottle (and if I'm feeling it, make a nice cup of coffee to enjoy throughout the morning).
8:30 – Our first Friday class begins. We’ve begun a series called Stagecraft in which we get to see how a show is built. So far we’ve had both Audio and Costume design, with Lighting, Set building, Directing and Marketing coming up soon. I love these and I'm sad they'll only last a few weeks.
9:45 - Finish up class and take a quick 15 minute break.
10:15 – Acting Class. We're learning so much good stuff in that class. I can't wait to start teaching again and give what I'm learning to my students!
11:45 – Lunch break between classes. We get a full hour on Fridays. I usually stay in the building to eat my lunch and then do a bit of homework or hang out with the other students.
12:45 – Theatre History class. Last semester we had Voice & Speech during this time. I liked that class, but I’m also really loving Theatre History. Again, I’ll probably have a post dedicated to it!
1:45 – Class is done. Another 15 minute break.
2:00 – Cast Meeting. After cover sheet and announcements, we spend a bit of time worshiping through music. I always look forward to Friday’s meetings for that reason. The worship is beautiful and everyone’s voices sound stunning.
2:30 – Time to get ready!
3:00 – Show time!
5:30 – We finish the show. Change out of costume and enjoy the break. I typically don’t do homework on Fridays, just to give myself a bit of a rest from everything. So I’ll usually read or hang out with friends.
Emma and I enjoying the break between shows. I bought a pillow and blanket specifically to leave at the theatre for just this sort of day.
7:00 – Again, show time!
9:30 – And we’re done. I always feel such a sense of accomplishment on Fridays. “You made it through another week!” The weeks aren’t bad. They’re just long and it always feels like there’s something that needs to be done. So when I get to Friday night I know that I just have one more day of shows and then the weekend will be here. :)
So there you are! There’s a sample of a Day In The Life of a Conservatory student. It’s busy, but it’s full of some really amazing opportunities and things to learn. I'm so thankful to be here, and I know that the lessons I've learned through this crazy schedule will benefit me for years to come.
And now, on to another week!