<p>Hey, I am planning on attending FSU this summer with a BA in Theatre along with a double major in economics. I looked at how I could manage that by comparing the requirements and although it may require me to take more summer classes or graduate in 5 years. It is definitely manageable. My only question is, would my BA in theatre have any practical use after I graduate? Theatre has always been my passion and something I love more than anything in the world, but I realize that the career options are dismal, so I want to have a solid backup plan. In my ideal life I would like to try to make it in theatre after I graduate college and if I don't succeed either go to graduate school by either getting a law degree or masters. If I did, go to graduate school directly after undergrad would there be any benefit to my theatre degree? Would there be any kind of area I could specialize my career in? </p>
<p>Any help is greatly appreciated!!!</p>
<p>Even if you never step foot onto a stage after graduating, a major or minor in Theater will involve working with others, memorizing lines and cues, feeling comfortable in front of an audience, dealing with unforeseen problems (e.g. prop and wardrobe malfunctions, missed cues and prompts, etc.), and learning to address challenges creatively. More than that, it gives you the chance to cultivate a passion, and do something you love. If you love the performing arts, you will be able to appreciate them with a more refined eye. When my son decided he wanted to pursue a theater degree, people questioned its practicality. A Theater major is less practical than engineering, undoubtedly, but my son was not going to become an engineer. There is no reason to believe that it’s any less practical than Art History, Creative Writing, Anthropology, or any other liberal arts department he might have selected. My brother’s best friend in college was a star in student theatricals. He gave himself a couple of years after college before going to law school. Having the poise and charisma of an actor is a great asset for an attorney. I’d say a Theater major is at least as useful as any other degree. My father was an attorney, who majored in English Lit. Law schools look at an applicant’s GPA and LSAT scores, primarily. Many arts majors obtain teaching degrees, which allow them a career path which won’t interfere completely with their artistic endeavors. You can work in regional theaters while teaching at local schools or small colleges. You can go out to audition in LA during “pilot season” in the summer. You can substitute in NYC schools for a decent per diem wage, without a long-term commitment. Again, the theatrical background is attractive for teachers, who need to keep their classes engaged. There are many graduate programs for arts management. They usually include enough business courses to qualify their students for jobs in many fields.</p>
<p>Without a wealth of AP credits, a double major can be very difficult. It’s almost impossible to do within four years in a BFA program. I imagine that you have sufficient curricular flexibility to take enough Economics classes to constitute a minor in the subject.</p>
1 Like
<p>Although I don’t really disagree with what stagemum says, I really don’t think that, strictly speaking, a BA in Theatre has “a practical use”.</p>
<p>There really aren’t any theatre careers that would require you to have that BA piece of paper. Yes, all of the courses and training you take in order to earn your BA can provide you with knowledge and experience that is useful for a theatre career, but you can get that knowledge and experience in other ways as well. Don’t get a BA in theatre because you think somewhere in the world someone is saying “I hope somebody with a BA in theatre will show up and apply for this job opening we have.” There is no such job.</p>
<p>A BA in theatre is good for all the things that any other BA is good for. I’m pretty sure that I stood out from other applicants for a job I had as a legal secretary in Chicago because I did have that BA. But the fact that it was in theatre was irrelevant–when I left the actual subject off of my resume I found that I started getting MORE job interviews. And of course an undergraduate degree can be a stepping stone to a graduate degree. You dont NEED to have the same subject as an undergrad as you plan to have as a graduate degree, but it might help, especially if you are applying to a very competitive theatre grad school. I imagine I have quite an advantage by virtue of the fact that I can say “Here or the theatre projects I worked on as an undergrad, including these four plays I directed.” (And the “with honors” doesn’t hurt either!).</p>
<p>Sit down and really think about where you REALLY want to be in five or ten years. Don’t worry about having a fallback plan, some people say that if you have one you will definitely end up falling back. Then go and find out about people who are currently doing your dream job, and find out how they got there.</p>
<p>KEVP</p>
<p>At least in the city where I teach, you need a B.A. in theater to teach drama in a public charter school under NCLB. To be honest, I’m not sure if a B.F.A. in theater would also count. All I know is that an undergraduate in English does not.</p>
<p>Well I guess in my ideal life, which may change. I’d want to graduate with a dual degree in economics and theatre, go to New York, maybe get a low-end bank job where I can leave without much difficulty and where if I miss a day for an audition I won’t automatically get fired. I’d love to spend the rest of my life doing theatre, but honestly I know that it isn’t an easy thing and careers are very short, I don’t really want to be waiting tables the rest of my life. Any advice or helpful tips are appreciated.</p>
<p>This problem of “missing a day for auditions” is why so many actors choose to wait tables. That’s a job where there’s usually some flexibility with schedules. You often don’t get that flexibility in the typical 9 to 5 office job that requires a degree.</p>
<p>Would you be willing to leave your “low end bank job” for an acting project that was only for a few weeks, and paid less than your bank job?</p>
<p>Nobody is talking about the rest of your life yet. Get your acting degree, go to New York and try a career in acting for a while. If it doesn’t work out, you can go back to college and get an econmics graduate degree, and then go an get a higher-end bank job. This is very normal in the 21st century. In the mean time, you can use the time you get from not having to take economics classes to get more acting training and experience.</p>
<p>I don’t know specifically what you mean by a “low end bank job”. Bank tellers I don’t think need bachelor’s degrees in economics.</p>
<p>Thank you for all the help! I commonly find myself thinking way too far in the future, but it’s really nice to have people offer some advice!</p>