Maybe you read my first post and said something like this:
YOU: [excitedly] YES!! TO ALL OF THOSE THINGS!! THATS ME!! I WANT TO MAJOR IN THEATER!!! IVE JUST DECIDED.
or perhaps you just saw the title of this post and were skeptical, but still wanted to hear what I had to say.
YOU: [skeptical AF, Hamilton playing in the background, probably] Eh, I’m willing to give this girl the benefit of the doubt, I guess.
Anyways, you’re here!! YAY!!
And here are just some vague tips and truths that I have gotten along the way from professionals in the industry I have crossed paths with so far.
1)The theater industry is ever-changing.
It is extremely different breaking into it now versus 10-20 years ago. It is getting more competitive (back in the day, you could show up to NYC with an Art degree and a prayer and slowly work your way up….nowadays, it’s getting slightly harder to get those design jobs without an MFA (a graduate school degree). Also, Everyone has a different path…there is no one correct path.
2)The theater industry is incredibly big and incredibly small at the same time (wut?).
There is literally theater happening everywhere. There are colleges offering theater degrees everywhere. I have lived and worked in theater in 5 different states so far. And no matter where you go, you are going to run into people who know people you’ve worked with. When you apply for jobs, it is likely that the production manager at the theatre you’re dying to work at has mutual friends with you on Facebook. It is almost guaranteed that they are going to ask those people about you. Make sure those people have only lovely things to say.
Your cover letter may say “I am a team player”…but that might not be what Tonya, the girl who was the Sound intern when you were the Scenic paint intern at XYZ summer stock last year would say. And she just HAPPENS TO BE BFFs with HEAD SCENIC CHARGE at ~*PRESTIGIOUS THEATER LMN*~. Let it be known, many times, people are gonna ask around about you like crazy before hiring you.
The fact that everyone knows everyone is also THE BEST…because you might be slightly under qualified for a job, but if ~*BFF SOUND INTERN*~ talks nothing about how lovely you are…there’s you're in!
2.5) BE VERY CAREFUL WHAT YOU PUT ON FACEBOOK/TWITTER/INSTAGRAM/TUMBLR/LINKEDIN/YOUTUBE. BE CAREFUL WHAT OTHER PEOPLE PUT ABOUT YOU ON ALL OF THOSE THINGS AS WELL.
3) Be prepared to work hard.
Also be prepared to work your way up from the bottom. With any artistic career, really…being great takes SO MUCH TIME AND PRACTICE. During undergrad, I would have something to do/ somewhere to be most days from 9AM- atleast 7PM, if not 10-12PM if we were in tech/ running a show. Then there was homework and projects on top of that. Projects typically took 10-30 hours of work from start to finish. At the theater I worked at last year, our tech process included 4 10/12′s in a row before we went into previews. You will be tired. You just have to learn to be positive and power through it. ALSO, you won’t have thee most glamorous jobs when you start out. Everyone’s gotta put in their time at the bottom, and again BE POSITIVE.
Story Time: One of my first jobs, I had to do laundry after every show (which is typical wardrobe work) HOWEVER, a piece we needed to wash every night had been dyed red, so it bled every time we washed it, which meant I had to HAND WASH anything that was white or “nude” colored so it didn't turn pink…which was basically all dance belts. (They did give me gloves though..so that was nice..haha). Theater isn’t always glamorous. Someone’s gotta do the dirty work…sometimes, it’ll be you.
4) Be prepared for your family and friends to not understand how hard you are working.
My little brother is majoring in Aerospace Engineering right now (I think I just threw up a little). Comparatively, my mom still thinks I just hang out and draw pretty pictures in crayolas all day. People wont understand why you chose to go into the arts:
ALL OF MY RELATIVES: [skeptical AF] It’s a fun hobby, I guess…but for a career??? I mean….?
You gotta do it for you. Don’t listen to what other say, because it is very very hard for most people to wrap their heads around the uncertainty of a career in theater. (Just wait til you try to explain to your mother that you are going to move to New York City before actually securing a job there… )
5) Time Management has to be a thing
Such a huge thing that most people learn in theater school. There is no postponing opening night. Find an organization method that works for you. If your heart is set on being a designer, you could be designing 10+ shows in a year to make ends meet. I've worked with designers who were in the process of teching 3 shows in a month.
6) Broadway is not the be- all- end- all
Broadway is just a place…and New York City will always be there. And if you want to use theater as an excuse to travel before settling down, do it!! There is a lot of money in being super successful in NYC, it’s not the only place you can make a living in theater. NYC isn’t for some people, and don’t feel like a failure if you find that it isn’t for you, even if just for right now. I have made a living working in theatre consistently since graduation, and I have not yet lived in New York City.
7) At the end of the day, everybody bends at the waist and cleans their toilet, just like you.
Even Broadway Stars. Even Tony-Award winning Directors. Even Lin Manuel Miranda. An actor said this to me in a fitting once, and I don’t think I will ever forget it.
8) You aren’t going to be sweet besties with everyone. But you have to be able to fake it.
Everyone isn’t going to like you…Sometimes, they will hate you for no reason at all. Don’t gossip. Don’t bring more drama into the theater. Even if you can’t stand them. Even if they seem horribly incompetent. A designer in NYC once told me “You never know when that Meatball sitting next to you is going to end up winning that Tony Award.” They might just have all the right connections.
Just smile and be pleasant. You don’t have to share a bed with them, I promise.
9) Be willing to learn. Always.
If you don’t know something, ask. Be interested in learning. Every professional was once a beginner. Everyone started somewhere. Work hard, and you’ll be amazed as how quickly you start seeing results.
‘Nuff said.
10) Theatre is COLLABORATION.
I don’t know a single show that is about the set design. And Wicked would be a whole lot less cool if it was just actors on stage without Sets, Lights, or Costumes… and god knows, no one would remember design meetings if Stage Managers weren’t on point with the emails. Please know and appreciate how many people it takes to have a successful show. I never understand rivalries between the different areas (why would someone choose to be an assistant stage manager if they don’t like actors when 75% of the job is…communicating with actors…? I don’t get it.)…so don’t give into them. And everyone you work with will know something that you don’t.
Until next time!
