Author: Brian Ferris

Brian is a Senior Marketing Management major with a minor in Theater. He is heavily involved with the Theatre Program and is the Vice President of Tau Alpha Pi, the theatre honorary on campus. Brian also acts as the Treasurer for the Tri-Rho housing group.
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What Is The 24 Hour Theater Project?

For the past three years, I have been involved in The 24 Hour Theater Project. This event is presented by Tau Alpha Pi, (or TAP for short), which is the Theatre Honorary here on campus at Grove City College. I have been a constant participant of the event every year that we have presented it. My sophomore year, I acted and directed, last year I coordinated the entire event, and this year I am writing!

So what is it really like to participate? Well, it is very busy, that is for sure. Whether it is the writers trying to crank out a script in one night or the actors trying to remember their blocking during the performance, there is a consistent thrill throughout the entire event. It may seem daunting, but for us theater-fanatics, that thrill makes the whole event very special.

Acting. The actors arrive Friday night without any preparation at all. They are asked to audition with just a short, improvised game. Then they leave the event until Saturday morning. At 7 a.m., they return to the theater and begin to memorize their script (which, in all honesty, takes the entire day). Then they learn the blocking based on the direction of their student director. At 7 p.m., ready or not, the actors take to the stage to perform their one act!

Directing. The directors are sort of the middle man in this event. First, they are paired with a group of writers and cast their show Friday at 7 p.m. Then, if the writers choose to do so, they can allow the directors to stay up with them throughout the night as the script is being written, or they can just go to back to their dorm. They must come back to the theater at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning to direct their one act. Directing it involves blocking movement, creating the set, and talking to the coordinators about transitions, music, and other things.

Writing. The writers help cast the show at the beginning of the night, and then, well, they write. They create a six- to 10-minute script about whatever creative idea is sparked in their minds. In case they get a mental block, there is support from the coordinators and one of the TAP advisors. Once they get their scripts completed, whether it is at 1 a.m. or 6 a.m., they are done for the rest of the event! Then they get to come back that night to see their script come to life!

You can watch this year’s show here!

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I Spent a Week Without a Phone (and I Survived)

No calls. No texts. No alarms or reminders from an app. That was my life this past week here on campus.

Now, I am not the type of guy who needs to have my phone on me at all times, but as a student in business, I certainly use my phone for everyday things. For example, I always schedule out my day on my calendar app and I have reminders that tell me when I need to leave for class. Snapchat was even a productive tool for me because my friends and I would make our dinner plans through the chat function. So, when my phone broke and became unusable, my day-to-day processes were altered.

I could have just bought a new phone that day, but I decided I would take a week and try to do things the “old-fashioned” way. This includes (but is not limited to), writing down meetings in a planner, whistling to pass the time while waiting for a friend, and showing up at dinner with the hopes that I know someone in the cafeteria. I was worried that after a week like this I would feel out of the loop, but what I realized was that I actually started to feel more connected to people.

I found that when I spent time with others, I was more involved in our exchanges and I cared more about what was going on in their life. I appreciated hearing stories more. I felt less self-conscious about little things and was able to be more confident throughout the day. Also, I became more productive when I sat down to study – there was not a screen across the desk to distract me.

My phone-fast is coming to an end soon, I am planning on getting a new one within the next couple of days. I am not saying that going offline is the right option for everyone, but it may be worth a try if you are having a hard time focusing while studying or if you find yourself feeling blue after browsing through your Instagram feed. This past week taught me to place less value on my phone, and to invest more into my work and my friends here on campus.

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Why You Should Fight Senioritis

Back in the spring semester of my senior year in high school, I thought I had the whole “school” thing figured out. I had gotten mostly A’s and B’s in all my classes, I was heavily involved in after-school activities, and I had just gotten accepted into the college of my choice, Grove City College. I was feeling really confident about myself and my time management skills. High school had been a breeze.

Then I started to feel the draw of Senioritis. I would define Senioritis as simply not wanting to do any school work because, “It doesn’t even matter anymore.” I am sure most seniors in high school can relate to this feeling; not wanting to take notes, study for tests, or even show up to class. I was never worried about my grades because I was already accepted into college! They were not going to “un-accept” me because I got a D on a calculus exam, so what did it matter? I would tell myself, “When I get to college, then I’ll start working hard.” With this mindset, my work ethic started to fall along with my GPA.

Let me warn anyone feeling the temptation of Senioritis: Fight the urge to give in! When I got to Grove City College, I was expecting the work to be just as easy as it was in high school. I was planning on putting the same amount of time and energy into my academics as I had in the past. I hardly read any of the assigned readings, I did the bare minimum on my homework, and I took sloppy notes. For some reason I thought that I would still receive the same, above-average, GPA.

At the end of my first semester here, I realized that Grove City was expecting more from me. My GPA was not what I hoped it would be and I was disappointed in myself. From then on, I had to start working hard to change my study habits to become a more successful student. Now, after a couple of semesters focusing on improving my work ethic, I have gotten into the groove of things and do not feel so strained when it comes to getting schoolwork done. It took some time and self-reflection, but the reward was worth it. My only regret is not focusing on academics sooner.

So, my advice? Study for that calculus exam. Take good notes. Read what you are asked to read for class. Senior year of high school is a true test of integrity. It is extremely important that you work as hard as you can, because college will only be more challenging. If you take the time to build the foundation of a great work ethic now, you will feel more confident and proud of yourself when you get to college.