Student Blog: Back at it

Now that the school year is officially back to a start, the homework has started to pile up, but the opportunities have just begun! Something I love about Marymount Manhattan College is the surplus of opportunities to work on theatrical productions. Not only for actors, our school has a heavy focus on the technical elements as well. There’s always a need for stage managers, lighting designers, costume designers, you name it.

For the Fall Semester, just to name a few,  we’ve got a Main Stage production, Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman, that starts October 8th, playwriting and directing black box performances, musical and play club-based projects, and so much more. All of the above benching projects utilize student designers, actors, and creatives to work alongside our amazing school staff to learn and create educational experiences that are not only fun but help us in our creative journeys.

This semester, I am working on a play written by a student in our playwriting program titled Blackout Wednesday! I am personally super excited about this experience as it is my first-time stage managing a production in our black box theater, and I think it will pose quite an unique set of new challenges for me as well as allow me to collaborate with a new team.  Some of the other students in my concentration are working on playwriting projects as well, and others are working on directing projects which highlight student directors in the directing concentration. There really are opportunities for everyone at Marymount.

Another thing I love about Marymount’s theater department is truly how inclusive and open to new experiences they are. Every production that is overseen by a staff member that requires an Intimacy Director gets one, and we receive intimacy training in our acting and theatrical classes.  Not only is this a great way to incorporate all aspects including some lesser-known disciplines within theater into the academic world but it also really helps to establish a culture of consent within our artist process. Another bit of inclusive action at Marymount is that the school allows non-performance majors the ability to audition or partake in certain productions.

Outside of theatrical involvement, Marymount still has a lot to offer! There are clubs for just about every topic you can think of. Once my sports season comes to an end and we finish up our project, I have a few clubs I am looking into exploring, typically our clubs for improv comedy and our film club. It is always a great way to meet new people and possibly make some new friends!

Even through all of the extracurricular activities you still have to find time to make sure all of your assignments are complete, and it can be quite difficult, especially with rehearsals and production meetings. When it works though it is worth all the extra work especially when you get to see the final versions of your shows put on! Overall, I have to say, despite the stress and intense workload of the new semester, I am very lucky to call Marymount home as it really does have so many incredible opportunities to create and grow as an artist. I am very thankful I get to create this new work alongside my fellow classmates and am so lucky to go to a school that prioritizes the arts!