Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be an OCSA student? Have you ever been curious about what the day of an OCSA Production & Design stage manager looks like, compared to a dancer or visual artist? This year, we wanted to get an inside look at the daily lives of some of our incredible artist scholars.
Through the remainder of the school year, join us as we sit down with a student in each OCSA conservatory and program to learn more about their busy lives – from their academic study sessions to their exciting performance calendars.
Alexa Nuñez Magana, a senior in the Musical Theatre Conservatory (MT), shared her experiences from the beginning of her day to the end of her day at OCSA. Check it out:
What does your average day look like?
“When I am participating in a show I usually wake up at around 5:20 a.m. in order to do some strength workouts before school. I then proceed to take a shower, eat breakfast and be ready to go by 7:40 a.m. I walk to the bus station through the freezing morning, wishing I could bring my warm and comfy blanket with me and wait for the bus that usually passes at 7:56 a.m. I get to school at around 8:20 a.m. and that is where I finish off my workout of the day by walking to the seventh floor of the Tower. I’ve been an OCSA student for about four years now and that walk never gets easier.
After the, hopefully smooth, completion of my first two classes it's time for lunch. When there are no French Club or French Honors Society meetings, I sit with my friends on the second floor balcony. We discuss relevant topics that range from history and geography to anime and videogames, while eating one of the scrumptious OCSA roast beef sandwiches. During office hours, I usually take advantage of that time to complete or get ahead in school work for all my classes, conservatory or academic. Conservatory class is always exciting, I believe I love my core class (MT Capstone) the most since we are able to implement all our skills into a single project. I spend this time taking notes about my peers’ presentations and simply enjoying my classmates’ talents. After school I have a 30 minute break to eat before rehearsal. I usually spend this time calling my family or my boyfriend who are back in Mexico. Then I go to rehearsal with my chosen family, here at OCSA, until 8:30 p.m. I go home, shower, make sure I have everything for the next day, get on a call with my boyfriend, and rest a little before it is time to go to bed at around 10:30 p.m. Then I repeat everything all over again.”
What’s your favorite part of the day?
“My favorite part of the day is probably going to rehearsal for the semester shows. I adore the rehearsal process. I am always amazed by the growth of my peers and my own growth. It is always exciting to try something you have just learned in your conservatory classes to a song, and see how it really does enhance a performance or an experience. Primarily though, I just enjoy being around such energetic, kind, loving and supportive people. I love every one of my cast colleagues, they are always there to help you grow so that everyone can enjoy the show, not only the audience. I am forever grateful to get to work on a project with people I would otherwise not have the opportunity to talk with. I am so proud of everyone.”
What is the most rewarding part of your day/week?
“Getting to go home, putting on my headphones, having at least one hour just to recharge and separate myself from my day, to listen about how my favorite person’s day went, is the most rewarding part of my day. I can finally let my guard down and feel satisfied with what I did in the day and focus on something that is not what I did or have to do. I get to simply enjoy the company of a loved one without being professional, I get to just be myself (and be tired).”
How would you describe your experience of the academic portion of the day?
“I would describe the academic portion of the day as collaborative and nourishing. I believe that I talk to people the most when I am in my academic blocks. I also rely on my classmates the most. Since I have fortunately chosen only classes I am thoroughly interested in and absolutely enjoy this year, I am always excited to go to class and learn EVERYTHING. In every class there are classmates who are not only as excited to learn as me, but also better than me at some topics and skills. Thus, we help each other grow and become successful in every class. It is a nourishing portion of the day, both in an educational and social setting.”
How would you describe your conservatory experience?
“I would describe my conservatory experience as unpredictable and personal. With my conservatory classes, thanks to the flexibility in the application of our skills, you never know what new type of coaching you will get when you present your song. There is always something new that you never saw coming in at least one of the conservatory classes which makes them more interesting and engaging. Additionally, and surprisingly, I find my conservatory classes to be more independent.”
What do you think makes your experience unique from a typical high school student experience?
“Aside from the fact that we stay in school for a grand total of 12 hours when we have rehearsal, OCSA has a much more united community. The inclusion of the arts into the academic setting allows the teaching methodology to incorporate creative projects, solutions, and critical divergent thinking for the students. Additionally, since there are a lot of students here that have been together, in the same classes and conservatory, since 7th grade, this makes their relationship to each other much more united, creating a safety net for most students at OCSA. Since OCSA celebrates differences, this makes it so that it is easy for everyone to find a group of people they feel comfortable with while also presenting them with a constant influx of information and traditions from other groups of people.”
What do you think is unique about your experience in Musical Theatre?
“I would say the most unique experience I can think of in Musical Theatre is the Performing with the Pros rehearsal process. I have had the opportunity to participate in this show for my four years of high school and it is a truly unique experience. It is nothing like rehearsing for a show, or even a concert. It is a process that only lasts about a month and in which you need to immediately be vulnerable in front of the other cast members, which only makes you grow close to them. It is a process that requires vulnerability, initiative, drive, adaptability and reliability. To be in Performing with the Pros is truly an enriching experience. Since it is so fast paced, there is not a single day when you don’t learn a million new things or when a cast member doesn’t give you a hand if they see you struggling.”
Do you have a favorite conservatory class?
“My favorite conservatory class was my last semester Theater in Action class with the one and only Ms. Barbara Dodge. It was the weirdest, most enjoyable class I have ever had. It broke every rule I had created for my art, which only freed my expression, ideas, perception, and mind. If anyone new to the class entered the room in the middle of the block they would probably think that Musical Theatre students are bizarre. But seeing energy being used, uncontrolled and unrestricted, recognizing your own energy and simply not having a filter made me realize that our original selves, our minds in the deepest levels without trying to apply coherence to them, are a form of art in itself. That class made me find art in the most unlikely places.”
Do you often have additional rehearsals/practice/etc.?
“Right now I have been in rehearsal for Performing with the Pros with Syndee Winters. Rehearsals for the Musical Theatre conservatory are always a blast. For Pros specifically it is a constant party, jamming at new mashups and music, joking around with the artist-in-residence and bonding together with the cast. It is always a really uniting experience with the people in the cast, as well as a great opportunity to learn new methods and tools to grow.”
What is the best part of being an OCSA student?
“I like the amount of support and diversity in this school. The fact that we support each other’s art makes it so that we grow in that art every day while what we try to explain is lifted and highlighted by the people around us. This causes a spread of varied information, culture, ideas and emotions.”
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in high school so far?
“Finding time to find myself, and remembering what makes me motivated and happy is the hardest thing for me. I have to balance out academics, arts and my home life. However, the most challenging part is remembering I am more than an artist and a student. Since art used to be a hobby and now it is part of my occupation as a student at OCSA, sometimes I forget that I used to do it to make myself happy and so it should not be a cause of tension or stress in my life. It is a challenge to remember to enjoy the process and the little things, even if they are uneventful to the eyes of others, in order to keep yourself happy.”
What advice would you give an incoming student in your conservatory?
“DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO ANYONE ELSE. Everyone has their own definition of talent, art, success, and happiness. Find your own, one that doesn’t rely on whether person A belted a note that you could never belt. You will have your opportunity to shine, but remember that every star shines in a different way, yet we all deem them as beautiful. You are here for a reason and it is not to be the shadow of anyone else. Own who you are.”
How do you balance your time?
“Although this is not an answer I wish I gave, the reality is that I give up on a lot of things in order to balance everything out. By a lot of things, I mean free time. Instead of using office hours to take a break, you can usually find me in a random classroom doing homework. When I get home, I make sure that all my work is done and all the music is learned, even if it means giving up a call with my boyfriend or some time playing games with my friends. I also MAKE time for myself. Since I had no time anymore to go to the gym because of rehearsal I decided to wake up an hour and a bit earlier to have that time to exercise. It is all about discipline and taking on the responsibilities that you genuinely enjoy, otherwise you will have no motivation to find that time, and giving up those moments of peace and “me” time will make you feel miserable.”
How different is your typical week now compared to your previous years as a Musical Theatre Conservatory student?
“It is surprisingly less stressful than it was junior year. The first semester was definitely different. There was absolutely no time for myself since every free minute I got I was working on college apps. But now that everything has been submitted I am just making sure I enjoy all the time that is left. My schedule is full, but it doesn’t feel that way. I am taking on the opportunities that I really want and like, maybe it is because these are my last moments and I don’t want to waste any time. So rehearsal, helping my teacher at El Sol, and virtually teaching acting in Mexico doesn’t feel like a struggle or an obligation, but rather a hobby. I guess what I am trying to say is that senior year (second semester) is much more enjoyable and less stressful than other years.”
What are your goals post-graduation?
“I have committed to Northwestern University, where I plan to double major in Cognitive Science and Theatre. I have various goals ranging from researching to performing. The most immediate one is to start doing official translations of plays and musicals to Spanish to hopefully have the chance of introducing them and producing them in Mexico.”