I work hard every single day. I constantly feel physically and mentally exhausted, but in the best way. I feel challenged. I feel motivated. I feel stressed. I feel inspired. All because of my major. Yes, that's right. I'm a theatre major.
Yes, you heard me right. Theatre.
Whether you're an aspiring theatre major, a current one or you have absolutely no interest in theatre—let's talk. Maybe this will tell you what you should know before declaring a theatre major, give you something to relate to, or just give general knowledge about why I love to study this beautiful art form at the collegiate level.
Yes, we love to dance, and sing, and play pretend, but that’s not what we do all day.
People seem to think that being a theatre major means playing around all day, and yes, we do get to play every now and then, but there is so much more to it than that. We're stuffing our brains with as much knowledge as anyone would with any other major. As artists, we need to be informed — not just about the practicalities of theatre, but also about the world around us.
We treasure our downtime.
Don't get me wrong, we love what we do, but one of my friends hit it right on the nail when she said, "being a theatre major is a full-time job." Whether we're in class, rehearsal, auditions, workshops, getting our practicum credit, or doing projects outside of class, we're constantly working. If you're planning to major in theatre, don't schedule anything (especially classes!!!) after 6:00 p.m. — you'll thank me later.
It may not seem like it, but it's a small community and reputations MATTER!
When you're in the theatre industry, even at a college level, you don't want to do anything that will tarnish your reputation. It's hard enough to get jobs already, and you definitely don't want to do anything to jeopardize your chances of getting hired in the future! Working in theatre is all about making and retaining meaningful connections.
Oftentimes, the road to becoming a theatre major is NOT easy.
Trust me on this one. If you're planning on majoring in theatre, start prepping now. This major is more competitive than ever and there doesn't seem to be a limit on how competitive it can get. My journey to becoming a theatre major was definitely not ideal, but as cliché as it may sound, it was worth it.
Most importantly, we are surrounded by some of the greatest people ever.
Majoring in theatre is hard work, but at the end of the day, you get to work with some pretty amazing people — from professors to students to guest artists and other collaborators. You get to work on important pieces of art and tell important stories with people who continually motivate and inspire you to be your best, people who love and support you, and people who never try to turn you into something you're not, but rather encourage you to be unapologetically yourself.
I love what I do, and I am eternally grateful that I get to do it every day. I have learned more about myself in this past semester than I have in the past 18 years of my life. Theatre challenges me to push myself to my limits. It allows me to explore different ideas to incredible depths. It makes me excited to wake up every morning and go to class.
Yes, we like to play pretend, but we are also truth-seekers. We work hard and we are educated. We connect, inspire, change, laugh, cry, and everything in between.
And that's why I love theatre so much.
