Jonathan F. Sanz, senior theatre and music major, has performed in several NSU productions including The Importance of Being Earnest, Ruthless! The Musical and Baby! The Musical.
Being a theater and music major is a rare thing at NSU. Many may not even know that the Performing and Visual Arts Department exists. Some may think my field of study is unorthodox. Well, it is.
There are 1 a.m. meals at Steak ‘n Shake after a long rehearsal and Saturday construction days involving hours of building and painting. There frantic memorizations of monologues at the last minute for an audition and 45-minute dance calls that can last for what feels like hours. There is parading in your new costume feeling like it’s Halloween and you are six years old again. Then there is finally getting to opening night and receiving thunderous applause.
Life in the theater is unlike any other and varies day by day, but, like any other lifestyle, it has its monotonous moments. Luckily, the unity formed with your colleagues is so deep that it’s like hanging out with your family. Theater is all about ensemble building, about being a unit that grows and works together to reach a common goal: opening a show and successfully closing it.
My mornings begin at 7 a.m. Sigh. I only sigh because, like any other college student, I love to sleep, but 7 a.m. is the only time I can go to the gym. This field requires that I be in top physical condition, and this semester, I aim to find out what “top physical condition” actually means. From there, I go back to my dorm room, shower, eat breakfast and head to the practice rooms to warm up my voice and possibly get some repertoire done for my private lessons. Depending on what day it is, I head to either a music theory or a ballet class. My day, packed with classes, officially begins.
You might think that theater is just another elective. Let me tell you one thing. These courses are not your average high school electives. Our professors crack down on us and demand that we work and rehearse until we collapse, not literally, but you get the idea. They know whether or not we have put work into our material by our rehearsal. Rehearsal is the usual excuse for any theater major. Invite one of your theater friends to hang out at your dorm and they’ll say, “I can’t. I have rehearsal.” I’ve even said it to my own mother.
Sadly, rehearsal takes up my life. Right now my evenings are devoted to rehearsing for “A Year with Frog and Toad,” and after a long day of classes, it’s not the most fun thing to do sometimes. But rehearsal is the time to get to know cast members, joke around, talk, and, of course, sing, act and dance your way through the late hours. Rehearsal is a theater major’s lab. It is where we take everything we have learned in class and apply it to our performances.
The performance is the cul-mination of all the hours, bruises and headaches, and it’s worth it. There’s nothing like the adrenaline rush of waiting backstage for your cue, trembling because you’re thinking, “Will I be good? Will I be bad?” Suddenly, you walk out, blinding lights hit you, you see eyes stare at you and the show begins. It’s sometimes an out-of-body experience as you begin to play your part. Your heart skips a beat when the audience laughs after you say or do something funny. It leaps when you receive a round of applause after you sing a solo. And of course, there is nothing like the bow, coming out and getting acknowledged for all your hard work. It’s better than receiving an “A” on your final.
I hope that I’ve brought insight into the theater world and that maybe, I’ve encouraged you to see one of our free productions and maybe even audition. There is no business like show business and you have to be there to see it.
