I think I speak for all theatre when I say that there are some things we would like for you wonderful non-theatre majors to know.
1. Our class load isn't easy.
Yes, in Movements class we once acted like grass. So, what? It's one of the biggest misconceptions about theatre majors, that our classes are easy and you can breeze by with this degree. On top of our core classes, we have acting classes in usually three levels, history classes that, when non-theatre majors try to take them as an easy history credit they usually end up dropping because of the difficulties, and countless types of performance classes that require hours of outside of class time every week. As a major, we are required to participate in some way in the university productions which means 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays are spent designing, directing, crew-ing, or performing in the productions. You may turn your head at the words "movement class" or "acting two" but a lot of time, work, and focus must go into these classes. We seldom have a night off from homework.
2. No, we can't hang out. We are probably too busy.
When most people look forward to weekends for a break, we look forward to them as a time we can finally meet up with our groups to rehearse scenes or work on group projects for our classes because no one has enough time during the weekdays. Since most of our days are spent in classes or rehearsals so if we are asked to hang out, we probably can't, unless you want to come the 24 hour coffee shop to help us write a paper! Our social lives can lack sometimes, but hey, at least we can cry on cue, right?!
3. Don't ask us about our back up plan.
More often than not we probably have one, but that doesn't mean we want that to be our goal. Our goal is theatre, so support us in our theatre dreams. This is what we love, to do anything else would not be fulfilling.
4. The relationship we have with our professors will be something you won't find anywhere else.
We are a close knit department, our professors double as our mentors, our supporters, our directors, and our friends. We have inside jokes with them, we tease them, shoot, we usually call them by their first names. We are a family first and when you are doing the kind of work that is required of a theatre major, there is no time to tip toe around with formalities. These professors get to know your heart and soul in order to create a beautiful performance. It's different than anything else you will see.
5. We are as crazy, family-like as theatre people appear to be in the movies.
We are a family. Plain and simple. We spend more time than is probably healthy together, we share dressing rooms and bottles of water, we are all a shoulder to lean on. Even when we do have a free moment outside of classes and rehearsals, we are probably still together. Mess with one and you mess with all. We are each other's biggest fans.
6. We have a hard time with romantic relationships.
Our dating standards are ridiculous for multiple reasons. One, we have a half a dozen people on Broadway that we have fallen in love with and compare everyone to. Two, it's hard to find someone outside of theatre that understands our world, or even wants to try. We need someone that can understand when we come home frustrated and frazzled because we have a monologue to memorize by nine am tomorrow. Someone you can share the joy you have when your name is on the callback list or the disappointment when you don't get the part you wanted. Dating a theatre student is a whole new world. You have to put up with their strange friends and the cult-like bond they all have. It takes a special non-theatre person to date a theatre major.
7. We aren't always singing.
Contrary to popular belief, our theatre building is not like a scene taken out of "High School Musical." We aren't doing random dance numbers and constantly breaking out into song -- well, not always. I will say that you are more likely to walk into our green room and find a group of students harmonizing a musical number than you are anywhere else on campus. But this does not mean we are constantly mumbling Rent songs and dancing to Legally Blonde. That being said, I'd be careful what you say around theatre students. The mention of something like Hamilton will result in you trapped in a corner with five different students singing "History has it's eyes on you".
8. Our motto is go big or go home.
This applies to nearly every aspect of our life, whether it be the shoes we wear, how sharp to make our eyebrows, or our Halloween costumes. Go big or go home. You can always spot a theatre major whether it be in a classroom, on the sidewalk, or at a party. We make sure we stand out.
9. We're not...not athletic... Surprise!
We have to stay fit. You've seen the media, that's what we are fighting for. We spend a lot of time on stage and in classes doing different yoga warm ups and exercises but we also try to make time to work out. The show must go on so we must be ready to go.
10. We love what we do.
We aren't in this for the money or the fame. We are doing this because it's what makes our heart race. We do theatre because, through theatre, we can be anything; a doctor, a lawyer, or a queen. Theatre helps us find ourselves. One of the world's greatest stage actors, Laurence Olivier, once said, "Actors don't pretend to be other people; they become themselves by finding other people inside them."
