College Theatre education degree
- Thread starterConnor techie JR
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burgherandfries
Member
What made you want to get a degree in Theater Education? That's a fairly specialized program that many schools don't offer as a specific major. Most people I know who've gone into teaching Theater have a B.A./B.F.A. in Performance (Acting/Dance/Musical Theater), Directing, or Tech/Design. I know that SOU and U. of Oregon both have Theater programs, as does U. Portland, though Portland does have an Endorsement for Education program that can be added onto your major curriculum. The link to their overview is here.
What level are you looking at teaching? Most state certifications for Secondary Education require a Bachelor's in any field and testing/professional experience in the area you're trying to teach. So you could get a B.A. in English and test into teaching drama and stagecraft. College and University level is a different beast. A blend of professional work experience and a terminal (usually the three-letter rule; M.F.A., PhD., ect.) degree is what they're after.
What level are you looking at teaching? Most state certifications for Secondary Education require a Bachelor's in any field and testing/professional experience in the area you're trying to teach. So you could get a B.A. in English and test into teaching drama and stagecraft. College and University level is a different beast. A blend of professional work experience and a terminal (usually the three-letter rule; M.F.A., PhD., ect.) degree is what they're after.
Connor techie JR
Member
You don't want a theatre ed degree then. You want a regular BA or BFA in technical design and production. Then you have to find a job at one of the unicorn schools that have a technical theatre teacher.... and those are VERY few and far between.
I did it for 9 months at a performing arts magnet school. Kids were great. Staff was great. Pay small. Time spent there was insane. They also required me to get a masters within 5 years. I was on a temporary teaching cert. I have a BFA... no education classes taken during college.
Getting a degree in theatre ed might be one of the worst mistakes you can make. It does not give you enough in your back pocket to work professionally. The second you decide you don't like what you are doing and want to get out you quickly find out your stuck.
Why do you want to go this route?
My college offered a theater ed degree, so I chose to go that route instead of just theater BA because it gave me a Huge leg up on the competition when applying to schools. In my state you need the teaching certificate to teach in public schools, so you will want to figure out your area's rules on that.
If your one and only dream is to teach tech theater, then go for it, but if you would be happy doing ANYTHING else I would not advise you to pursue this. The pay isn't very good, it is a lot of work, and there aren't many positions available. Paying off college debt will be a big issue once you graduate.
I was recently unable to talk one of my own students out of pursuing this line of work, but his parents got him to agree to get his carpentry certificate first at a tech school before going off to University. He will probably be able to make more with his carpentry cert than he will with his theater ed degree....
If your one and only dream is to teach tech theater, then go for it, but if you would be happy doing ANYTHING else I would not advise you to pursue this. The pay isn't very good, it is a lot of work, and there aren't many positions available. Paying off college debt will be a big issue once you graduate.
I was recently unable to talk one of my own students out of pursuing this line of work, but his parents got him to agree to get his carpentry certificate first at a tech school before going off to University. He will probably be able to make more with his carpentry cert than he will with his theater ed degree....
Connor techie JR
Member
I'm interested in spreading tech knowledge to the next generation and providing a safe area for high school students to be in, just like my director has done with my generation.
Thank you for leting me know that this will be a hard field to get into, I originally didn't take that into consideration.
As a person who has some of the same desire. I have to agree with TheaterEd. I'm working at a private school right now teaching tech theatre and doing all of their shows. So the jobs are there, BUT my degree is in tech theatre, youth theatre and puppetry. Now I can't teach in a public school but I'm ok with that.
Outside of working at schools, there are TONS of ways to spread the love and teach. Working for theatre summer camps. I know there are lot out here that hire temporary tech directors for their shows and to run workshops. I've done a lot at my wife's YMCA since they are an arts branch. Plenty of ways to get more viable jobs and still do what you want.
Have you worked in the real world yet? Is the only place you have done theatre within an educational setting?
I had a TD in high school that was excellent. However, I quickly found out I didn't have the same knack for dealing with students that he did... unfortunately I found out 2 weeks into a 9 month contract.
Get more experience in the real world to figure out what you really want to do. Right now you have someone good who you and everyone else worship they ground they walk on.... and you want to become that person. Don't go into theatre ed for that reason.
dwardMICS
Member
I can't say this enough!!! I got my Theatre Education Degree in 2003. I wanted to teach theatre. What a crazy idea! I've been doing it for 12 years, but it's been a lot harder than it needs to be. Being a tech teacher is also an extremely rare job opening. I wish I had gotten a double major in theatre ed and D&P, I miss those skills everyday!
First, you are the first cut. While I have always made myself valuable to my school for events and stuff, when the budget ax falls, arts are the first to go. As a young teacher, you are especially vulnerable! I have been bumped around schools for quite some time because I was the "extra" teacher. Thankfully, I've finally landed in a place where I am incredibly happy. Like, it's May, and I am stoked about coming to work and for the kids who are excited to take my classes next year. This has NEVER happened in my career!
Second, when you do get cut, good luck finding a job. Luckily, the Charlotte, NC area has a TON of school with theatre programs. So when one door closed, I could find another one to squeeze through. Now I had a really bad run at a school for five years, I got my insurance adjuster's license, I was about to go back to school (even though we'd lose our house and everything) until I found my current job. I'm lucky. I've known theatre teachers who had to become nomads because they were less lucky than me.
So it's a hard gig. Now if you were to get a BFA in Design & Production (whatever your school calls it), you could always double up and get the education part. Or you could get a degree that has a lot of cross over marketable skills (BFA D&P), try for those tech theatre jobs when they open up, and get a jobs doing something with your degree (Production Manager/Assistant, work with IATSE, something).
Also, if you get a theatre ed degree, you are expected to teach the THEATRE side of things: how good are you on the Stanislavski? Hagen? How about vocabulary building? Theatre history? dealing with k-12 kids? (I am certified K-12) There's a LOT more to teach theatre than just doing tech, and if you find that job, LOVE it! I spent three years at the Technical Director / Tech Teacher at an arts magnet. I don't really miss too much except my shop I had. God, I loved that place!
Now, would I trade my job? Nope. I FINALLY found the place where I can be happy. I'm really lucky. It doesn't happen for everyone. I can see myself here for a good bit, but it was a LONG road full of the good and the bad of teaching. I respect anyone who wants to make the world a little bit better, one kid at a time. Just keep in mind the actual teaching part of the job is going to be the kicker. The kids are easy, the parents and admin....yeah...
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