One of the most common responses I get from people when I tell them that I am a theatre major is: "Oh, a theatre major? That must be fun!" And yes, it is fun, but so are many other majors that you can choose from in college that don't get nearly as much of a "bad rap" as theatre does. Here are ten misconceptions about us crazy people who are earning our undergraduate degrees in theatre.
1. All we do is perform.
If this were actually the case with theatre majors we would all quit before we even got close to the graduation ceremony. Theatre can be just as stressful as any other job and sometimes we need to step off the stage for a few hours to remind ourselves that we are still human aren't just the characters we play onstage or the jobs we do backstage. Even those of us who participate in every show during school will admit to wanting to be "normal college kids" who don't live in the theater all day into odd hours of the night/morning.
2. We never have homework.
We have PLENTY of homework, and its not all just "memorizing lines." Our assignments take thought and creativity as well the added bonus of having to memorize pages at a time. I mean, think about it this way: it would be like taking a biology class, completing a worksheet about whatever content you're studying and then having to know at least three of those full size pages, word-for-word to teach to the class the next day. Not just an overview of what you learned.
3. We all just want to be onstage and live in New York someday.
Every college will have their theatre majors that are destined to perform onstage, but what most people forget are about is how those performers get to look so good while they are onstage. There are scenic designers, lighting designers, costume designers, sound designers, choreographers when necessary. (Just to name a few) And those are just the design elements that help make the actors look good. We can't forget about directors who are the ones projecting their visions onto the stage, and who would our directors be without the stage management crew? There are so many parts of theatre that go unnoticed, but are entirely interesting and just as involved as the actors that are onstage. The designers are, most likely, in the theater even longer than the actors some days. Tech theatre is an amazing thing that is greatly underappreciated.
4. We all believe we are going to be stars one day.
Although a lot of us have huge aspirations, we are not naive to the fact that the odds are against us. The passion alone that we have for theatre can keep us afloat in the scariest of job markets. We may not all be on Broadway, but we will find a way to try and stay involved.
5. You don't have to be book smart.
If you honestly think that as theatre majors we don't have to use our brains, you have been seriously misguided. As actors we have to find the best memorization techniques and do as much research as possible on our characters and the show we are in. As technicians... where do I begin? As a light designer you have to know your angles and how strong of a lamp you'll need to light the specified area. You couldn't begin to guess the math that can go into this type of design. This goes for scenic design as well. And in every single aspect of theatre there will be an obnoxious amount of research being done. You can gain so much knowledge from being in any given show just because of how deep your research should go to give a successful portrayal of whatever show that you are in.
6. Our course load is not nearly as demanding as other majors.
Another common thing I hear people say about theatre majors is that we never have to write papers. NEWS FLASH: we have to take writing intensive courses just like you do for your non-theatre major. I have had to write papers in every single theatre class that I have taken throughout my college career. Even in classes that were more specific to performing on the stage. We are required to keep a full course load just like everyone else on campus. We just have the added stress of trying to find time to do our homework at the same time as we are getting prepared for our current show project. Also, most of the time our directors are our professors... and guess what? They do NOT care that we had a late rehearsal last night. We are still expected to get everything turned in on time and in good quality.
7. We don't get nervous for public speaking.
This is just not true a lot of the time. Though public speaking and performing on the stage have many similarities, they also have two completely different feels to them. On stage we aren't ourselves. We play a totally different person, while when we are asked to do a speech in front of our peers or otherwise, its OURSELVES that we are showing to everyone. And that can be a really scary thing. Though we may act decently cool on the outside, a lot of us are secretly freaking out on the inside.
8. We don't have to work very hard to get good grades.
I would dare say that we have to work even harder than some majors to get good grades throughout school. We have to have amazing time management skills and organizational skills to even have a hope of staying on task while you are in the middle of a project. Because when its your third day into "hell week" and you're running on two hours of sleep and half a bagel for the day? You're gonna need to have a plan for how you're going to stay up tonight to finish your homework for the next day and then study for the test that can decide just how well you're going to do in that course.
9. We don't have any other dreams or aspirations.
Although our love for theatre could probably save a third world country, we do have other interests that we are passionate about. In fact most of us are either double majors or at least have a separate minor. We even know how to branch away from our "theatre family." Believe it or not we have friends who don't enjoy theatre at all, and we STILL love them .(But we totally guilt them into coming to see our work as much as we possibly can)
10. We are not naive to the fact that everyone thinks we are making a big mistake.
We are constantly being asked about our "back up plan" for when/if our theatre goals fall through. We understand that this is not the easiest industry to create a living off of. But we also know that we are going to do everything in our power to try and ensure that theatre will remain apart of our lives whether-or-not we make it big on Broadway.
Being a theatre major is so much more than just "having fun". It teaches you SO many different life lessons that any of us would've ever dreamed of. And we are pretty cool people if I do say so myself. Just always be prepared for our most famous response to any hang out invitation, "I can't. I have rehearsal"...
