BWW Blog: Christopher Panella - Summertime Boredom: Overcoming the Plague of Laziness

Ah, summer. A time for rest, relaxation, fun, and as of last week, catching virtual Pokémon in a multitude of locations. Of course, Pokémon Go can't make up for total boredom of summer. Yes, summer is a great time to accomplish activities that just don't fit into our school year rut. However, many of us fill our summers with naps and Netflix-binging and video games (and reading, right? Especially plays like 4000 Miles) which is not always the best idea. Thus, I present a guide to overcoming the plague of laziness that we all face during summer.

All theatre kids should always work on their craft during the summer. There's so much more than that, though. From your craft of acting and singing to discovering New Mediums of theatre, the summer is full of possibilities. I am personally spending my summer writing and reading plays. I have been writing plays since my sophomore year, and have entered one in a Thespian District Competition. Since then, I use my summers to branch out into new aspects of playwriting, from straight plays to writing music for musicals. Thus, I confirm that all theatre kids should find something new to work on during the summer. Yes, we can work on monologues and solos for ages, but what really shows growth is learning something new about the arts and discovering a New Medium previously not practiced.

Some of the mediums I highly suggest include directing, playwriting, music, and dance. Directing is the trickiest one, but access to a computer, the internet, and a camera/smartphone can make it possible. From music videos to short films, anything can be made with some simple technological skills and dedication. Playwriting is quite possibly the easiest, considering it only requires paper and imagination, the latter every theatre kid possesses. However, playwriting can be challenging. It requires knowledge and experience of the world and events as well as a deep understanding of oneself. With experience, understanding, and paper, playwriting can be the perfect summer discovery. Music is a very broad art, but I suggest learning a new instrument as the perfect summer activity. Learning this can take place virtually anywhere; I know of many recreation centers where they have clarinet, flute, and piano classes. All it takes is commitment to go back to school in the fall with a new instrument to play. I suggest dance, lastly, only because it is a medium I have always wanted to pick up. From simply learning new combinations off Youtube to participating in ballet and tap classes, dance can be the perfect summer adventure.

The point of summer is to grow for the next year and its challenges. Yes, we can sit and memorize monologues and solos all day and go back to school in the fall with the perfect toolbox, but true growth more so comes from taking risks, learning new ideas and developing a richer comprehension of the arts. Thus, I present my perfect guide to finding things to do in order to rid boredom: take risks, grab some paper and write, make a video or a short film, learn an instrument, and/or learn a new dance style and take a class. All of these are perfect to not only cure the plague of summer boredom, but also develop the theatre kid into a well-rounded theatre kid. In other words, these activities could make an artist a smart artist.