Anyone care to share their thoughts on which major is the best move for a long-term career? It seems to me that MT is more competitive at college admissions than straight acting–is that the case? Are straight acting programs getting 600+ applicants? I think most of our kids experience MT success in high school, where the musical is the big show of the year and the straight-acting show is a lesser draw (both in terms of high-school auditionees and audiences). So, my theory is that kids apply for MT because that is what they know and have been successful with in high school and community theatre. BUT, is MT really the best choice for long-term success in the entertainment industry? Do actors who can move from stage to screen to internet entertainment have more longevity when it comes to employment? Those of you who have had kids trained in MT, are they finding more MT or more acting opportunities? Which do they value most as career boosters? Trying to make my kid explore options other than MT, particularly as he has been redirected on more than one prescreen.
The career path is certainly different. There are probably more entry level MT jobs (summer stock, chorus etc.) than acting, but you see a lot more actors and actresses in their 40s and 50s and beyond working than MT. (Disclosure: my son is an acting major who can sing reasonably well and move a little, but he’s pretty focused on straight theater.)
My S is not in the post-college professional world yet, but he would say Acting is most important for versatility and longevity. He chose a triple threat BFA MT program that is technically a major in Acting with “emphasis in MT”. As a sophomore he is also lobbying to get into the Acting major movement/speech/acting classes - so far with some success, based on scheduling conflicts and whether or not the class is already filled with upper classmen. That said, as a male who can dance well and throw girls around, since fall of freshman year he has been cast in all the school musicals for dancer/ensemble. Those same skills helped him to get a summer stock ensemble position after freshman year. While he is thankful to be cast/hired, he is counting on his developing acting skills to eventually get him out of the chorus.
Also, all the highest paid, most visible actors in our culture are in film and TV, which requires straight acting skills rather than MT. (Not that they all have them…just saying, no one is required to tap to be a movie star.)
I do believe that all of our kids need to be open to all possibilities in theater, film, TV, even voice over work. If you are in an MT program that not only improves your singing but also improves your acting and dance, you are getting well prepared for whatever comes your way. The more versatile you are, the more employable you will be. I do believe acting is the basis for everything. So if you are an MT student, seek out straight acting opportunities, seek out additional acting training. And if you are in a straight acting program, make sure you seek out voice and dance training. The more skills you have, the better off you will be. I do like the programs where MTs and Acting students take acting courses together or where there is a lot of crossover between the 2 degrees.
I can think of 2 examples at Ds school where acting majors were cast as leads in national tours of musicals in the last few years. So you do not have to be an MT major to be successful in MT later on.
Here are some employment and salary figures that I looked up about 2 1/2 years ago:
For live theatre, however, I believe that total salary/employment numbers greatly favor MT over straight plays at the Broadway/National Tour/LORT level (for the simple reason that musicals usually employ far more actors than straight plays). However, one could argue that MT is comprised of not only “actors” but “singers” and “dancers,” so, if you factor out those disciplines, the employment numbers line up more closely. Below the LORT level, the numbers probably favor actors in straight plays, but one could argue that below the LORT level you are talking about more of a “hobby” or a “lifestyle” than a “job.”
See this thread for lots of discussion about being a working actor with lots of employment facts and figures:
The latest Actor’s Equity Annual Study, which is full of facts and figures and interesting charts of things like Broadway Show employment vs. Tour employment over time, can be found here:
https://www.actorsequity.org/newsmedia/annualreport.asp
So, the best career choice would seemingly be “Flo” in the ads for Progressive Insurance or however does the voice-overs for “FanDuel.com”
Thanks, @EmsDad, I think. Reading your post has racked my anxiety up to heart-exploding levels. Just kidding–we all need your reality check on this roller coaster. Must drink more coffee before moving on to your freakonomics thread. Someone call 911 if I’m not back…
My kid applied to BFAs in both acting an MT - so she always had that “question” (which is the best path) in her mind through whole process. She was accepted to both types of programs as well. In the end- she went with Acting, and (so far) is very happy with the decision - though obviously we don’t know yet how everything will play out. (of course, we will never know what MIGHT have happened if she chose MT, that’s just the nature of the universe) In the end - her basic reasoning for choosing acting rather than MT was:
1 - acting is her strength, and she wanted to focus there - thinking that her best chance at being a successful performer would be to push her primary skill. There is an equally valid argument to made in the opposite direction (push areas where you are weak- for my D that would be dance) she just chose door A :)
2 She has a particular love for (and I hope talent for) classical theater - and an acting major would give her much more exposure to that. Not that she doesn't love musicals - she just felt she could "keep up with" more of that on her own - esp since she is living in New York and can see so many shows
3 As mom4bway and jkelly mention, while MT is often the heart of broadway, there "seem" to be more acting jobs (in more mediums) than MT jobs - especially ones that allow you to make a decent wage :) Time will tell
I really don’t think there is a right or wrong answer. JMHO - but for me there isn’t really a vast difference in the worlds between BFA acting and MT (which is part of the reason I hang out on this forum too- even without an MT major). Yes, they have different classes etc - but ideology- and career challenges - are similar. There are so many different paths that can be taken
sigh Where does your child identify? What will make her happy? Not for nothing, but 1000 years ago I wanted to teach elementary school, but was told that the only jobs were in special ed. I didn’t really want to teach special ed, but I had loans and bills to pay… so I went down the special ed path for awhile until I realized that while practical, it wasn’t what made me happy. My child wanted MT and only MT and though she understands the importance of being a good actor, she would have been unhappy being “redirected” to an Acting track when her passion is MT. While on one level college is about preparing for a career and there IS a place for practicality, there is also the argument that this is a time to pursue passions because where they land, especially in this business, is anyone’s guess. I guess my point is: remember that in many cases pre-screens are about what the school needs and is not a reflection of what your child is capable of, and if her passion lies with MT, don’t completely dissuade her. Her path will most likely have many twists and turns in this subjective business. JMHO.
I don’t know that there is a correct answer as to which major (MT or Acting) is best for a long career. Some of it also has to do with goals and passions. I think a MT major can certainly pursue straight acting work. And I have seen numerous acting majors be cast in musicals, including on Broadway, who have strong voices and perhaps also got some vocal training, which acting students can do at many schools.
In terms of goals, I think being able to act is super important whether in musicals or in straight plays, TV, or film. If one is interested in pursuing film and TV, an Acting major is likely a good choice. Some people, like my own daughter, are interested in many aspects of music, besides performing in musicals, and so a MT background is helpful. My D is heavily involved in MT, but crosses over and has an interest in, popular music. So, she has a dual career in MT and in popular music. For instance, she is a singer/songwriter outside the realm of MT who puts on concerts of original music and has an album coming out. Having the MT background dovetails with that more than a straight Acting major as she is so involved in music (and actually is also a composer/lyricist of musicals, though her degree did not train her in that). So, some kids may want to pursue both theater and music and so an MT degree may dovetail well with those goals. Those very interested in film and TV might wish to go with an Acting major. But in the end, there is crossover and so I don’t think it is crucially important as to which major is done in college. In fact, my D spent five semesters in a MT studio at NYU/Tisch, and three semesters in an Acting studio (so she sorta had a major in each, though at Tisch, the degree is officially in Drama). All of her jobs are in theater and music, and she has not pursued TV or Film.
@Calliene - I completely agree that college is a time to pursue passions- and I just can’t image that focusing on one side (acting or MT) precludes a kid from being cast on the “other” side. There are a million examples of acting majors in musicals and MT people on TV shows too… I imagine more Americans would recognize Audra McDonald from her time on Private Practice than from her stack of Tony award winning roles…
Do what feels right - and the next step will come
Claire74, My son was accepted to a BFA MT program, a BM MT program and re-directed from BFA MT to BFA Acting. It was neck and neck between the BFA MT and the BFA Acting, and in the end he chose BFA Acting. As his parent, I was thrilled with his choices, but I will confess to a moment of “What, you don’t like how my boy sings?” when he was re-directed 
He has private voice lessons, and even though he has flat feet (size 12) and was not a dancer, he has taken daily dance classes freshman and now, sophomore year and proudly told us he is now at the intermediate level for ballet and jazz. The pre-screen/audition/acceptance/decision journey has many twists and turns, and I think our kids learn a lot about themselves and what they want throughout the process. Your son can feel proud to have passed the pre-screen. The schools see something they like, and want to see more.
Sorry, @claire74, I didn’t catch the “he” part of your post. ~O)
Although my S is doing BFA MT for college, he is fully expecting to continue studying acting beyond graduation at one of the many actors studios in and around NYC. In this industry the learning never stops.
On the other hand, with a strong background in dance and vocal technique he hopes to be able support himself financially, while auditioning, by coaching others and teaching workshops rather than than just waiting tables. Vocal coaches and tap instructors can do very well in NYC and many,many are performers themselves. I assume the same is true in LA, Chicago, and elsewhere.
I’m always eager to read discussions on this topic! My d is a sophomore. Her main passion is acting, and that’s always been her main talent and gift since childhood. Right now she’s a drama student at LaGuardia. Her absolute DREAM would be to go to Juilliard.
But she also DOES like musical theater and really wants to be able to audition for those roles too as an adult - it’s hard enough to make it as a theater actor without limiting yourself to non-musical roles. She wants to be well-rounded. She’s been taking singing lessons from a wonderful voice teacher for the past four years and has learned a lot and really enjoys singing. She’s also had some dance, but that’s definitely her weakest talent.
So, if she doesn’t get into Juilliard (which she realizes is a “lottery” school with astronomically tiny odds), her two next top choices are Rutgers Mason Gross and Marymount Manhattan. (We live in New York, and she wants to stay close to home.)
Now, obviously ALL audition schools have low odds and she will definitely be adding MANY more schools to the list, including safety schools! (We’ve already started doing that, thanks to all these CC discussions - so helpful!) And of course, we also know that in the end, it may come down to only one acceptance and she’ll be lucky to get that! But she’s only a sophomore - we’re at the very beginning of this discussion. So right now, she’s focused on figuring out exactly what she wants and what schools she would MOST like to go to. The safeties can come later.
So right now, in figuring out what she wants, the question she’s pondering is this: if she IS lucky enough to get into both Rutgers and Marymount, which would she prefer?
Rutgers has an amazing BFA Acting program which includes a full year in London studying Shakespeare. She would love that!
But Marymount offers the possibility of getting a BFA in Acting WITH a musical theater minor, and that really appeals to her too, because then she wouldn’t have to “choose” between acting and MT. She could get a BFA Acting, which includes training in Shakespeare and classics, but also have musical theater training, which includes dance class EVERY day for all four years (two days of ballet, two days of musical theater dance, one day of tap). She likes that idea a lot, because dance is her weakest talent, so having dance class EVERY morning for four years would be great for her.
We’ve also taken note of the earlier threads here on CC about Acting vs. Musical Theater, which had some great suggestions of schools where the MT program focuses a lot on acting and there is a lot of crossover between the two majors. Again, SO helpful! I love CC!
She’s also thinking that whichever she gets into/chooses, she could get further training after college (i.e. undergrad MT followed by Master’s in Acting, or undergrad Acting and then continue her singing lessons and take lots of dance classes after graduating).
So the Acting vs. MT question is a big one in our minds, and I really love reading these discussions!
One of the things that led D to her top choice school (Northwestern) was the almost seamless tie between MT and acting in the program. The very small 3-year acting cohorts are composed of mixed acting and MT students, and the flexible curriculum enables students to design virtually whatever mix of coursework they desire. As had been said, breadth of skills is extremely helpful in piecing together a long term career, and even the strongest singing is weak without solid acting skills.