Being a current college student working towards her BFA in Musical Theatre I've learned and noticed a few things that seem to be specific to other students like me. We not only insist that the word "theatre" is spelled with the ending "re" instead of "er. We also bond over taboo theatre misconceptions that etic people believe. For example, they may assume "Wicked" or "Les Miserables" are every theatre nerd's favorite show when really most of us believe they are over done and avoid them like the plague. (I will admit this article is mostly a generalization as I'm aware there are always exceptions.) Another constant battle for theatre nerds seems to be the constant Sondheim vs Webber war. For me personally, I can never pick between the two composers so I usually just say Schwartz is my favorite as a way out of picking between the two kings. Anyway, below you'll find some details I've noticed about being a theatre major.
1. You're more fit now than when you played sports in high school.
2. You find random bruises all over your body and just know they're from choreography rehearsals.
3. It's normal to be working on a minimum of two different shows on any given day.
4. A random phrase someone says triggers singing an entire song that happens to have that phrase in it.
5. You know entire Shakespeare monologues by heart and can play them six different ways.
6. You have a minimum of four different styles of monologues in your back pocket that you can do at any time.
7. The only raps you know all happen to be anything from Hamilton and you get way too into it.
8. A night off of rehearsals entails you going to a different show that your friend is starring in.
9. You can't go anywhere in public without seeing someone you know from a prior show.
10. You inevitably fall for tenors but suddenly hear a good bass voice and can't make up your mind.
11. Showers include you pretending to be in "Singing In The Rain" and tap dancing in the water.
12. It's normal to stage kiss half the other majors in different shows in any given semester.
13. You secretly or not so secretly have a list of dream roles and check it off each time you get cast as one.
14. F bombs are normal in audition settings because most contemporary monologues include them.
15. All the "good" songs or monologues seem to be made for the opposite sex.
16. You know how to really use a chair... in any setting... and you know what I mean.
17. You practice facial expressions in the mirror.
18. It's normal to see how many different ways you can bend your body and use it in a show.
19. You naturally stand in 5th position.
20. You can't watch a show of any kind without analyzing it.
