Student Blog: Independent Living ft. Musical Theatre

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be pursuing musical theatre. It is what many would consider unconventional in my country as the arts is quite a small industry, but just recently, it’s starting to grow which is just brilliant!

A triple threat course is obviously not an easy feat but with all that I have learnt in my first year, I would not give anything else up for the world. In addition to the triple threat, you would expect a musical theatre course to focus mostly on the practical aspects which are singing, dancing and acting, but lucky for me, the university equips us with the theory aspect of it as well which was the reason I picked this university to begin with. I figured it would be a lot better for me to cover as much ground as I could to make the most of my schooling years.

I am certain you can imagine what we do in our practical modules so let me provide a brief explanation about our theory-based modules. Alongside singing, we learn music theory to aid us in our singing modules as we deal with piles and binders of sheet music. With the course as a whole, we are taught the history of how theatre progressed over the years in different categorial topics. They span from gender politics to diving into certain types of music styles and even down to the more technical elements like copyright. With all that knowledge, we are then required to present with a presentation in and an essay with a musical as a case study. As someone who loves writing a little too much, I had a lot of fun indulging myself in this module.

Another module that we have that is mostly theory based is one called ‘industry’ and as implied in its name, we learn about the theatre industry. Here, we explore different career paths other than a performer, learn about workshops and auditions, write our CVs and understand the importance of networking and representation. After first year, I finally have my CV written and having done numerous mock auditions in class has shockingly dispersed my anxieties about them. It is not a module I ever thought I would encounter in a theatre course, and I was quite surprised when I heard about it during orientation day. Still, if I had gone without out, I doubt I would ever find myself stepping into an audition room without the jitters. Having met so many industry professionals too, it is more inspiring than you think to hear about another person’s story in the industry.

Now that you have a small idea of how my course runs, with all these practical and theoretical modules, it must be a wonder how I deal with a lot on my hands with juggling essays and rehearsals. The number one worry my parents had as the fateful day of my flight drew close was how I was going to take care of myself, and honestly, I could not be any more prepared than I was.

The course is incredibly action-packed and intensive with a full week’s schedule and rehearsals on the side, but surprisingly it was the one thing I was prepared for when I made my move halfway across the world. It is so incredibly helpful to start planning while you are still at home. With access to the internet and former travel agents as parents who enjoy planning down to every microdetail, you could do so much to ensure that everything will go smoothly. And it did!

However, prepared as I was, what I failed to realize was the fact that I needed time to dedicate just as much attention to my personal life as well as my education, and it was something that came scarce. It was quite baffling how little time I had despite my newfound freedom living on my own, but I suppose it is what comes with starting anew entirely with no family to help me physically with my move.

Being away from home, the list of things I had to do for myself multiplied in multitudes. Groceries, laundry, medicine. It was an entirely new baggage for me to take on. Now, I am no stranger to running errands but with a hefty schedule, allocating time and planning things accordingly was quite difficult, especially with a lot of spontaneous events popping up almost every day. Who knew I would be investing so much in calendars and planners? At that point, they were the foundation of my day-to-day life in the UK, and I would highly recommend it to anyone!

On top of that, I was in an entirely new environment as well. It was my first time ever in the UK and there were a lot of names and places that I never knew existed other than certain references in films. I needed to familiarize myself with local grocery stores and brands, then narrow down the ones that were more student-friendly. Thankfully, I had a full week to get acquainted with my new home before my lessons began.

Surprisingly, it did not take me very long to find my groove. The hustle only lasted the first month of my stay as I was slowly making a home out of Winchester, and it was mostly thanks to the people I met in Winchester; students and teachers alike. Honestly, if I did not have them in my life, I would still be entirely lost in little Winchester.

So that brings me to the main answer of how I survive my insane student life abroad. It was because of the people I surrounded myself with and the support I got from my faculty. Wherever I was, there would always be someone to help me out with anything that I needed. With the preparations I did at home as well, it lessened the workload just a little for me. I can’t imagine the hurricane I would have had if I was any less prepared.

When it came to managing my work and my personal life, collaboration was the way to go. For work, having found the circle of people I could be productive with has helped me breeze through the course with ease. It is quite funny having the few of us come together with our different levels of experience and discussing a topic where our knowledge varies. With so much enjoyment, I do forget just how laborious the work can be and we do as theatre has always intended. We play!

And for my personal life, somehow, I struck the lottery for having the most amazing flatmates. As we got closer to one another, everyone was more than happy to make each other’s lives easier. We would make communal dinners together to go around, help each other out with groceries if anyone did not have the time, have game and movie nights to unwind, and provide the best support system to anyone who needs it. I had all the support I needed if I was too overwhelmed or busy with my cozy flat.

Other than supplying my energy with Grace McLean’s music during the unholy hours of the morning, being open to the wildness that comes my way has also proven to be a miraculous attitude to go around with. I have come across far too many adventures and mishaps to count with the spontaneity, none of which I regret at all. It really is just all part of the experience and the more strange things you find yourself in, the more things you might discover. This is normally how I get myself wandering in the dark past midnight numerous times, and on rare occasions, we will find ourselves trekking through the woods in the town next door which is a story for another time.

Truly, without all the people who have guided and supported me through my first year, I doubt I would be returning for a taste of my second year. I will be living with two of my closest friends and working with the best troop of people, so I know for a fact that everything is going to turn out just fine.

More essays and presentations, more songs to learn and scripts to read. It really is all about playing, and it is going to be a lot of fun getting to explore more new things with everyone!

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