This semester I was lucky enough to be Wardrobe Supervisor for the University of Colorado Boulder Department of Theatre and Dance production of The Importance of Being Earnest which played November 11-20, 2022 in the Old Main Chapel, a cute little theatre space in the oldest building on campus.

As the end of the semester draws near, I am tired. It is so hard to jump back into school work for the two weeks in between Thanksgiving and Winter Break. As we are all trying to get back in the swing of things, here are some things I do to help stay focused for these last couple weeks of the semester.

“You are enough. You are so enough. It is unbelievable how enough you are.”- Sierra Boggess

Turning eighteen is a milestone in any teenager’s life. It brings a newfound sense of freedom to the world, allows young people to try new things, and helps us get a grip on adult life. However, as a college student and performer in a large city, this otherwise small milestone is much more important. I graduated a year early in high school, and went straight to college at seventeen to pursue musical theatre and comedy. For the most part, my age wasn’t a problem and I could live college life to its fullest. However, as soon as I began to audition for productions in my area, I ran into a tough issue.

December 4th will mark the completion of my first tech assignment! This experience was definitely outside of my comfort zone, completely foreign to me, and admittedly, intimidating.

I’m only three months into my freshman year as a double major in musical theatre and comedy writing, and I’m already the busiest I’ve ever been in the entirety of my life. Being able to balance full-time school, auditions, my professional comedy group, and seasonal work while also attempting to leave myself some time to relax is difficult, to say the least. However, given all of these commitments, it’s been a fantastic opportunity to improve my knowledge and skills in commitment, time management, and self-care.

We are nearing the end of the semester and I have to say I’m ending it on a pretty good note! However, I couldn’t have done it without a few helpful tools I found along the way!

Surviving college means finding the tools to help stay afloat as the waves of responsibility wash ashore, which is just a dramatic way of saying you must find and accept the help you need. Every person has different needs. I found that the best way to manage college life is to follow the three Rs: rest, relax, and recharge.

Finding different “tools” to survive college can seem difficult, but when you find them, it will hopefully help you through your college career and beyond!

Usually, when I think about fall, I think of crunchy leaves that make a mess of our deck and bitterly cold temperatures whenever the sun's not out. This year, though, that changed, if only a little bit.

With trying to balance school, extra curricular, family, and a rehearsal schedule, things can get pretty hectic. Personally, I get stressed super easily if I don't manage my time correctly or slip up.

I hope this is helpful! I know that I’m pretty stubborn sometimes and don’t always listen to my parents, so having a peer tell me to go do things and get out of my room is helpful. It’s a crazy world out there, but don’t let life pass you by! Go get the most out of your college experience!

My first show for the 2022-2023 school year at UC San Diego was serving as the choreographer and assistant director for Dance Nation by Clare Barron. This show is also something I personally resonate with since I grew up as a dancer in that competitive and disciplined environment. So, working on this show was an extremely cathartic and nostalgic experience for me.

My first day in the Costume Shop was a frustrating one. A required course for all Theatre Arts minors, Theatrical Production is a class in which students are tasked with working in a specific division of the Mainstage production process behind the scenes.

When I feel that things are getting too busy or out of control, I find it necessary to do what everyone thinks you shouldn't: I take a break.

This semester I began classes as a theatre major at the University of Georgia. For my gen ed requirements, I am enrolled in Anthropology, a weekly seminar at the law school, and a weekly seminar that is an introduction to the honors college, but I have been very fortunate to be able to jump into many classes for my major as well.

As theatre students, we all know what the organized chaos of tech week is like, organizing backstage, getting the perfect timing on set changes, full dress rehearsals, and more. The main stage production at Lindenwood University this fall was On The Razzle by Tom Stoppard, which I was a part of the deck crew for.

I work in the costume shop for the Department of Theatre and Dance at CU Boulder, so I was lucky enough to work on many of the costumes for 'Shakespeare: An Autumn's Tale.' For the majority of the time we were working on the show I was given the project of creating these beautiful leg ruffles for the character Ariel from 'The Tempest.'

I only have one theatre class in my schedule this semester, but I'm also an employee in the costume shop in the theatre building. Though I'm not performing this semester I'm still working on lots of fun theatre related projects. Check it out!

On September 14th, 2021 I attended The Kennedy Center’s 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert. I got to see performances from incredible talent such as Kelli O’Hara, Abigail Barlow, Emily Bear, Joshua Henry, and Renee Fleming. This was my first time visiting the performing arts center and I was completely awestruck. I had never been to such a beautiful and elegant theater. After the concert concluded, I couldn’t help but want to go back as soon as possible. Since then, I have taken advantage of their student tickets which has allowed me to see shows such as Hadestown and Mean Girls for only $20. After spending a good amount of time there during my freshman year of college, I knew I wanted to apply to work at The Kennedy Center as soon as possible.

This semester reinforced a certain notion that I have been thinking about all along: everything is interconnected.

Southern Louisiana really took a hit these past few years, but if anything we've proved that we're strong, resilient, and love theater.  Theater is the perfect escape from the outside world for not just the audience but for the actors as well. It allows us to be someone else for a while and jump into the a world where anything is possible. 

Two years ago, little ol' freshman-in-college me was struggling to figure out what to go as to my choir's Halloween party. I didn't have anything planned.

Dallas and Amy curated a space that our university desperately needed. Together they created “U Progress” which is a student lead theatre club that creates performance opportunities predominantly for students of color in the Ira Brind School.

For the first time, I was actually very anxious to get back to school during break, which is very telling of the positive environment that I’ve experienced at Rollins. Or maybe I’m just a big nerd.