I’m heading into college as a freshman in September, I hope to get into CUNY Queens College and i plan to major in the technical side of their theater program. I want to know if it’s a good choice or should i have a backup major just in case?
Learn to be a carpenter and how to rig and weld and you will have work for life.
Learn how to also run yourself as a business and you’ll be successful. Maybe minor in business? It could only help.
When my son was looking into majors, he found that Tech Theatre had more opportunities for employment after graduation than his other interest, Anthropology.
I know a number of people with B.A.'s or BFA’s in Tech Theatre who are working and doing interesting things, but only one of them is actually in Tech Theatre. The others are a school administrator (previously taught theater), an art teacher, and my brother who designs computer networks and sells the components.
For every working actor there are dozens of production professionals. Not only are there more opportunities, the pay is generally better, sometimes much much better. Unless you are in a senior stagehand in a major market the best money isn’t in theatre. Rather, Audio/Visual production (conventions and trade shows), television, radio, music, festivals, corporate events are generally more lucrative areas for stagehands. Not to mention the many big time vendors (Hudson Scenic, Masque, PRG) who use highly trained stagehands in their shops. The more experienced move up the ladder to project and production management.