Carleton’s First Musical!

It’s Spelling Bee!

Just this last weekend, the Carleton Theater Department put on the school’s first musical in forever! This was a huge feat, not just because of how big the cast was, but also because of the collaboration between the Music. Theater, and Dance Departments. I’m here to give you an inside look on what it was like to be involved and why it was one of my favorite experiences at Carleton.

Time Commitment and Management

Like any theater production, the musical was a big time commitment. The leads were called 20-25 hours a week, while the dance and singing ensemble were usually called a bit less. Although this was indeed a lot of time to spent in the theater for the first six weeks of the term, I had to chance to bond with so many amazing people. Not only did being in the musical force me out of my previous social bubble, but the long rehearsal weeks also helped me discover a really fun and new community. Plus, it helped me build my time management skills!

Workload

Most of the leads in the show underloaded or took one three-credit class, since being in the musical already gave you three credits. While I definitely had to stay on top of my work, I found it pretty manageable as long as I was budgeting my time properly.

Working on My Craft

It was so cool to get to do what I love around so many other people who love the same things! Whether it was talking to the costumer about which earrings fit my character best or seeing how the set all came together at the end, it was inspiring to work with so many talented people. I grew up as a performer, which definitely affected me as a person as I was constantly being challenged in the best way possible.

My Favorite Part (Unbiased)

I’ve already said this, but the best part of being in the musical was the community, hands down. Whether it was someone I had never met before or someone I was abroad with, I got to have so many interesting conversations with people. Not only did I get to know people better, but I also got to build a beautiful end product with them. If you’re looking for ways to find people at Carleton, the Theater Department offers many opportunities to get involved.

Spelling Bee was the perfect representation of Carleton—a loving, artsy, and passionate community. We got to give this performance, as a group, to the community while also making new friends. Even if musical theater is not your thing, Carleton has so many opportunities like this all the time. You just have to be willing to step outside of your comfort zone.

Kate (she/her) is a junior History  and Theater double major from the Bay Area, California. She loves Carleton’s artsy community, and is involved in the Vocal Studies Program and occasionally the Experimental Theater Board when her fight choreography skills are in high demand. Kate’s favorite places on campus are the practice rooms, either in Myers or the Weitz, where she can sing or play the ukulele. She loves the campus during all the seasons but thinks nothing could compare to the beautiful colors of Northfield in the fall. When not in class, you can find Kate either petting the nearest cat or forcing her friends to watch bad movies in a study room.