By Caleb Schaefer | Talon Staff
The Theatre TCC! cast of the upcoming “Legally Blonde” production has had their hands full, balancing class schedules with theater rehearsals. Cast members taking on rigorous classes and the theater production—which consists of elaborate musical numbers—have had to be diligent about balancing their schedules.
Bryson Thomas is an Actuarial Science major at Florida State University taking 20 credit hours of classes this semester. His secret is trying to fit studying into every bit of downtime he has.
“Rehearsals are normally 7 to 10 [o’clock],” Thomas said. “And I’m usually only working half of that. So, with the other half I can do my homework.”
Students majoring in Actuarial Science have the CPA exam, which is like the Bar Exam for law students. Exams such as the CPA are quite demanding and require plenty of study beforehand.
“It’s coming up in April,” Thomas said. “And they’re quite the commitment.”
Jake Tottle, another cast member in “Legally Blonde,” is in his fourth semester at TCC and plans to pursue a career in acting at FSU. Although his schedule is not as rigorous as Thomas’, the arrangement of his classes throughout the day has become an obstacle for him in balancing theater and academics.
“I have my classes pretty early in the day,” Tottle said. “So, my days are a lot longer.”
Tottle advises any future Theatre TCC! students to schedule their classes later in the day to avoid this problem. However, the length of the day can be rewarding according to Tottle.
“It can definitely be tough,” Tottle said. “But the more work I put into it, the more rewarding it feels. So, I hardly ever look back.”
That sentiment is shared by Thomas, who also has a TA job, a girlfriend, and consistently hits the gym.
“Luckily for me, I’m a big creature of habit,” Thomas said. “If I tell myself this is part of my routine, it’s part of my routine… And even with everything I have going on this semester it hasn’t felt like too much yet.”
To Bryson Thomas and Jake Tottle, any stress that comes with balancing academics and theater pales when compared with the reward of working hard on a production of this scale with their friends.
“I come from my already stressful life, and I want to show up here, relax, and have fun,” Thomas said. “Especially because all of my friends are here.”
Theatre TCC! ‘s production of “Legally Blonde” will be presented in the Turner Auditorium from 8 p.m. on April 4-6, 8 p.m. on April 12-13, and 2 p.m. on April 14.
