Student Blog: MT Student Ins and Outs

New Year, New MT!

By: Student Blogger: Madi Spear Jan. 02, 2024

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I’m ready for 2024 because I have some exciting projects coming up. As I look into the New Year I’m beginning to think more about how I present myself as an artist. There are some parts of 2023 I want to take with me and some I want to leave as I step into the new year. I decided to compile some of my MT Ins and Outs for 2024.

In: Singing what you like to sing

From now on I will only be picking the songs that I like to sing. No more songs that are off limits or on a “do not sing” list. If you can sing an “overused” song beautifully then go for it. I will be singing songs that bring me joy this year!

Out: Backup plans

Now that I’m graduating people ask me what my back up plan is going to be. When I hear that it asks “so what if performing doesn’t work out?”. If I believe in myself, I want other people to as well! If you have the confidence to take on a career path then go for it.

In: Reading plays

I want more monologues this year! Sometimes I am working so hard on my music that I forget to work on a monologue. I am going to dedicate more times to finding more acting based repertoire. It will be a fun challenge to read a play and see myself in the characters. Also reading more this year will be a relaxing activity.

Out: Theatre kid stereotypes

You can never know a person after one look. When you think typical theatre kid there are some iconic characters that come to mind. In the spirit of giving everyone the benefit of the doubt, I am leaving my preconceived notions in the past. I will take things as they come when it comes to meeting new people.

In: Lifelong learning

I am going to move to a new city and I will not know everything. There are new places to explore and subway trains to learn. I’ll be able to take voice and dance classes in a new place. My academics don’t stop at graduation because I love to learn. The city has so much to see and I’m ready to learn it.

2024 is a year full of potential for the theatre world. I can't wait to see all it holds. Happy New Year!

I have been told many times the various ways to avoid burnout. Here is something I have learned in 3 ½ years of a BFA program; you really can’t. That’s not meant to be discouraging. Burnout is just going to happen when you have a schedule that is constantly one or two things all the time. So instead, I propose making plans to get out of burnout.

Student Blog: Burnout Isn’t a Dirty Word

Burnout seems to have become a staple of the college student archetype – especially in the arts. From classes to rehearsals to auditions to internship interviews to job hunting to social plans to networking, pursuing an educational path in the theatre world is not for the faint of heart. When checking in with friends, “burnt out” is the standard assumption I make about my peers’ well-being, as it’s so normalized in our small but mighty world. Even when I have a fleeting moment to spend time with my roommate, who is a brilliant flutist in our university’s instrumental performance program, she appears to be just as exhausted and busy as the rest of my artistic friends. So, why is this?

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