Theatre College Q & A for Parents
Theatre/ Acting/ Music/ Art is their hobby! I need my kid to have a career!
I understand. I do. My parents forbade me to study theatre in college and I changed my major without their blessing. I'm not proud of that fact, but I'm also so proud that I have been able to spend my life making theatre despite my family's very legitimate fears. I also know from over a decade of teaching young artists that students without support, or in the wrong major, drop out of college when they're bored and not connected to their field of study.
I hope to offer you the faith that your child will be able to put a roof over their head, food on their table and find their way in this word. Your kid is an artist. You've seen them grow into this amazing person on or off stage and this work "lights them up".
Please trust that Beacon teaches your child that being an artist is a daily battle of choices. I also have taught them that "being a star" or "being famous" is never the goal. Building a LIFE is the goal. So they are well aware that being an actor or a designer comes with no promise of Oscars and Tonys etc etc. They will have to build a parallel career that feeds them until their theatre career can feed them. Being a working artist is the goal. It has to be. And I know it works! I know from my experience that the amazing people I was lucky enough to go to Theatre School with are all over the map professionally. Some are actors, some have Tonys, some work on Broadway and on TV and Film and some sell real estate, have become doctors, lawyers, teachers, parents, and entrepreneurs. The skills we all learned in "drama school" are invaluable in EVERY industry. We know how to communicate and connect. Studying theatre is to study how we live.
Please try to stop yourself from judging your child's passion. They CAN and they WILL build that passion into a career with the right training, tools and support.
I hope to offer you the faith that your child will be able to put a roof over their head, food on their table and find their way in this word. Your kid is an artist. You've seen them grow into this amazing person on or off stage and this work "lights them up".
Please trust that Beacon teaches your child that being an artist is a daily battle of choices. I also have taught them that "being a star" or "being famous" is never the goal. Building a LIFE is the goal. So they are well aware that being an actor or a designer comes with no promise of Oscars and Tonys etc etc. They will have to build a parallel career that feeds them until their theatre career can feed them. Being a working artist is the goal. It has to be. And I know it works! I know from my experience that the amazing people I was lucky enough to go to Theatre School with are all over the map professionally. Some are actors, some have Tonys, some work on Broadway and on TV and Film and some sell real estate, have become doctors, lawyers, teachers, parents, and entrepreneurs. The skills we all learned in "drama school" are invaluable in EVERY industry. We know how to communicate and connect. Studying theatre is to study how we live.
Please try to stop yourself from judging your child's passion. They CAN and they WILL build that passion into a career with the right training, tools and support.
My kid just got involved. How can he/she compete with kids that have years of experience?
Training programs are looking for people they can groom and train. Experience isn't always necessary.
How do I know if my kid is "good enough"?
You don't. And you won't. In fact, you can't. I've heard this question so many times and it still stings. What is "good enough"? Your child wants to build a career in the arts. They want to work hard and toil at something that matters to them and to the culture they cultivate. They want to provide an invaluable service to our community. They may not ever be on billboards or accept fancy awards but if they want to cultivate a career, they can. It takes thousands of people across hundreds of areas of expertise to produce every Broadway Show, TV Program or Film. Almost everyone of those people was a drama kid when they were in high school.
Why is it that when a young person wants to be a teacher or a doctor or a lawyer families celebrate even if they are a mediocre one? But if you want to be an artist you are expected to be the most famous artist on earth or not one at all? I believe there is a lot of middle ground and the world NEEDS creative people to keep us humming. I don't think we should settle for mediocrity. I'm advocating for productivity. I hope to train young artists that want to WORK and create work that sustains them and everyone around them. That's not settling. And that is good enough for me.
Why is it that when a young person wants to be a teacher or a doctor or a lawyer families celebrate even if they are a mediocre one? But if you want to be an artist you are expected to be the most famous artist on earth or not one at all? I believe there is a lot of middle ground and the world NEEDS creative people to keep us humming. I don't think we should settle for mediocrity. I'm advocating for productivity. I hope to train young artists that want to WORK and create work that sustains them and everyone around them. That's not settling. And that is good enough for me.