Speaking from personal experience, I know that drama gives kids much more than just confidence.  Growing up I was never athletic, so I was never part of any organized sports team.

Sure I took Physical Education, it was required, but being painfully shy, and having no natural athletic ability left me standing waiting to be picked when team captains began choosing their teams.

Whether you’re preparing to chase that Broadway spotlight or planning on operating it, most of us who choose to pursue a theatre degree in college have been pestered with that one dreaded query: “Are you sure you want to do that?!” 

Acting is tough. The hardest part of it is the fact that you’re not going to get every role you want, no matter how badly you want it or how perfect you think you are for it. They say you’ve got to have a thick skin in this business- you have to be prepared to be rejected.

But instead of telling you how to deal with rejection, all everyone keeps saying is “something better is coming”, “one door closes, another one opens”, “it’s their loss”, “everything happens for a reason” etc. Those sentiments are all well and good, but none of them have ever actually made me feel better when I wasn’t cast in a show I had my heart set on.

Improv is not everyone’s cup of tea, and that is okay. Learning the basics of improv to prepare yourself for ad-libbing on stage or keeping your cool during cold reads is tremendously helpful for any actor, but no one should be forced to play improv games. However, the attitude that improv is a lesser art form than scripted drama only breeds division within the performing arts community. They are different performance forms; each has its strengths and most people have a preference, but both are legitimate. Improv is an art which deserves the same respect as a carefully rehearsed theatre show.

I have come to a place where, if I spend the rest of my life as a fairly accomplished fish in small ponds, I’m okay with that. Because it is the small ponds that have given me a chance, taught me everything I know about theatre, and given me the motivation to keep going in this industry that is ridden with rejection.

According to many actors who consider themselves a triple threat, “A Chorus Line” is high, if not on top of, the bucket list of musicals-to-be-in.

Publicity started early. Buzz was palpable in the musical theater community for months before the actual auditions. I got the idea it might be somewhat ironic, if not clever, to share with you the experience of community members auditioning for a musical about auditioning for a musical.

Not getting to achieve your dreams doesn’t mean that you aren’t successful. Not getting to achieve your dreams doesn’t mean you are a failure. Sometimes, it means that something better, and meant for you, is waiting.

Former actress Charlotte Thornton is the author of Talent Isn't Enough, a book which, by introducing ten key strategies, helps aspiring actors to turn their talent into careers. “There are a lot of books about how to get started in acting,” Thornton comments, “but the trickier part is making a success of it once you’ve trained.”

One of the great things about theatre is that it can encompass many different disciplines. Those who work or play in theatre know that it is so much more than meets the eye. If there was ever an art form where the tip of the iceberg metaphor applies, it is the theatre.

A college student or any student can sometimes seem overwhelmed with the choices of electives thrown their way. So here are some electives that I have found can help develop skills that can carry over into the theatrical world.

Theatre history, script analysis, and dramatic lit are vital areas of the art-form for you to understand…and to strive towards expertise in.  I know that that sounds daunting and intimidating.  I understand that these classes require long hours of reading and studying, paper writing and research.  I know that it’s more fun to be plotting a set design on Vectorworks, or doing Suzuki movement exercises, or sewing, pulling props, or building.  But the foundation that you are laying now will shape those designs, help you to use that intense energy, and help you to find the correct props.  You can do this.  Your professors are here to help.