College what should I be doing?

[allfloaton]

I am currently a first semester college freshman at a small liberal arts school in the DC area. There is theatre here, but it is somewhat small. I have a stable job at a theatre in my home town (full proscenium theatre, seats nearly 900, so respectable enough) and as a shop hand in the small, glorified black box of my college theatre. The theatre here is a lot smaller scale. I am taking as many theatre classes (currently in a stagecraft 101, will go on to lightning design and scenic design) as I can for fun but I always assumed I'd be in theatre things just for fun. Not a career, not a major.

So I am headed towards a psych major (maybe english...) with minors in education and theatre, mostly because to major in theatre it would require being in a lot a lot of acting and dancing classes, and while I respect both I really just want to be in tech. and until now, I thought just as a hobby.

But now my heart feels different, and after seeing Cirque du Soleil recently my heart keeps telling me that something big and amazing is what I need to be striving for. Yes, I know few people truly "make it" in the big time. I've always been one to suppress my own unrealistic dreams, but I keep falling over myself and telling myself that I need to be in technical theatre. Specifically, I think, lighting design. I've always had a penchant for lighting. I've heard of the Cirque internships and assuming I still feel this way once I am a junior/senior (do they mean rising junior? so at least the summer after next for me) and can figure out how to just LIVE in Vegas, and of course score an internship, I believe that would be a wonderful opportunity.

So, what should I be doing? Part of me feels the need to continue my psych/education track in case tech theatre doesn't work out or isn't enough to cut it. In terms of this school, I am in a scholars program here that is going to have my heels dug in until the program culminates with a study tour to South Africa the spring after next. But part of me wants to leave this place and go somewhere huge, to an art school or at least large school that has a specifically theatre tech program. The in school productions I will be working on here are not enough in my opinion to truly be a portfolio that I feel will get me anywhere in the future. Do I look at grad schools who would take me even if I am only a theatre minor? Do I abandon any lofty goals and settle in with my psych/education plan? Are there ways I can build up my resume specifically while in the DC area? Summer internships in the boston area?

I need advice from people who know this stuff, and have been there.

 

[ruinexplorer]

Welcome to Control Booth. You have definitely found the best resource for your questions. The first piece of advice most of the professionals will give you "If there is anything else that you might want to do with your life, go that route instead." There have been a few CB members who have been able to do the Cirque du Soleil internship program. Hopefully one or more of them will chime in on what the process was like.

In particular, check out Getting a Job in the Industry - ControlBooth. This may help you in your decision on changing schools/programs.

 

[Footer]

Well, I'll date myself, for me it was being on the touring crew for Rent. Since then, a few of my friends toured on that show after college. So, your dreams are possible. It really just depends on how bad you want it.

There are a few things to remember though....

First. IT IS SEPTEMBER 20TH. YOU HAVE BEEN IN CLASS FOR 3 WEEKS. Don't be the guy who decides that your school sucks 3 weeks in. At least give it a year before you jump ship. Your freshman year usually sucks. Most spend it thinking they are better then everyone else there and the school is beneath them. If you have that attitude, you might as well just drop out of school and try to start working because you education is going to be useless.

Second, the Ruin's statement could not be more accurate. If you think you will like the psych thing, do it. Also, if you know who Sallie Mae is and she is your new best friend, DON"T MAJOR IN THEATRE. If mommy and daddy are writing all the checks and you will leave college debt free AND you have the drive to really work for it, it might be worth trying.

 

[allfloaton]

Well, I'll date myself, for me it was being on the touring crew for Rent. Since then, a few of my friends toured on that show after college. So, your dreams are possible. It really just depends on how bad you want it.

There are a few things to remember though....

First. IT IS SEPTEMBER 20TH. YOU HAVE BEEN IN CLASS FOR 3 WEEKS. Don't be the guy who decides that your school sucks 3 weeks in. At least give it a year before you jump ship. Your freshman year usually sucks. Most spend it thinking they are better then everyone else there and the school is beneath them. If you have that attitude, you might as well just drop out of school and try to start working because you education is going to be useless.

Second, the Ruin's statement could not be more accurate. If you think you will like the psych thing, do it. Also, if you know who Sallie Mae is and she is your new best friend, DON"T MAJOR IN THEATRE. If mommy and daddy are writing all the checks and you will leave college debt free AND you have the drive to really work for it, it might be worth trying.

Solid advice, however, I don't think school entirely sucks 3 weeks in. (been a bit more than 3 weeks, but irrelevent). I actually feel a bit more inferior than all the high and mighty kids. This school has actually made me very humble thus far (lots of kids waaayyy smarter than I am), however it is just jarring to wonder if this could possibly not be the thing for me and I really SHOULD be somewhere else. I am interested in psych, I think it is very cool and I am willing to work hard and do well, but, well, my heart belongs to theatre, so it is strange to feel the juxtaposition at heart. A big regret about choosing this place is that the theatre is small, though.

 

[ruinexplorer]

A small theater department is not always a bad thing. I was like you in some ways, bitten by the theater bug, but I had different aspirations (I just ended up in theater). I started school as a technical theater major, having to also take the acting and dance classes (it can be beneficial as a designer). By being in a smaller school, I had many opportunities to try my hand at a large variety of departments which you don't always get in a larger school.

If you think that you want to do this, try to get some calls outside of school. Academic theater is different enough from other types of productions that you may not be as excited about your choice in a few years. During the summer try to get work in summer stock or at a theme park. Just don't change your major until you know that there is NOTHING else you want to do with your life.

 

[deadlygopher]

PM Sent.

 

[JChenault]

One thing to be aware of. Technical theatre and lighting design are really two different disciplines in the professional world. As I read your post I could not tell what you are really interested in. If you are not sure ( and as you are a freshman I would be surprised if you were ) a liberal arts school where you get to explore different disciplines is a good place to be.

As for making it. If you are talking about design, then yes the odds are poor. If you want to make our living as a stagehand or electrician the odds are not as steep.

If lighting design is your passion, be sure to go to USITT and attend the session which talks about what it takes to make it as a professional designer.

 

[StNic54]

When you see a Cirque show, you are seeing the moving parts of a self-contained, billion-dollar anomaly known as Cirque Du Soleil. It's a grueling work environment, but the payouts are grand, to say the least. It's also a very competitive environment. For the rest of the industry, there is a lot out there to pursue, be it lighting design, programming, tech directing, m.e., carpentry, audio design, etc. You certainly don't have to choose your poison at this moment, as you'll find your job roles and titles have the ability to shift and change with the job market. That being said, if you come out with hefty loans, you'll need a solid job that banks well to begin paying off those loans. Smaller theatres simply struggle to support that part of your life.

As for the tossup between being a psych major and a theatre major, just know that theatre majors and psych majors can benefit from each other in terms of understanding people, understanding dialogue, and breaking down the meanings in life. Not so much between analyzing someone and bringing up light cue 7, if you catch my drift.

Either choice you make, just know that until you have a phd in psych, you won't be making much more than $45k starting out, if that. My wife is a mental health counselor with big, private school loans, and I do not recommend that route, at all. I have two theatre degrees with very little college debt - MFA programs offer scholarship and stipend to prevent "broke alumni syndrome".

Either way, you'll want to take a hard look at things when you are graduating - if you stay in psych, you'll need to move on to grad school, no doubt in my mind. If you stay with theatre, there are jobs to be had, and it comes down to how specialized you want to be, and how valuable further education is to you.

My advice: grill your professors, and see where they came from to get to where they are, and that can be a very good basis for the choices you make.

 

[misterm]

i went to a small liberal arts college. while the theatre program was tiny and i do feel like i probably missed out on a lot because we didnt have a dedicated tech theatre program, i still wouldn't trade the experience for the world. at a big school, you'd have to wait till jr or sr year before you got to really design and do a lot of tech work. at a small program, i was encouraged to start trying my hand at designing and even directing by my second semester as a freshman.

 

[gafftaper]

First off, it's too soon for you to be making any dramatic changes. I say give your college at least a year, preferably closer to two before you make any major changes. I am highly in favor of people taking a general course assortment for their first two years of college before they make any major life choices.

Some big questions for you to consider:

How important is it for you to get ahead, make money, have good health care benefits, take a vacation once a year, and have a comfortable retirement someday? These things are possible in theater but difficult. Many technicians spend their lives working and never really get ahead.

Are you the kind of person who strongly feels the needs for having a traditional "normal" family life someday? For a woman to have a tech career and stop to have babies and play mom for a while is nearly impossible. Men end up working crazy hours and being the Dad that who the family never sees. You can have a somewhat normal family life but it's tough, and you are going to miss all the soccer games during tech week. There are a lot of divorced technicians out there.

Will you be satisfied eating Top Ramen for the next 10 years? Most people when they are starting out end up working in 10 different theaters just trying to scratch together enough money for a living.

As been said around here many times... if there is ANYTHING else that you can do with your life that will make you happy, go do that instead. Tech theater full time is a tough life.