<p>Hey guys. I'm rather new to this forum, but I've been lurking for a long time and reading many of the threads here. I'm a senior in high school wanting to major in musical theatre (well obviously, if I'm on this forum =) ) I've been telling my parents since about he beginning of summer that this is what I want to do. My mom has always been pretty apprehensive about it, because she thinks I'm going to be a waitress my whole life, but she's somewhat come around. </p>
<p>My problem is I've been asking more and more about having them help me with the auditions and suddenly they're talking as if I shouldn't even consider going to college because I don't need a degree for acting. What advice would you all have to give to my parent to help them learn about what this is all about? Neither of them are theatre people at all, and don't even believe you can make a career out of it. </p>
<p>Anything you can tell me would be helpful; I just want them to understand I need a support network though this whole audition process and beyond, and that they what they need to know about in genernal to help them understand and accept what I'm talking about when I say that this is what I want do to with my life. </p>
<p>I hope that wasn't too long and convoluted =)</p>
<p>Hi Laurel,
The best of luck with your parents. It’s very hard for parents sometimes to make this leap. We worry that our daughter won’t be able to fully support herself and fully expect that at times we may have to help her out financially. I think for us, it’s just been about realizing that so many of our own friends went to school and ended up not doing anything remotely similar to their degrees. And we don’t think of anything as an all or nothing or permanent decision. What’s important to us is that our daughter has taken the time and energy and decided and worked toward a goal. We’re willing to help her follow her dreams. It’s important that she be able to say…“I set a course, did what I had to do to accomplish what I set out to do, learned about myself and others along the way and in some way made a difference in the lives of others.” If she gives it a go and it doesn’t work out in the end, we just have to believe that she will find her place and a career. But as parents, we’ve had to put aside our own dreams of having our D follow us into our profession (engineering). But that’s ok, because it’s really about being happy and fulfilled first.</p>
<p>Just a funny… When D was 3 and we were putting her to bed one night, we asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. She responded, “I want to be a waitress!” </p>
<p>I guess that proclamation has gone a long way toward getting us ready for this life she’s chosen! </p>
<p>You might show your parents that you have thought about contingencies. That way they may be more willing to support you.</p>
<p>It’s true- so many people end up working outside their field. A college education is a wonderful way to develop and grow no matter what the major
That said, a theater degree is actually a very practical major in many ways. Besides great training for a life in the theater, theater work by its very nature improves communication skills, group collaboration, analysis of literature, etc. A theater student will gain some backstage skills as well. You will have to prepare for auditions while in college and learn to deal with rejections and when cast juggle class responsibilities with rehersal schedules. Not a bad preperation for the “real world”
A while ago someone posted a great post about the benefits of a theater degree</p>
<p>Haha, so funny, Aspen – My D also wanted to be a waitress and loved to take our dinner orders when we had company! She’s now a senior at Syracuse University in the MT department. She has received an excellent education there – of course she hopes to become a working actress, but I believe if that doesn’t work out, she has the education and skills to succeed in any career. She knows how to organize her time, how to think on her feet, how to perform confidently in front of large audiences, how to dress appropriately for any situation – these are skills that are useful, and that many students NEVER learn. And she has studied literature, psychology, history, art, music, – so she also has a well-rounded liberal arts education. I am very pleased that my D has pursued this degree; it’s what she passionately wanted to do. If it doesn’t work out, she will have a good background to move on to some other profession.</p>
<p>One of the things my mom tells her friends when they kind of look “skeptical” about my theatre degree is that she is just glad I have a direction and am so definite. When my parents started college, they had no idea what they wanted to do (mom says she still didn’t even after graduating in Business). There is no guarantee of success just because you graduate in a “solid” field.</p>
<p>Also, my parents really only let me audition at schools where there is a good well-rounded core cirriculum (including math, science, foreign language, etc.) Although these programs are a little harder to find, they are out there at good schools. I will still earn a BFA degree, but compared with a conservatory-type program (where it is really only performance-based classes and all your electives are geared toward theatre also) it leaves me more options. I can have a second degree with just two more years of schooling. (FYI: I have been told that it is literally impossible to double-major with MT, because the classes have so few people and they move along in a pretty inflexible order.) </p>
<p>So I will give my dream my best shot, and if necessary take more classes later on and earn a second degree where I can still participate in the theatre (teacher, director, theatre business…) Who knows where I will end up. But it made my parents feel better to know I had thought it through. Hope that helps.</p>
<p>laurel - I hope you get to pursue what you love. The MT thing is, after all only an undergraduate degree. I know a lot of engineers, teachers, lawyers, dentists, accountants, etc that got MT degrees, trieds it for a few years and then went back to grad school for another area. Even if you start med school at 30 and are practicing until your 36 - youe can still ahve a 30-40 career! Share that with skeptical parents.</p>
<p>when i first told my mom I wanted to be an MT actor she said, “that’s fine i majored in photography. No one actually does what they major in.” She is an educational consultant now…thanks mom</p>
<p>for me, what it came down to was how I measure success for myself. some people do so in the amount of money you make. Others feel they have succeeded if they are happy and doing something they love. The latter is my case. Being paid to do something like this…omg. It’s getting paid to have so much fun, if you’re as passionate about it as I am. I would do this for no pay. getting paid is just an added bonus. Hope this helps. :-)</p>
<p>Given the current economy a degree in theater is absolutely as useful if not more so to providing a livelihood after you graduate. However, college is really not job training it is life training and no matter what you study you come out a different person: YOU, outside of your parents. Life is short and if you don’t follow your passions you have wasted this most precious gift. If you love what you are doing you will find a way regardless of what your parents think or say.
That being said, it sure is helpful to have your parents on your side as you venture into this exciting time of your life. Tell them to get Daniel H Pink’s book “A Whole New Mind” (Business week bestseller) In it he talks about the jobs of the future and the kinds of skills that will drive the next century. Theater is a great major to build both the cognitive and creative parts of the brain, for ANY career. Check out page 182 the section titled: Take An Acting Class. Tell your parents that the book is endorsed by Tom Peters, US News and World Report, and on and on. Sometimes you have to convince people in their terms. Hope this helps.</p>