Student Blog: How to Manage the 'Theatre Life' While Also Being a Full-Time Student

Living a life as a full-time student and constantly being involved in theatre can be like a balancing act in our lives. I am currently a high school student who partakes in 9 classes out of a 6-period day, including 2 AP classes and 3 IB classes, I am involved with many clubs on campus, and I am also very involved in the theatre in and outside of school. It can be so incredibly challenging to find a healthy balance between school and all extracurricular participation, but in today's blog, we are going to discuss ways that you can find that healthy balance while also finding success in the end.

I think that being able to find this healthy balance of theatre and school in the end is so incredibly important because it is what will fuel you to do all these things. I also know that in order to have fun while maintaining this crazy schedule that us theatre people take part in, we need to find this balance where we can take time for ourselves. This time for ourselves can be anything from journaling, doing a face mask, taking a break from work and just watching a movie. I think that realizing what our souls and minds need is so important to maintaining our mental health and like I said, still finding the fun within the craziness of the “scheduled life”. Being able to step aside and just remember that you are still human is essential to growing and learning in this industry because it only gets more challenging from here, so being able to practice that balance from the start will make you a professional later in life.

Time management is a skill that I really had to acquire from a young age when I started theatre. As a full time student, you are constantly learning and working, same within the theater, you are constantly learning material and continuously practicing to put the show up on its feet. As years have gone by from doing theatre myself, I have learned to know that when I get home from a late night at rehearsal or show, I have to tell myself that my homework has to get done but also at the same time I need to get a significant amount of sleep in order to fuel my body for a full new day. As I entered high school, my workload was becoming larger, so I started heavily relying on a planner. I used this planner to look ahead at my school work and plan out when I could do these assignments during the day, so I didn’t have to finish them when I got home super late and instead I could go to sleep at a reasonable time to be well rested for the next day. I also used this planner to plan out all my rehearsal times so that I would know when I was available or not for my personal life. This was an important tool that I have used in my life for a couple years now and has helped me in many busy scheduled weeks. So if you find yourself struggling with time management or your busy schedule, I highly recommend planning out your weeks.

Another thing that I really had to learn to do while being heavily involved in theatre was learning how to be a strong communicator. If I am being completely realistic, school is something that stresses me out pretty often. When having that in the mix of my crazy theatre kid schedule, it can be overwhelming but if you acquire the important skill of being able to communicate, things are going to sail a lot smoother. Whenever I need a little more time on an assignment because I don’t have enough time due to my schedule, I am able to communicate with my teachers and let them know what is going on in my life. It is always good to let them know what you might be going through and how life might be busy at the time. They understand because they are human beings as well. The worst thing they can tell you when you ask for extensions on your work is “no”. It is incredibly important to let them know what your life might look like outside of school and how you are working hard to be successful in the end. Also, being able to communicate with your peers and community around you is also very important. There are many people willing to help you become successful and want the best for you. I know from my personal experience, the skill of communication has got me a lot farther and has helped me in many circumstances as well. 

In the end, theatre is no easy activity, especially for us students, but as you implement these skills of finding a balance, time management, and communication, things will become so much easier. I still do not have the full “perfected” balance yet, but compared to a couple years ago, I can see that these skills have created so much progress for me. The balance can be so different for every individual, so take my words with what works for you and adjust it to your needs. I hope that you can find that balance for yourself and you will eventually find great success in the end!