So…I would love to hear from some people who have children that have recently graduated from Mt / Acting programs and what their child is doing now in terms of job, etc. You don’t have to go into great detail I am just pondering how my D’s degree when she graduates (BFA in MT) will be very “specific” for lack of a better word & that is somewhat concerning to me. It always has been but I am wondering what some others have done with their BFA (or BA ) Theatre related degree . I mean I know the most recent kids are probably for the most part auditioning in various cities for performing based jobs & working a survival job but I am asking about those kids who have already decided the auditioning, etc is not for them or they did it for several years & now are pursuing more traditional consistent work…etc. I seem to remember someone posting about their D’s experience but cannot remember who that was. I know my D would be able to teach theatre in a private school etc if she ever chose to do so but since she wouldn’t have an education component to her degree she would be restricted to that and no public school, at least in our neck of the woods. Anyway would like to hear what some have done or are doing.
@theaterwork I am jumping in without the requisite experience, as D is just going to start her MT program in the fall. But why not open my big mouth anyway. :))
Apart from the singing, acting, and dancing, a LOT goes into an MT production. Running the house, marketing, tech, stage management, people management - so many tiny details. While our MT majors won’t be doing those things as their degree, the opportunities to learn about them and participate in them are definitely there. And every business needs people for things like marketing and operations. So we have been, and we will continue, to coach our daughter about how to translate those experiences into skills that can be used outside of theatre.
We are also requiring a freelance skill for her. Web design, bookkeeping, or something along those lines - it’s her summer project this year. Some kind of work that is flexible so that it could easily fit around auditions, and it makes better money than waiting tables. I think having staying power is key for these kids who want to make it in show business, and a decent income that isn’t a total grind helps with that.
Again, no experience just ideas, so take this all with a grain of salt. 
My S is working at a server job right now but planning to take the test for personal trainer certification at the end of the month. He graduated last May and has been working continuously in various theater projects, but only one of them so far has paid very well. He’s doing okay financially though – the server job is pretty good (and flexible) and he made a lot of money at a holiday theater project. He’s really good at managing expenses and he lives in Chicago, which is cheaper than NY/BOS/LA/Philly etc. He auditions all the time, and he’s starting to get seen (and called back) at bigger theaters, so it’s good that he’s not desperate for cash and can keep going for a while.
My D is almost 6 years out of school (BM, VP with MT concentration). Two minors: in English and the Business of Entertainment, Media and Technology. Internships at Lizzie Grubman PR, Sony (entertainment marketing), the Mayor’s Office of Entertainment and Media, Scott Rudin Productions and Dreamworks Theatrical–all NYC. All were started during the summer, some she kept throughout the school year since she attended NYU. Some were paid, others unpaid.
The summer after freshman year she did 2 shows at Hofstra University and interned in the city, but after that used summer to intern rather than do summer stock. She took dance and voice lessons throughout the summer, though.
By junior year, she was fairly certain that she did not want to audition post graduation and wanted the business side of entertainment. That’s when she committed to her two minors. English to show she had writing/ academic skills and the business minor to reinforce her marketing and PR experience.
She considered theatre production/ theatre management, but after interviewing and speaking to others, she felt the salaries were way too low (mid $20K) and there was a lot of short term or part time positions without benefits.
Upon graduation she was offered an (unpaid) internship at Telsey working as an assistant to a casting director. After 2 months she was promoted to “apprentice” and offered compensation that was less than minimum wage. She did that for a few more months and until she was offered a full-time position at CAA as an assistant in their theatre dept.
So on paper this all looks great, but the reality is that CAA is filled with underpaid young adults who graduated from top (mostly private) schools all hoping to become agents. She was lucky to start as an assistant at a $30K a year salary with a permanent desk. Many others start as interns, floaters or in the mailroom. (Yes, with degrees from Harvard and Northwestern)–with salaries in the mid 20’s. Her auditioning friends were making more than that as nannies, personal trainers and wait staff–but she wanted a career with stability and the potential to make real money (to be financially independent and able to support herself nicely in NYC.)
She ended up staying at CAA for 2 years or so and had many amazing experiences. But there was not going to be a path there for her to become an agent and she wasn’t convinced that she wanted it enough anyway. (Still a very male dominated industry–perhaps changing now.) So she left to gain more marketing experience and took a job as a marketing assistant at an entertainment law firm for $40K a year.
This job was boring, and she knew it going in–but it also left her with plenty of time to study for her GMAT. She had decided after speaking to many, many people that the best way to get ahead and make any real money was to go back to grad school for her MBA. Then she could gain higher level management experience in marketing outside of entertainment (consumer marketing/ brand management) and she could swing back into entertainment on a higher level if she desired.
So that’s the path she has taken. She is currently a full time MBA student at NYU Stern. She got a great internship for the summer in a pharmaceutical company doing brand management for consumer goods. That could lead to a job offer for when she graduates. The internship pays her over $18K for 10 week’s worth of work–so roughly the equivalent of $95K a year.
So with luck she will have way more than doubled her salary. Making $40K she needed our help to live in NYC if she ever wanted to go out or buy clothing.
I think she will stick with this plan to work in consumer goods for a few years, but would ultimately hope to get a high level position in marketing or new business development at Disney or another high level entertainment company.
My other D is currently in her first year teaching in NYC as an art teacher. That is another path to go. But if you do it in private schools–especially in theatre–many of the positions are part time. you can get them without an education degree, but doubtful you’ll make enough money. My D who has a BFA in art went to school for an additional year to get her MA in art education. There are many positions in the arts available in the NYC public schools–but you would need a masters degree and to pass state certification tests. At my D’s school in Brooklyn, the principal hired a theatre teacher, a band teacher and my D (a sculpture teacher.) All first years and the pay is about $63K (with the master’s).
As it turns out, the school got a Disney grant for the next three years (my D was on the committee to get the grant) and my D (who also sings) is coaching kids in voice, and in charge of sets, costumes and make up for their Lion King production.
Hope this helps!
Yes all these experiences are helpful! Any more please chime in . I have a question for you about your daughters @uskoolfish , so does your one D that has the MT degree miss the performance aspect? Also did your daughter that has the BFA in Art, what was her initial intention upon entering school for that major? Like was she always intending on getting her masters or did that come about later?
@theaterwork In reality, my D had more large scale performance opportunities in high school than she did in college. In high school she was one of the female leads in almost all her school’s theater productions–culminating with Belle in Beauty in the Beast in an incredible production. At NYU things were different. She got ensemble roles in larger productions (if she was cast at all). She got larger roles in productions that were done on a smaller scale than shows at her high school (Think very off-Broadway). She was very involved in student productions at NYU and was President of NYU’s Players Club. But ultimately, most of her vocal opportunities were in her classes and in her voice lessons.
So yes, she misses the opportunity to study voice to the extent she did as a full time student. But in reality, many of her friends–the ones out there auditioning–are not performing on a regular basis either. Some have been more successful than others, but few are taking voice lessons regularly (they can’t afford it) and few are out there on stage often.
In the past 5 years she has had the opportunity at times to sing on various projects with her musician/ theatre friends. She also joined a choir in NYC that met weekly.
This year, back at NYU for her MBA, she was able to take voice lessons with her undergrad voice teacher and she is in an acappella group and just got cast in a Stern concert version of the Lion King.
Ultimately, being in NYC, if she wants to perform more, she can. There are many semi-professional theatre groups and choirs. She hopes to make enough money to continue to study voice and take dance classes.
Regardless of the path she takes after her MBA is complete, she is very well connected with agents and casting directors. She has often said that she sees herself auditioning later in life as an older character actor. She certainly has the connections to try to make that happen.
As for my younger D, she has always wanted to be a teacher. In HS she decided that she would like to teach art. (She excelled in MT, English and art.) Once she made that decision, I encouraged her to get her BFA in studio art and then follow that up with a masters in art education. Often art education majors aren’t offered the same level of classes and opportunities as studio art majors. They need to take education requirements and are often not perceived as “serious artists” by their professors and peers. She also attended NYU (for both undergrad and grad) and had an amazing experience. In the end, she considers herself both a working artist and a teacher. She is looking forward to creating art all summer.
If you search around there are programs in which you can complete your masters in education in just one year (going summers and January term.) So she was able to get her BFA in May of 2016 and finish her MA in art education in June of 2017.
I bookmarked this page - as I am very interested in learning more about what comes after :)! My S is a freshman BA Theatre major at Northwestern - and so has the opportunity to double major, but as to what that major is, he is still unsure.
My daughter will be graduating in May with her BA in theatre from Drew. She is currently working with the Tectonic Theatre company in NYC putting on a devised piece of theatre as the director. She as been hired for the summer as an SM and Props Master for a theatre in Colorado. Pay is good and they are paying for her housing as well. No internship for her! Yay!! A real job that will give her the experience she needs to move on to NYC. Playbill and Backstage Magazine will be your best friends upon graduation. Auditioning will become her full time job after the summer. Oh and I am sure I will get some flak for this remark, but if anyone tells you that they don’t need to help their kid after graduation with finances…don’t believe them LOL
We have been working on nailing down the 1st post grad apt in NYC. A job in and of itself!
No flak from me! However, I’m not into blanket statements so much. Both of my daughters knew that once they earned their final degree, they were on their own financially. And they have been since their final graduation day. I know many others whose parents no longer support their kids financially once they graduate. Some do. It was not an option for my kids. It is possible to earn a living if you know you must. My daughters’ spouses have also supported themselves upon their graduations, in their respective fields, including performing arts. There are ways to earn money in addition to performing.
If a theater graduate thinks they are just going to audition when they get out of college and nothing else, that is not realistic. It also is very chancy, as well as most productions don’t run a long time. My D rarely auditions, but works consistently in music and theater. I would not advise putting all eggs ONLY in the audition basket and hope to make a living in a place like NYC.
We are not really helping with living expenses any more except that the S is still on our cell plan and once in a while we send a hundred or two for airplane tickets (to see us or for out of town auditions or something like that).
S graduates in May; we can already see we will be helping with the moving and start up expenses. S is moving to NYC the week after graduation; he and his group hope to finalize their apartment plans during showcase week in April. He has some money saved so he can focus on auditioning for a time. He is also touching base now with people he knows who run bars/restaurants for a survival job. I assume it will take him a beat to get the lay of the land!
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/17383353#Comment_17383353
That discussion, as well as the link I posted to a 2009 discussion by fishbowlfreshman and others, might provide some useful information to new grads and their parents, keeping in mind that in the intervening years, the costs quoted are going to have risen substantially. (Just an example, the metrocard is mentioned as costing $81 for a month, it’s now something like $120)
D will stay on our cell phone plan - and our health insurance. She asked me earlier this week if she would be allowed to keep using the netflix/hbo passwords as well
Interesting article about the top employee characteristics necessary for success at Google. My favorite quote:
" Those traits sound more like what one gains as an English or theater major than as a programmer.
My D is currently finishing up her freshman year in her MT program. I cannot thank you all enough for taking the time to post. Such great thoughts and information. Thanks @theaterwork for asking the question so many of us have on our minds.
My son graduated from a conservatory this past July and moved to NYC in October. He lives in Brooklyn with 2 other friends he graduated with-- all MT majors. He waits tables to pay for expenses and every day actively seeks theater/acting work/auditions. (Mostly thru Backstage.) He’s gotten a few little things- one-day TV shoots, or a one month MT gig. He has many sticks in the fire at all times. It’s grueling and not easy. Fortunately, the amount of work available is huge… you just need to find the work that fits your type. We help a little bit with rent and pay for his cell phone (on our plan). He’s still on our health insurance until age 26. He’s single and living the dream… we’ll see how long that lasts.
My daughter graduated BFA Acting in 2016. She lives at home and auditions in NYC and locally in our suburb about 1 hour outside of NYC. She has strung together a number of jobs to make money. Her non-performing jobs are babysitting for two families before school and tutoring local students in math and SAT prep. Her quasi-performing job is working for a local acting studio, sometimes behind the desk, sometimes teaching performance classes and directing some of the kids’ shows. Her performing jobs are summer Shakespeare (stage managing one, performing in another) and performing in an educational theatre company’s anti-bullying production in schools. These theater kids are the hardest working kids around!
well learning a lot from all these stories. thank you for sharing them. I recently read the book someone recommended the Actors Life by Jenna Fischer . she is the girl from The Office etc. That was an eye opening little book right there. She did not get what she considered a “real” acting job for 6 years. and didn’t get the Office gig until she hit 8 yrs of being in LA…Her story is interesting and I would encourage people to read it. I am giving to my D to read next lol. I am not sure if it was inspiring? I mean it is but also it reiterated the fact that this will most likely be a “for the long haul” endeavor & you better gear up for that. Also, she talks about always looking for that next gig, work, making your own work, etc. Connecting w/ creative groups & not getting complacent, she graduated from Truman State Univ in Missouri with a BA in Theatre. She doesn’t seem to think school had much or anything to do with the jobs she did or didn’t get. She seemed to emphasize it was a huge combination of luck and being in the right place at the right time & also that she was “being seen” by the same people over and over and they remembered her for parts later. Now she is not a singer and not MT , her main goal was always acting and TV/Film , hence the move to LA.
Anyway its a good read!
I haven’t posted here in FOREVER since I was applying for colleges myself, but I now work in performing arts college admissions so I’ve been lurking on CC again for a little while. I wanted to chime in here since I firmly believe in the value of a theatre degree.
I graduated from a school mentioned often on here with a BFA in MT in 2013. During college, I was a student ambassador in my school’s admissions office. Towards the end of school, I think I started to realize that my path might look a little different than others. (I’m a 6 foot tall character actress/leading lady so I’m well aware that my time may come later…). Priorities and expectations shifted, and I developed an interested for teaching. After I graduated, I was lucky enough to immediately start touring with children’s theatre where I taught, directed and performed nationally and internationally for 15 months. It was a sweet gig, but 15 months of traveling to a different city each week definitely can wear on a person. After that, I moved to Chicago where I worked several different gigs-- mostly teaching, some performing, and some arts administration. I was the office manager of a children’s theatre for some time as well. All of these gigs were part time, and at one point I was working 6 jobs at once. I lasted this way for about 3 years until I burnt out and realized that I needed/wanted a stable job with insurance and a steady paycheck.
I job searched for a while and I ironically ended up back at my alma mater as the admissions counselor for the BFA theatre programs working in the same office I worked in when I was a student, and I couldn’t be happier where I have landed. Truly. Plus, I sing in a wonderful choir, I see a lot of theatre, and I audition occasionally when it’s something I’m interested in. It’s definitely liberating to not have to rely on performing for my income, though.
When I started college at 18, did I envision my life to turn out this way? No. Do I have any regrets? Also no. Everyone has their own path, and luckily a degree in theatre is so incredibly versatile that it will allow you not only to find your path, but to successfully follow it too. I wouldn’t trade majoring in musical theatre at a conservatory for the world. I find it’s served me well, and it will continue to serve me well in whatever comes next.
Bottom line: It will all work out.