1127 Park Street -- Grinnell, IA 50112-1690
Phone 641-269-4940; FAX 641-269-4946
Contact Us
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1127 Park Street -- Grinnell, IA 50112-1690 Phone 641-269-4940; FAX 641-269-4946 Contact Us |
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American
Studies
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The Theatre Major
Choosing your major was one of the most significant decisions of your college career. Your passion for theatre is one you share with your peers, professors, and alumni/ae. Students choose to major in theatre for different reasons. Read some of the reasons alumni/ae chose a theatre major: "I majored in theatre because it was a passion of mine and something I wanted to focus on. Once you have a liberal arts degree, the specific major doesn't matter much." "Theatre
was a great choice for me. I had done theatre when I was younger
and it had always been a part of my family's life." "It was a good choice although I ended up in a different direction than anticipated. I planned on being a theatrical set designer and did work in theatre but ended up working in TV and film production. Both my theatre and my art major have served me well in my work in creating props and scenery for commercials and TV shows." You will use the skills you develop as a theatre major every day in whatever environment you decide to work. Alumni/ae and faculty offer their thoughts about the kinds of skills a major in theatre will provide: "My
major helped my ability to see other peoples' points of view
and taught me how to be a good listener. I also discovered that
process is important." "Majoring in theatre developed my ability to communicate with other people and my organizational skills." "The theatre major gave me the foundation for the engineering side of what I do as well as the aesthetic side." Theatre majors have selected a wide variety of careers scene designer to stage manager, from zoologist to foundation director. As you can see from the following list of alumni/ae job titles of theatre majors, you are not your major! Alumni/ae
Job Titles Scene
Shop Supervisor, Twin Cities Public Television How will
you decide what kind of career to pursue? Will it follow your
major? In what way? Both alumni/ae and faculty emphasize the
importance of researching different kinds of careers. There are many ways to research career fields of interest to you. The most common way is to complete an internship. Alumni/ae who have held internships or participated in career previews have lots of advice to offer. "Internships
are worthwhile. Fewer than 10% of people in the actors union
are actually making their living as actors. There are many ways
to be involved in the arts besides performing your art form.
Getting to know the business side of the arts can be fulfilling.
Give all to your form but remember there are many ways to be
involved in the arts." "Get as much experience in college as you can. Theatre is a risky career to go into, although very worthwhile. Few of us actually make a living in it." "Don't narrow your focus too much. You can hone your craft even if you are doing something such as creating training videos for the corporate world. Careers can take unexpected turns." If you are thinking about graduate school, there are graduate programs in the field of theatre as well as other professional degree programs. These links provide more information about the different paths you can follow: graduate school, jobs, or other paths. The following are first-hand accounts of the experiences of alumni/ae after Grinnell who have graduated with a theatre major: "For
the first ten years after Grinnell I was in the theatre profession
as a stage manager and actor. Then I had the opportunity to go
into arts administration as my day job and this was such a good
fit that I stayed. My very first job was at the Eugene O'Neill
theatre in Connecticut that grew out of my semester away spent
there." "I started stage managing at Grinnell, and then went on for an MFA right after. My first job was as a stage manager in La Jolla." "My
very first job was an internship at the Guthrie Theatre. I also
volunteered for local community theatres and held some paid non-theatre
work at first." Of course, Grinnell's Theatre Department provides advising as you consider questions about your major, internships, gaining experience, and making career decisions. The departmental web page also offers detailed information about the theatre major, outlines requirements for its completion, and lists courses. |