• Morgan Palmer. Photo: Kathy Wheatley.
    Morgan Palmer. Photo: Kathy Wheatley.
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What’s it like to be a full-time music theatre student?  Morgan Palmer, third year student at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, talks us through an average day in the Bachelor of Arts (Music Theatre) course.

6.30am: Wake up
Have set my alarm early because I have so much on today, have to spring out of bed. Ugh… snooze button wins!

7am: Wake up (cont)
Get out of bed – tick. Eat high-protein breakfast – tick. Shower – tick. Pack bag – tick. Cycle to the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) – tick tick tick!

8.15am: Warm up
Arrive at uni and head into one of the practise rooms to do a vocal warm-up. “Vocal health” is one of the most important areas to focus on, according to our singing teachers, so I want to make sure I’m vocally prepared for a big day ahead.

9am: Acting masterclass
We’re lucky to be visited by some of the best teachers and directors from all over the world. Today we’re doing Waiting for Godot with Patrick Sutton - director of the Gaiety School of Acting, the National Theatre School of Ireland. Tomorrow we’re with Dr Peter Zazzali from the University of Kansas – working on Ibsen, the father of modern theatre. (We don’t just sing and dance!)

10.30am: Performance prac.
In this weekly class the whole department gets together to watch different years of students perform. All the students, staff, visiting guests, even public are able to attend. This week is one of a series of mock auditions, where we experience an audition environment set up to approximate, as closely as possible, a professional audition. In fact, we have visiting directors and choreographers on the panel – yikes!

Last week was Cats, next week is South Pacific, and today I am auditioning for Rent. Apart from preparing a rock song I have no idea what else to expect. That’s the point – we’re trained to prepare for anything. It might sound torturous but it’s actually my favourite class of the week.

12pm: Break?
Might look like a break on my schedule but I know it’s enough time to fit in two tutorials with staff, a trip to the library, quick workout at the gym, and a high-protein lunch (really). Our degree is incredibly demanding so it’s important to keep fit, inside and out...

 

This is an extract from our 2016 Full Time Studies Guide, in the current issue of Dance Australia.  As well as the rest of this article, the Full Time Studies Guide provides you with all the information you need to know if you are intending to take a full time course next year, with listings from over 80 dance schools!  Buy Dance Australia from your favourite retail outlet, or use our free app to purchase and download your copy, or make sure you receive every issue by subscribing here!

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