<p>Thebo, you make me smile. You are not displaying arrogance. You're displaying confidence--that's stepping out in faith. I believe in you 110%.</p>
<p>That earning-a-living thing, though, is not about being spoiled or materialistic. This is not from my son. This is from me. My son comes from a family of five with no income. Granted, it's a temporary thing, but my husband is in a profession in which jobs are not easy to come by, and I have been out of the workforce long enough that my skills are not even close to up-to-date. There was a time when I would have bet any amount of money that this couldn't happen to us. I guess I'm transferring some of my concern about this into the vagaries of acting, and I apologize for that. Now I'm going to see if I can go find some cheese to go with that whine. ;)</p>
<p>Devron: I will be applying to UT Austin, but I don't think I really want to go there...
I kind of want to leave Texas, and it's a really huge school. But Austin is a great city.</p>
<p>Just read an article from a Newsweek archive, it was assigned to a friend's english class, and I just happened to see it. It's called "What's Your Real Job?" and it's written by Danielle Kwatinetz an "actress with a Harvard degree-- and a family that worries I'm wasting my education". Her first line reads "I'm a loafer. A bohemian. The possessor of a $100,000 Ivy League education, which I steadfastly refuse to use. Or so I've been told. Actually, I'm a dreamer"... her article reminds me a lot of thesbohemians "rant", and it was almost as inspiring. I'm going to try to scan it tonight. It's an amazing article. Can't wait to share it with all of you.
-Dani</p>
<p>You asked about doing a monologue from a play that the school had just performed. Just to make you feel better. My daughter did that. The school had performed the play in October of last year and she auditioned in the beginning of December. In fact, she had applied early decision to NYU and was accepted into the very studio that performed the play. The funny thing is that she thought it was a play that no one knew about!</p>
<p>We did not find out until well after she was accepted. I found out when I just happened to do a search on the studio. So in our case it did not matter. </p>
<p>Just wanted to echo klri here. It's not a complete disaster if you happen to choose such a monologue, especially at a school as large as Tisch where thousands of kids audition. They do over a hundred productions a year at Tisch so chances are the auditors haven't seen the show from which your monologue is chosen, in any case. At smaller schools, you may run into a problem, though. This is why it's always a good idea to have several monologues chosen and ready to go. Often auditors will ask you if you have another one you can do for them so being well-prepared for any eventuality is always a good idea.</p>
<p>Catherdingmom--The vagaries of any profession is exactly why I am totally in support of both of my children going into the world of performing arts. Earliest cave men had story tellers who were the actors of their day. While here is a long tradition of starving actors, it is a profession that has been around a few thousand years. I am not sure there is any profession that is more secure.</p>
<p>You say that your "husband is in a profession in which jobs are not easy to come by", he wouldn't be an actor by any chance? No, I'm sorry I don't mean that. But there is no security in anything.</p>
<p>Thesbo-- YOU GO, GIRL! You too doctorjohn. That was beautiful. The only thing I would change is the part about Donald Trump and Julianne Moore to 'You have no better chance of becoming a CEO of a big corporation with a business degree than you do of becoming the next Julianne Moore with a bfa.' (but if I know anybody who will its you sweety) I wonder what the percentage of business graduates who become ceos really is compared to the number people who get bfas and become rich and famous actors. Don't most state universities have business departments that graduate sevral hundred students every year?</p>
<p>PS - I FINALLY got all my applications done. WOOT!</p>
<p>notarebel, although I'm a firm believer in arts education and students pursuing BFAs if that is their passion, I'm also realistic about the success in the profession related to the numbers who enter. You can't really compare the number of business graduates and those who become CEO's to the number of BFA grads who become rich and famous actors. First of all, many thousands of business grads become successful (and rich) in steady jobs without ever being a CEO. Secondly, most rich and famous actors do NOT have a BFA. So it's really comparing apples and oranges in that example. I think the students who pursue a BFA for the love of acting are the ones who will be successful and happy, much more-so than those who pursue it for fame and fortune. The latter are likely to be very disappointed.</p>
<p>Alwaysamom Of course you dont go into this thinking your going to get rich and famous. That goes without saying. I will give performance a try but will more than likely end up teaching. However, I wonder how many people major in accounting for the love of counting other peoples money? They might be very disappointed too if they think they are going to get rich. What you didnt say is that you do not need a degree to be successful in business either. My father is vice president of marketing for a big chemical company and he doesnt have one. He got his degree in chemical engineering and so did his boss. They only hire people for the business part that have MBAs or JDs AND a science background. Some of his best people ONLY have a science background. My point was that a BA or a BS in business is as unlikely to get you rich as a bfa and does not give an advantage for getting most regular jobs. That is all in the past. I will have as good a chance to manage a store or start a successful business as a business grad. I also know there is some pretty mannequin-head my age out there that has not yet taken her first acting class who has a better chance of being a famous actor than me.</p>
<p>notarebel, I think you missed my point. Of course, you don't necessarily need to have a business degree to be successful in business. Most individuals who are successful in various types of businesses do NOT have a business degree. My point was that there are far more opportunities in traditional type 'jobs' than there are in the arts for successful careers. I'd dare to say that every BFA student's longrange goal and dream is to be onstage in a professional capacity. Not every business grad dreams of being a CEO, not every engineering grad dreams of being vice president of marketing for a chemical company. The fact is that your dad does have a degree, regardless of the type. It's extremely common for engineers to end up in positions such as his. I don't think we disagree in our basic premise. I'm certainly hopeful that my D and all of the aspiring BFA students are successful in attaining their dreams but it pays to be realistic, too. :)</p>
<p>alwaysamom--I don't think anyone can predict where jobs will be in the future. I do know that there are lots of jobs in the performing arts: Broadway, film, amusement parks, private lessons, teaching, community theater, regional theater, cruise ships, touring companies, Vegas, piano bars, videos, conventions, music therapy, drama therapy...If you love to sing, act, and dance there are many opportunies.</p>
<p>dustyrose, I agree that it is difficult to predict the job market in any particular profession with accuracy. It's not as though I'm against kids going into the performing arts. I have a D who is a sophomore in a program doing exactly that! If I didn't believe in it, trust me, our family would not be funding in excess of $150,000 for her to do that. :) I'm very aware of all the various possibilities for BFA graduates to find work. We have many family members in every possible area of the theatre world, earning a living for many years in that way. Perhaps that's why I look at it a little more realistically than a lot of people. My D has friends who are on Broadway, who have done national tours, who are successful by anyone's description, yet there is always the 'end of run' lurking in the background, even for them. I know you can say that any job these days has that possibility, and to an extent, it's true. However, in the theatre it's not a possibility, it's a certainty, because that's the nature of the job. I am in no way trying to discourage anyone, nor am I negative about this choice, but from the experience our family and friends have had in seeing the inside of the business, I guess I look at it a little more realistically. My D has seen it, too, and yet we know she has this passion, along with her writing, to be involved in theatre, and that's why we support her passion. :)</p>
<p>bioearthmom, I agree completely and this philosophical position has been expressed and supported by many others on this site. Moreover, as a corporate warrior and small business owner I can agree 100% that there is no "security" anywhere. Theres' a great book out called "Fire Your Boss" that is a must read for all individuals of any age that have to forge or maintain a worklife, whether in the performing arts or elsewhere.</p>
<p>Dani, can you please get this article scanned and post it asap. I am very interested in reading it. I tried looking it up myself, but couldn't find anything on it. Thanks.</p>
<p>Has anybody else found that it's possible to learn TOO much about the schools on your list? It's like now I've found little red flags at almost all of them that are starting to look like big parade banners. I guess there's no place that's gonna be perfect, but DANG! I dunno ... Maybe I'm just feeling negative and it's silly to be judging and ranking places that I haven't visited. Then again, how much can you really learn from a visit other than what their best face looks like and whether you thought a production was good?</p>
<p>Don't despair. No school is perfect and there are any number of schools that will feel like a good fit once you make a commitment to it. You are obviously bright and will do well wherever it is that you decide to attend. As far as school visists, do try to spend a night in the dorms if at all possible. Kids, even those who volunteer to host students, are pretty honest. My son, now a junior and not in theater, was turned off to some of the schools on his list once he visiited and met kids. If you cannoit stay overnight, stop kids and talk to them. You will be surprised how candid they are.</p>
<p>I thoroughly enjoy your musings and your "rant" on the other thread was not a "rant." You are cool.</p>
<p>here's the address to the site to which I scanned the article about Danielle Kwatinetz, "an actress with a Harvard degree"... it is very difficult to read on the site I scanned it to. I suggest a. copying into microsoft word/powerpoint and enlarging it... or b. writing me a private message if you want me to email it to you (with your email address)</p>