<p>britbrat, while I agree that Matthew Morrison is a talented actor, you have the story about his Broadway experience a bit wrong. He was cast in Hairspray in 2002 when he was about 24 years old, not when he was in his second year at NYU. He had already been in two Broadway shows at that point, as a replacement ensemble member in Footloose and in Rocky Horror, and had done his 'boy band' thing. And an 18 year old feeling as though he'd learned enough about theatre already? Well, the naivete of youth is neverending. :)</p>
<p>I think that training is an important part of success in theatre, but that does not always include a college degree. While I agree that a college degree will provide good training, and also that the college experience is of benefit not only for training but also for maturity and the all around experience and peripheral education factor, there are hundreds of actors who have been successful in professional theatre who have not studied theatre in college and/or not gone to college at all. Yes, there are a few who have been child actors but they certainly are not the majority.</p>
<p>While there are lots of young actors cast usually in touring companies, who are recent college grads, there are also many who are grads of two year programs such as AADA, CITS, and yes, even AMDA! :) In addition, there are going to be some who have no college or formal training at all. The reluctance to hire inexperienced young actors has more to do with their age than whether or not they went to college. This will be largely dependent on the show and the roles being cast. There are very few shows out there which are looking for 18 year olds, but more where 22 or 23 year olds could reasonably be cast. The bottom line, as has often been said, is that there is no single best way to pursue this journey. What works for one, may not for another.</p>
<p>I completely agree, and yes I did get the sequence wrong on the story, I apologize, but my point is this. If the talent is there and is continually trained, whether in college or not, there are those that are successfull. What I hear a lot on this forum is the almost frantic quest to get to "the best MT program" as if that is a guarantee for success in the business. I have only read a few realistic posts that completely understand the picture. While it is greatly important to follow ones dreams, it is also extremely important to be realistic. We all know that there are no guarantees in life, but more and more we are seeing young people in this generation who go to school to follow a dream or a career and end up back home with mom and dad. I dont hear a lot of "what is my back up plan". Is the general consensus that "they are so young and have plenty of time to find themselves"? Maybe it is the difference between being a Mom of 3 boys and no girls, but I for one do concern myself about my boys becoming men and "finding their way" before they are 30. I am the biggest advocate for a college degree, as I started this thread asking if anyone was pursuing a double major. I apologize to anyone that I might offend with my questions or opinions. Possibly it is part to the area where I live (1 hour from LA and 20 minutes from Disneyland). We have SO many people that live here and have come here looking for work and college degree or not, there is only so much work to go around. So, with that said, I am going to go back to my reasearch on colleges and college programs and proceed with the difficult task of finding a good fit for my son.
Again, good luck to all and sorry to anyone that I may have offended with my realism.</p>
<p>Sorry, it was the other thread. See, I am getting so confused that it is definately time for me to get back to my research!</p>
<p>I don't think it's that casting directors are hesitant to hire 18 year olds fresh out of high school because they haven't proven they have discipline through a college program. I think it's that it is probably a combination of things that make it hard to be cast, including the fact that there are not that many roles at all, it seems, for kids that young <em>and</em> the typical 18-year-old hasn't the experience and training to make him able to handle most roles he might be cast in. Perhaps those are reasons why a director would choose, if given the choice, to cast an older actor (well, older than 18) who can play younger, rather than a really green and young 18-year-old. But I would question whether college had anything at all to do with it.</p>
<p>Agreed. My S recently lost a paid role in a community theatre due to the fact that the 27 year female that he would have been the supporting actor to was uncomfortable kissing an 18 year old. He was the right age for the part but she was playing young. Lots of factors, age, height, etc. It really depends on what they are looking for.</p>
<p>About a month ago, I was at a party (to celebrate the graduation of the son of friends who at 21 graduated from Penn with a BS and 2 masters in biology, chemistry and math - and who has been accepted to a PhD biology research program at Harvard with a full ride - but that's another story :) ). At the party was my friends' cousin who is a successful current Broadway producer in NYC. We ended up chatting about a variety of issues concerning the "business" of performing.</p>
<p>He shared with me that producers and casting directors don't really pay much attention to what school an actor attended - or even if the actor attended a school, that they develop an impression about young actors by seeing them in off off Broadway and reputable regional productions, seeing them in audition after audition after audition and over time observe the growth and development of young actors and get a sense of who they are through this process. He shared that at any given time, producers and casting directors in NYC know who is out there that is "castable", who needs some more seasoning and that rarely are there any surprises. His advice: get good training, whether at a college or acting studio, and then audition, audition audition - and then audition some more.</p>
<p>His comments were an interesting and informative contrast to the obsession with attending the "best school" that at times rears its head.</p>
<p>Beautifully stated! Thank you! BTW, I just posed a thread on the Parent Cafe titled</p>
<p>Cost saving travel tips for parents of college students</p>
<p>Being new to this forum, can you please advise if that was the appropriate place to post it? I was a travel agent for 16 years and posted some suggestions for saving money on travel for students going back and forth to college. Thanks</p>
<p>I think you are sooo right MichaelNKat. My son has had the good fortune to perform in a professional show in our city and in one not too far from NYC. He works with 4 other actors, all with different levels of training. One, for example, has NO college training at all. One has an MFA in acting from Yale. One teaches at a BFA program frequently mentioned on CC. One has a college degree and some studio training. They are all working actors--in NYC and in regional theaters. And, there's my son, who just graduated from high school.</p>
<p>During the run, my son has been approached by two casting/talent agents from NYC, and has gone into the city to meet them, to audition or just chat, i.e., get the experience of doing this on his own. Everyone--the actors in the show, the director, the agents--says it is NOT where you go to school that "counts," for the most part. Yes, some "names" may get you in the door for an audition, in the beginning, but even that does not seem to be something that helps alot over the long run. There is also some "networking" help that alums will give one another; again, this is helpful, but not anywhere near a "guarentee" of work.</p>
<p>On the other hand, the time to mature in college is probably a huge benefit, and this can happen anywhere. My son has been finding it very hard to live away from home, in an apartment, on his own, even for a 2-month (time-limited) run. The biggest thing is filling up the many hours each day during which he is NOT performing. As an adult, I can think of millions of things to do. . .for him, it is boring. The other cast members are quite a bit older than him, and socially, they are clearly on a different page. It would be VERY hard for a 17 or 18-year old to deal with this aspect of the business. In the end, my son is very much looking forward to school--he can't wait to be around a bunch of kids his age!</p>
<p>Excellent feedback. When my son and some of his friends from their PA HS are asked if they are "going to Broadway", the answer is always, "not until after college". I think that the 3-5 years of college experience is invaluable for gaining maturity and memories. That is why I am spending the time to research some possibilities for the best fit for him. The more that I read and digest these posts, the more it verifies that pursuing a degree for a profession outside of MT is not the worst idea. If one does a double major BS and BA or just the BS at a school that has a good reputation for a dance program or theatre program, it may satisfy the need for the continued theatre arts training. I understand that Syracuse Univ. has an equity theatre close by and anyone can audition for their productions. Audition, audition, audition is the key and continue to polish your skills. Knowing that he doesn't want to teach, compose or work back stage necessarily, I think that doing an MFA might be a waste of time and money. This is not easy having a boy who wants a career for providing a living, but is realistic that the theatre arts are no guarantee for a living and doesn't want to be a 23 or 24 year old unemployed actor. This is all starting to come together with the help of all of you. Thanks</p>
<p>Keep in mind, though, that other than certain specialized areas, an undergrad degree does not prepare anyone for a career. That is usually what graduate level education is all about. An undergrad degree in performing can provide the training to commence a career or the foundation to move on to professional training in another field.</p>
<p>What I find interesting is that many performing arts programs and schools, in addition to providing the training to pursue a career in performing, are now also providing a focus on how a degree in performing arts can be integrated into more mainstream aspects of our economy. There are schools, such as University of the Arts, that in addition to showcases and exposure to the work world of performing arts, also provide job fairs with employers seeking graduates with performing arts degrees to work in non-performing positions that provide steady ongoing employment. There is a growing recognition that a degree in performing arts involves training, skill sets and experience that are transferable to other types of positions. On the UArts website is a page with information on UArts' Corzo Center for a Creative Economy which might make interesting reading for some.</p>