Student Blog: No Rest For The Wicked

 My non-theatre friends and family have absolutely no clue what I do at school. Not a single clue. My first year of school consisted of improv classes, final presentations, directing, and performing scenes. Rather than be graded on some culmination exam, I was graded on my direction of the first scene of Selina Fillinger’s POTUS: Or Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive.  

My name is Joli Flynn, I’m a current sophomore at Marymount Manhattan College studying directing and public relations. My academic theatre journey isn’t like anything I expected, that the BFA tract wasn’t in my stars, but I’ve managed to make the most of it. As an artist and creator, I strive to someday help build a world where the arts are more accessible to the artists themselves. But that world will take a few more years to get to.  

When I started my second year, I knew I was required to take more academic-based classes. When making my schedule, one of the privileges colleges allow, I wanted to get all the boring stuff out of the way, i.e. math.  

 My Mondays are a slow ease into the week. Theatre Histories in I in the morning, a lot of naps during the day, and Race, Gender, & Class in Media until 10:00 pm. My day ends late, but most of it is mine.  

Tuesdays begin the long stretch. Intermediate Algebra in the morning, followed by a walk cross-town in Central Park towards Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts where I’m working as an intern as part of their year-long internship program. There’s not much that I can say, but it’s a wonderful opportunity and I’m excited to learn as much as I can about LCPA, arts administration, and career development. Currently, I work with the Guest Experience department.

Wednesdays are like Mondays, except my night class is replaced with Asian American Theatre, where we are equipped to learn and discuss Asian American plays and performances, and my day is usually filled with working at Lincoln Center. Wednesdays ended up being strictly a theatre day.  

Thursdays are the end of my week with math once more in the morning with a quick turnaround to Public Relations and Strategic Communication. More often than not, I spend my evenings working at Lincoln Center.  

Fridays are for doing my homework in my favorite spot in the city, even if I have to spend $3 on a chocolate chip cookie to get the Wi-Fi. There’s something about the Drama Bookshop that forces productivity. Maybe it’s the spiraling books across the ceiling. Or maybe it’s the fact that I want to make the most of my $3 cookie Wi-Fi.  

As I’m sure you can tell, the semester so far has been busy but so fulfilling. It can get overwhelming at times, but sitting down, managing a calendar, and getting into a routine can make all the difference. The past four months have been nothing but busy- the grind of three jobs over the summer, understudying for the wonderful production of If Words Could Talk by NYU student Jenn Martin, directed by Stephanie Stowers at Theatre for the New City’s Dream on Festival, and going straight into the school year and internship. I always am, and always will be, so grateful for the opportunities that allow me to expand my palate for the theatre industry and get to work with so many different and inventive people.  

There’s a part of me that’s aching for something more creative. Seeing all the audition opportunities for the school year being posted and unable to do them due to my schedule slices at my heart bit by bit. The masochist in me dares me to try to do it all, but I know it would be unfair to myself and others. While I unfortunately will be unable to create or perform right now/ this academic year, this semester has been a good reminder of what matters and what to aim for moving forward. I need to remember that despite my days feeling more administrative and academic, I’m still an actor. I’m still a director. And I’m still a creator. And I hope you enjoy what I create for my time here as a student blogger.  

Signed,  

J.F