BWW Blog: Caroline Meredith - Movin' Too Fast at GUYS AND DOLLS

It's been three weeks since the first rehearsal of Guys and Dolls at the Orange County School of the Arts, and things are moving along quite quickly! This year is OCSA's 30th Anniversary Celebration, which entails extra concerts, master classes, and special events for much of the cast, so we are working frantically to get the show done before our schedules get any crazier.

One of the hardest aspects of going to a performing arts school is balancing your priorities. OCSA students attend a full day of high school before they even begin their afternoon conservatory classes, so my friends and I have to manage the already grueling schedule of junior year (and the extracurricular activities we are involved in) with the homework of four conservatory classes. In 2016, when getting into college is harder than ever before, OCSA students tend to prioritize keeping up the grades of our academic classes. It's kind of a shame, because the whole reason we come to OCSA is to learn about our art, but when it comes to maintaining your GPA, AP U.S History homework is (sadly) more important than stage combat homework. This all goes out the window when you get into a show. Our directors expect the work on Guys and Dolls to be our first priority. It took some getting used to, but I have come to realize that I came to OCSA to pursue my art, and my grades might suffer a little bit in the meantime. Take that, Stanford!*

This is all to say that being in a show in high school can be daunting. When theatre is your full-time job you have the time to fully invest in the show and your character. When going to school is your full-time job, it's much harder to find the time to practice your lines, vocal parts, and choreography, but it must be done. I play a minor character, so I can't even imagine the stress the principals must be under to balance school and the show.

Ultimately, we should all remember how lucky we are to be able to spend a considerable amount of time learning about something we all love, musical theatre. The chance to look deeply at a text and interpret the characters and bring them to life with music and dancing is a luxury many people don't get. Especially at a school like OCSA, where students are usually too stressed to take a second and look around, it's easy to forget how unusual it is that we get to go to acting class and learn about Stravinsky's 10 Steps, or go to operetta and learn about The Merry Widow.

Guys and Dolls looks like it's going to be a fun adventure. I have yet to delve into the book scenes, so my experience in a trouser role is still to come. As long as I can keep my head up and remember how lucky I am to be in the room where it happens (sorry) this show will be a blast!

*I don't really mean that, Stanford. Please accept me.