Not your typical career thread

I know that the terms career, and degree have appeared on this site more than anyone would dare count. But I have recently thought of owning my theater, sound/lighting rental, or manufacturing business, what would be the best route for obtaining this goal.

Would it be a good idea to double major in business and electrical engineering
or, majoring in business with minors in Acoustical engineering and Electrical engineering?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated,
Kevin

 

Find a mentor and a summer internship first before possibly wasting your parent's and the government's(never mind that last part)money on a degree that you may never use.

 

so, basically the common consensus is to intern first, then if i am serious about this get a degree in theater and business. Correct?

 

Contrary to what all the tech schools who promote degrees in audio engineering production etc etc, in most cases, IMO you are far better off getting a degree in business, you can then take classes in some of the electronics or theory, but most of the real expertize in these areas really comes from experience, a good concept foundation helps but most really comes from doing and learning thru mentoring.

Understanding the business side of things is where what they teach you in school typically is relevent for the rest of your professional career, where as the tech stuff you might learn tends to become outdated very quickly.

Sharyn

 

There are several universities that offer a Theatre Administration/Management Degree. I had to take some classes in that area in order to be a teacher - I say THAT is the way to go. If you want to own your own theatre, the theatre management degree will go throught the bussiness and the theatre part of running a house of your own.

Good Luck!!

 

Thorin81 is right on with the suggestion of taking a path in theater management. It will more succinctly address questions and situations that you will encounter in theater. There's a lot more to running a theater than just the backstage end of it. I have several degrees in technical theater and none of them prepared me for working in the front office.

Volunteer to work in the front of the house for at least one summer. Explain what you are working towards so that you can get the most out of the experience. It's not as much fun as backstage, but it is where the money is and for you to be successful, you need to understand number crunching just as much as you do lighting, set or sound design.

Also examine yourself and ask why you want to do this. Theater is rewarding, but it's not easy life. If you're doing it because you think it's easy, glamourous or exciting, you probably want to think about it a little more. If you're ready to commit, start at the bottom, do every and anything back and front, at the theater and then make your decision.

Good luck!

Charlie