<p>I would recommend to anyone planning on a career in theatre to avoid incurring any large amount of debt. Read the thread that EmsDad linked, and keep in mind that the info in the post by chrissyblu is years old and you can count on the costs of living in the city being much higher today. The nature of a theatre career is that you are going to be unemployed (as an actor) probably most of the time. Even if you are working in an Equity show, ~$2000/wk may sound like a lot but once you see how much is deducted from that before you even get the opportunity to spend it, you’ll realize that living in the city on what’s left is not always easy. Not to mention that chances are good that it won’t last for long and you’ll be back to square one. Of course you’ll be working your day job, as most new grads will so make sure you develop some skills for that day job to be a good paying one, as well as one that allows you the opportunity to audition, and to come and go as necessary if you are fortunate enough to book a job. Having a large amount of debt is a killer to new grads, generally, but to theatre grads, it can result in killing your opportunity to be able to pursue what you love. And no one should ever put themselves in the position to be paying student loans off for 20+ years. Please give this a lot of thought before locking yourself in to a situation that you may very well come to regret.</p>