Requirements for early morning classes?

College Majors Musical Theater Major
1

<p>Perhaps this is the dumbest question ever, but it's important to me.</p>

<p>I just noticed in the VCU handbook for acting and MT majors, that there is a required fitness class at 8 AM for all performance majors. Is this possibly correct? Typical?</p>

<p>Drama kids are up until all hours in rehearsal, and take a while to settle into sleep afterward. In my opinion it is cruel and unreasonable to expect them to be exercising at 8 AM. Can anyone reassure me, and tell me specific schools that do and do not have this kind of requirement?</p>

2

<p>I hate to break it to you but it might be easier to come up with a list of schools who DO have early morning classes that involve physical activity (dance, pilates, you name it) than those who don’t. I hope for your sake I’m wrong :)</p>

3

<p>My D is at Otterbein and she has dance every day at 8 AM.</p>

4

<p>Well- seeing how my son’s studio at NYU is at The Pearl Studios , some of the kids have an almost two mile walk three days a week!</p>

5

<p>I remember from DS’s orientation, that the head of the MT department said, “in the theatre world, we start at 9 a.m.” suggesting that there would be no super-early morning classes. However, when we pointed out the 8 am “conditioning” (exercise) class scheduled for freshmen, he said that was the sole exception.</p>

<p>I guess the trade-off was supposed to be that they were not allowed to audition for 1st semester shows, but in reality, those kids stayed later because first semesters had a practicum requirement which meant they stayed late to organize costumes, props, etc.</p>

<p>Anyway, DSsurvived happily, and probably got a taste of what a performer’s life is…sorry to say, just because you are “in” a show, you probably don’t get to sleep in til call the next day…just sayin.</p>

6

<p>At NYU/Tisch, studio classes began at 9 AM and went through 6 PM, but my D was usually at school until 10 or 11 PM due to rehearsals. But as someone else pointed out, the campus is spread out in the city and the studios are not even on campus and there is a lot of walking and subway riding (if living off campus too) and so it takes a while to get to studio or classes typically.</p>

<p>My D is currently in a professional production of a musical that opens this weekend. The rehearsals each day have been 10 AM to 6 PM but yesterday for tech and today for dress rehearsal they were 10 AM until 10 PM.</p>

7

<p>It is not unusual for students to have classes that start at 8am or 9am and to be in rehearsals until 10PM or 11PM.</p>

<p>When I was in college, freshman year we had performance based classes starting at 8am. We could not perform freshman year, but we would often be in crew assignments and outside of class rehearsals until 10PM or 11PM the night before. If I remember correctly, after freshman year we were more likely to have dance or movement classes that started before 9:30am or 10am than acting classes.</p>

<p>Where I now teach most of the major classes do not start until 9am, BUT 8am - 9am is meeting time (and many students are involved in production meetings [designers, assistant designers, assistant directors, assistant choreographers, etc…]). Many students also use that time slot to fit in general education class requirements, go to the gym, study, etc… </p>

<p>I have attended and/ or taught in four different programs… both intensive, auditioned BAs and BFAs… in all circumstances it was common for students to be in-classes and/ or in production shops and/ or rehearsals from 8am or 9am until 5PM to 6PM with additional rehearsals and production hours from 6:30PM or 7PM until 10PM or 11PM. Class rehearsals would often start after this time. </p>

<p>Most performing artisits will need to learn to burn the candle at both ends, particularly between full-time jobs in the field… often up at 5:30am or 6am to warm-up and get to auditions before 9am ready to go. Sometimes auditioning before going to a daytime “survival job” gig, sometimes going to more audition appointments over a lunch break. Classes, rehearsals, evening evening survival job work hours, etc… then back at it all again the next day. Often line-ups for open calls could begin as early as 5:30am or 6am… that is not so much the case once AEA and/ or working with an agent, regardless, professional performing artists often are working very long days combining working, studying, auditioning, performing, etc…</p>

<p>As a side note… I teach in a college program, and am often into work between 8am and 9:30am after being in rehearsal/ working until 10PM or 11PM (sometimes working from home even later). This is pretty typical of my colleagues. This is not the case ALL of the time… but students are rarely in production all of the time either. </p>

<p>It is all about balance, efficiency, and figuring out your individual limits at a given time. Time management (and getting by on less sleep sometimes) is key.</p>

<p>:)</p>

8

<p>Ibligh- Thank goodness you have your youth! KatMT reminds us all that you MT kids have to have amazing energy!<br>
For your list, I think I read that Point Park has early AM dance classes for Freshmen MT’s while Penn State does not.
The “Freshmen Experience” thread will give you some insight here.</p>

9

<p>lbligh - as others have said - it is not in the least unusual to have your classes begin at either 8 or 9AM - and, if your lucky enough to be cast in a production of some sort, to have your day extend to 10 or 11PM. By the way, weekends are only opportunities for longer rehearsals. They call various courses of study disciplines - this is preparation for professional work - no longer an extra curricular leisure activity. Having said that, I’ve seen hundreds of students at various institutions under these circumstances and they seem to not only survive - but thrive. It may take a little bit to get used to - and maybe you will feel half asleep as you arrive to your morning class - but you will be amazed at the energy you have (God bless the young) a few moments after your morning class begins - and that energy will sustain you through the day!</p>

10

<p>I think that with the sheer number of credits required in MT programs, almost all of these kids will have early morning classes in order to fit them all in. My S’s college schedule (LAC) has 4 classes on it this semester, while my D’s MT schedule lists 12 classes!</p>

11

<p>Even on the days that my D does not have an early class at PSU, she is usually at the gym by 7 or 8- it is the only time she can fit it in.</p>

12

<p>Lot’s of good points being made about how customary it is for MT majors to have 14+ hour days that can start with classes at 8:00 and end with rehearsals that finish at 11pm. That was certainly my daughter’s experience when she was in her BFA program. This kind of schedule doesn’t end after college for, I suspect, the majority of young graduates who must juggle the demands of working to support themselves while making time available for auditions, continued training, performing in shows that don’t pay equity rates or if they do pay equity have finite runs so it’s still necessary to work to build a reserve for lean times, and otherwise working their butts off investing the time necessary to establish a performing career. My daughter routinely has 14-15 hour days that can start as early as reporting to work at 5 a.m. So yeah, this kind of schedule can be a bit of a “shock” for freshmen, but it’s just the beginning!</p>

13

<p>Here’s another dose of reality: my D worked at a summer stock theater this year. Rehearsals began at 9 am. After a 30-minute lunch break, there was either another rehearsal or an afternoon matinee; followed by a 60-minute dinner break, an evening show, and usually a cabaret or children’s theater rehearsal after the show, finishing off around midnight.
Now that she’s back in NYC, she’s often up and on line for auditions at 8 am or earlier. She fits in as many as she can before reporting to her restaurant job at 4:30 pm; getting home well after midnight some nights.
This career is not for the faint-hearted!</p>

14

<p>It sounds as if MT students don’t have the same level of free time that I so enjoyed as an English major. Is it worth it? (Rhetorical question, I am sure.)</p>

15

<p>My D also has an 8AM freshman performance conditioning class, but only twice a week. She also had a Musicianship Lab scheduled for 8AM, but tested out of it.</p>

<p>Her school does also expect students to fit in other fitness for atleast an hour a day everyday on top of their homework and classes. I like this idea. It will keep them healthier and also keep them from getting the dreaded freshman 15!</p>

16

<p>I have to admit I’m puzzled about this thread. Here’s what my daughter had to do as a senior in high school Wednesday:</p>

<p>Up at 6:30 AM
At school at 7:15 for pre-school rehearsal with show choir altos
School from 8-3:15
Dress rehearsal for One Act plays that opened last night (she is house manager)
Dinenr at school at 5:30
Show choir rehearsal from 6-9:30
Home doing homework and working on application essays until 1 AM</p>

<p>I suspect this kind of schedule is more the norm that not for kids in performing arts, so it’s hard for me to understand why an 8:00 class should provide any kind of angst at all.</p>

17

<p>JeffandAnn,
What you wrote makes sense and yes, it was crazy schedules in high school too! One thing in a MT program is that the rehearsals may go to 10 or 11 at night and then homework starts. Not a big difference, but a little compared to high school when a kid may be home by 9 many nights to start homework. </p>

<p>(does your D have show choir every night until 9:30 PM?)</p>

<p>I think the thing to just keep in mind is that the class schedule for a BFA in MT is not like going to regular college classes that often are just several hours per day as they tend to be ALL day. And many regular college students may not start classes this early, though some do.</p>

18

<p>I laughed out loud reading this post. I’ve been doing theatre for… well, let’s just say a long time now… and I’m up every day by 6:15am, and often at rehearsals late into the evening. That was true when I was making my living as a working professional, and it is true now that my primary income is teaching. In a world as competitive as this one is, there is no way around working hard and that often translates into working long hours. The good thing is, (hopefully) it is the one thing you love to do and can’t imagine why you wouldn’t work these long hours in order to succeed.</p>

19

<p>My DD is a dance major and has early classes - starting at 9:00 on M-W-F and 9:30 on Tues-Thur. She has rehearsals every evening also. It is quite wearing on the body but that is what it is going to be like in real life too. I guess it kind of conditions you. I am not in the MT field but have to be up at 6:00am and don’t get done with my life until after 11 every night so it hasn’t gotten any better for me. I guess I am used to functioning with lots of coffee and little sleep.</p>

20

<p>And speaking of a packed schedule, here is a case for why I now think MT/theatre kids probably make a point of rooming together:</p>

<ol>
<li>Most days you have to be at class long before your non-MT roommate. </li>
<li>Because you are a considerate person, you don’t make your non-MT roommate suffer through a round of “snooze” alarms long before she has to get up.</li>
<li>Woops. Epic fail for the first time ever because you are terribly sleep deprived. </li>
<li>Unlike your non MT roommate, class attendance is MANDATORY so when she strolls off to the shower a couple of hours later and sees you still in bed, she assumes you decided to skip class.</li>
<li>When her return from the shower manages to wake you up and you scream OH MY GOD at the top of your lungs and practically hyperventilate because you’ve missed your first two studio classes, everyone within earshot just thinks you are exaggerating, psychotic and taking fluff dance, acting and voice classes so what is the big deal?</li>
<li>You are HORRIFIED that you are now considered THAT MT that missed class and convinced that your teachers will forever think you are not committed because that is what they tell you when you prostrate yourself in front of them and beg for forgiveness. (Though they are probably having a good chuckle over your antics and have seen it all before.)</li>
</ol>

<p>Wish there was a #7 where I go on to say that then you wake up and realize it was just a nightmare. Nope. Buckle up people. :)</p>