After graduation experiences

College Majors Musical Theater Major
21

This is a little about my D’s life as a BFA graduate. I think I should preface this by saying that my husband and I agreed before my D went to college for her BFA that we would financially and emotionally support her for as long as we could once she graduated since we felt that was only fair given how difficult it is to make it in this field and since we wanted her to have the best chance possible to make it. Her promise to us was that upon graduation she would commit herself 100% to finding work and if she decided that it was no longer her passion she would turn her energy elsewhere. I understand that there are some kids who have been able to work and support themselves right out of school. I am impressed! This has not been the case for my D so we continue to help support her. So far, her passion has not waned.

My D graduated with a BFA in Acting in May. She is living in NYC and working her butt off to make it as a working actress. This means that everyday she has 2 or 3 auditions, which not only require the time it takes to get to the audition and the time at the audition itself but also the prep time of getting familiar with the script for each of these auditions. In order to get these auditions she spends a few hours each day scouring the emails from the boards she belongs to that match her with auditions. She then spends time submitting herself for the auditions. She also does workshops and takes classes so that she doesn’t get stale. This all takes a lot of time. So far she has done a few off broadway plays, a few indy films, a web series pilot, and some voice over work. Nothing that has paid a lot. We quickly realized that this meant that all she could swing in terms of jobs were the typical very flexible hostessing/waitressing/baby sitting jobs so that she never had to say to an auditon or feel ill prepared when she got to an audition because she was working at some other job. Because missing one audition, might mean that she missed the one that was going to be her break. So we help support her. And that is what we signed up for when we agreed that she could pursue this career path.

One other thing I wanted to add for MT kids that my Acting kid noticed is that there seems to be more opportunity for MT kids since musicals have much bigger casts than dramas, a lot of regional and summer stock theater produce mostly musicals, and a lot of national tours are musicals. This is not a fact, just an observation. But if it’s true, that’s good news for MT!

22

It has been a while since I posted, but someone sent this link to me and asked if I’d chime in.

Our D graduated with a BA + MT Certificate from Northwestern in 2015. Since graduating she has fully supported herself on her MT wages, though we have voluntarily covered her health insurance (altho she has qualified for AEA insurance every term since graduation which would have been cheaper than our family policy) and her cell phone, since we are doing the same for her brother who is getting a PhD. We also cover some of her travel when she vacations with us, and she recently stayed with us for 2 months while she did a performing gig in our city – the first time she’s worked or lived at home in 7.5 years! Otherwise she pays all her own living expenses, plus travel expenses for auditions, and has even managed to build some savings. She works reception for gyms when time permits to get free exercise classes, and babysits on occasion as she craves kid time (sometimes in exchange for voice lessons). She always knew we would not help with post-college living expenses.

That said, her situation is rare in that she was fortunate enough to fit her type – ingenue – as a young adult, which is not true for all young actors. She was also lucky to be cast professionally as a junior in college, immediately get signed by an agent, and get a steady stream of work ever since. In addition, she was fortunate enough to graduate with no student debt, which obviously makes a huge difference. Her BF is also an MT who graduated from a Conservatory. He is paying student debt, but has also covered his living expenses with the help of occasional catering and Lyft driving to fill any gaps between contracts. Both of them recognize that each contract could be their last, so they sock away as much extra money as possible when they are on contracts.

Both D and her BF launched their careers in Chicago, where they graduated with contacts from school, and saved money before moving to NYC, which is lucky as their first NY apartment required a small fortune in move-in costs (an exceptionally high # as landlord required 3 months of Escrow in addition to Broker fees and security deposits as they had out-of-town guarantors), and a year later they are moving again and will repeat some of those expenses.

They both have many MT friends who have chosen different paths since graduation. They know folks who are being very successful at places like LinkedIn and Google, doing marketing, PR, public policy, theatre management, writing, directing, going to Law and Medical school… honestly they know former MTs happily doing a huge variety of things.

So while it is true that many/most MT grads may not be self-sufficient immediately after graduation I can say firsthand that it is possible, and also that training in Theatre will open a surprising number of doors for kids who take the risks and initiative needed to branch into different fields.

I felt the same trepidation when our D entered college, and asked many of the same questions, but so far so good. Hope this helps a little!

23

I haven’t posted on CC in ages, but I was just thinking about this forum and lo and behold, this is the first post here…

If things had gone according to plan, I should have been getting ready to graduate from Viterbo this spring with degrees in MT and Arts Administration. Instead, I’ve delayed my graduation a semester, because I’m on the road with a national tour. Last summer, I was part of the Williamstown Theatre Festival apprentice company (I’ve been so fortunate to do amazing internships/apprenticeships as part of my college career), and from that program, I made some connections that led to an offer to go on the road with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Live in a role that is exactly my type and fits my “artistic mission statement” perfectly, so to speak. I was four days into my senior year at Viterbo when I decided I was got the offer, which meant I had to pack everything right back up and move to New York for a few weeks (read: sleeping in my best friend’s parents’ spare room in New Jersey) for rehearsals and then go out on tour. So I’ve been touring the US and taking my last few gen ed/arts administration classes online since September, and will be on the road for about another month and a half. I’ll return to Viterbo in the fall to finish up the last few performance classes that I’ve missed, and graduate in December.

I really don’t know how to share everything that I’ve learned from tour. It’s made me more self-sufficient, kinder, more confident, more consistent, it’s taught me my limits and when I can push them…and I’m still learning!

Getting this job really forced me to re-examine my post-grad plan. As my username indicates, I’m a Canadian (without dual citizenship). To make a long story short, I won’t be eligible for any work authorization after I graduate (generally when you’re on an student visa, you can get a year’s worth of work authorization post-graduation), because I’ve used it all for the apprenticeships I’ve done in previous summers and to do this tour. I was always planning on moving back to Toronto after my work authorization expired, but now I’m doing it in January 2019 as opposed to Summer 2019, as I had always planned. That means that this summer, I am BUSTING MY BUTT to try and re-establish myself as an artist and an administrator at home, so that I might have an easier time finding work when I graduate. I’ve been video submitting to Toronto Fringe shows from the road, I’m applying to professional development programs and finding companies to volunteer with this summer, and I made the shortlist for a national playwriting commission (still waiting on the results!). It’s definitely anxiety-making that I’ve spent the past four-ish years in the US getting my degrees and making all these wonderful American connections, and that those connections won’t mean nearly as much when I move back home.

When I graduate in December, I’m going to try my best to move out of my parents’ place (the commute from our Greater Toronto Area home to downtown isn’t conducive to an actor’s lifestyle) and perhaps in with my brother (who attends a Toronto university and rents an apartment in the downtown core). I’m very lucky that I will have no student debt and that my parents will allow me to live with them for as long as it takes me to get on my feet.

It’s hard to predict what life will look like post-graduation, but I think grad school/further training is in my future in a few years (I definitely need a little break–by the time I graduate from Viterbo, I will have spent 5.5 years in pursuit of my undergraduate degree): I see a certificate/degree in Disability Studies or a degree in Public Policy (with a focus in arts and cultural policy) in my future, as well as perhaps a certificate in acting from the National Theatre School of Canada. Ultimately, my career goals are a) to perform at the Shaw Festival and b) to move into artistic leadership with a focus in accessibility, which is very different from what I wanted when I first got to Viterbo (to be on Broadway, like every 17 year old with stars in their eyes). It’s definitely been a wild ride! Much like the MT college admissions process, the path through theatre school and towards “real life” is…never straightforward and always leads you in an unexpected direction.

24

I’ll jump in here. My D graduated with the BFA-MT last May. And rather than moving to NYC or Chicago of LA, she realized she needed to chill out for a bit, so she came back to her hometown (a large Midwest city), and decided to start her career there. Since graduating she was in a professional show (Hunchback of Notre Dame), then went from that directly to a major community theater production of Annie (she was Grace), and from that to a big Christmas show. To make ends meet she bartended and waitressed, and now works part time for a big performing arts center in our town. She went to a unified profession audition and got a number of call backs and several offers for the summer and beyond, and signed a contract for this summer. And just this week auditioned and got called back for a couple equity theater gigs. She is thinking about grad school down the road, which I’d love to see because she’d be a terrific theater professor. She is close to her best friends, and this approach works quite well for her right now. at some point she may very well take a shot at NYC or whatever, but right now she’s actually getting on stage on a fairly regular basis.

Different kids have different experiences, and wind up with different goals. You might meet someone and that will change your entire outlook. You might take a class in college and realize a new passion. I love watching from a distance and seeing my D’s life evolve.

25

Delete

26

As a mom of a S who is in his first year at Northwestern, your post makes me happy :)! Great to hear about all the successes of your daughter!

27

Anyone else that’s out there with a post grad story… please share. We’re really learning a lot from your stories! :slight_smile: thanks to all who’ve shared already!

28

I should clarify that D is very grateful for the work she has gotten so far, and to-date her career is very much what she had hoped for, but she certainly has friends who have enjoyed higher levels of performing success in addition to those who have chosen to pursue other careers. In general those who land TV or film work will earn far more than those who stick to the stage, and apparently both the look (film generally wants TINY women) and skills are rather different than live theatre, so if your kids are drawn to that I’d urge them to study screen acting as part of their MT training.

29

Our D does not like me to share a lot of specifics about her on CC but I will share that she has been working continuously since graduation last May. Originally she planned to move to NYC with many of her peers. But after several nice regional offers during Spring auditions of her senior year (A1s, UPTAs and SETC), she decided to take some of those jobs to start with and then move to NYC. This has been a great decision for her. I would encourage soon to be grads to explore all of their options including working in regional theaters… In these regional shows, D has had the opportunity to be cast alongside actors straight from Broadway and national tours, has earned enough points to take her card if she so chooses, has made a lot of great contacts with actors, directors, theaters and casting organizations and has even been able to save a little $. She hasn’t made a huge amount of money, but we have not had to help her either (although we do still pay her phone and insurance). All of her jobs have provided housing which has helped with expenses. Taking a year to add some experience to her resume, earn points and save money I think will all be plusses for her when she does move to NYC after her summer stock gig this year. I know many kids are NYC or bust right after graduation. Ours definitely was. And there have been times this year that she has wished she was in NY with her friends. And, having several friends in Broadway shows I think there was a little concern at first that the jobs she was taking were somehow “less than”. But I think now she, and we, feel so fortunate that she has had these regional opportunities this year. It has required several moves and considerable travel. But it has definitely been worth it. I would highly recommend soon to be grads take a look at what is available in other parts of the country. Don’t dismiss them as being “less than” opportunities in the big cities. There are some really well respected and great theaters all over the US doing some really terrific shows. It may me a great way to kickstart your career.

30

@vvnstar ~My son feels the same… I am waiting on the ok to be able to share his journey!

31

And he’s having an action-packed journey, @lojosmo, so it will be great when you can share it with upcoming CC folks! :wink:

32

Hi, anyone on this thread willing to share (privately is fine if that’s more comfortable) experience of Elon or Emerson grads, or answer a few questions? Thanks in advance.

33

Sobering article about how recent tax law changes may affect actors:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/news/ct-ae-tax-cut-actors-0325-story.html

As if these kids didn’t have enough to stress over… :frowning:

34

This is probably not the ideal thread in which to post this, but if anyone has input on how valuable it would be for someone coming out with a BFA in Acting and/or MT to have also earned a BFA in Arts Administration at the same time…I would love to hear it. Thanks!

35

@katew529 I think how valuable the BFA in Arts Admin is depends on what she wants to do after graduation. If her intention is to pursue performing professionally, in my opinion the BFA in Arts Admin won’t make a difference in getting her cast, but obviously it never hurts to have another degree that she could use at some point down the road.

36

@jbtcat, thank you. I don’t think she expects that it would help with casting whatsoever. And yes, the primary goal is absolutely to be a performer.

The student who we heard discussing the program talked about it being a path to additional opportunities for paid work (albeit not performing work) in the world of theater.

And of course a lot of actors end up doing supplemental work of various types and/or eventually transition out of performing altogether.

I’m just trying to figure out how much that could realistically enhance one’s job prospects.

37

I agree with @katew529. It appears many will end up working in agencies but it seemed those had transitioned away from performing.

38

My D had no problem finding jobs that would be considered “arts administration” positions with a performance degree (BM, VP with a MT specialization). She had internships at a top production company, Dreamwork’s theatrical in the marketing and development department and Sony In a similar role. She worked in a management company, a top agency, and a top casting company. She did have a minor in the Business of Entertainment, Media and Technology and graduated from NYU, whose reputation may have helped. One internship lead to the next and opened up opportunities for jobs. No one she worked with had undergrad arts administration degrees. Many majored in theatre, MT, English, film, business or totally unrelated fields from top schools. I think the most important thing was to gain on the job experience and begin to network. D has been asked by people about the worth of a masters in arts administration and she has advised against it since most entry jobs are the same—even with a masters and are still low-paying and similar to those she has had without an additional degree.

39

@katew529 – like @uskoolfish’s D, I know many people with degrees in performance… BFA, BA, BM… and without degrees in performance who have transitioned into arts administration opporrtunities post grad when they have chosen to explore that route. Not that a minor or double major in arts administration would be a hinderence if the opportunity to pursue one is available and of interest.

40

@uskoolfish, @KatMT, thank you!