Dear fellow students,
Hello. My name is Chloe Barnes and I’m a drama performance major. Yes, I acknowledge that my field isn’t easy, but I’m not asking for easy. I’m willing to work hard to achieve my goals. I want to get a degree in something that I’m passionate about. That being said, the majority of the times I tell people that I am a drama major, I usually get an odd look or a confused question about making money or getting a job in the future. This gets extremely annoying, so I’m going to help all those people out today by giving you a simple list of questions you should not ask a drama major.
Yes, I have been asked the majority of these questions. I assure you this is not an exaggeration.
1. "Can you even get a job in that?"
Yes. Yes, you can. There are actually many different jobs you can hold with a theater degree. While some (including me) do plan on pursuing a career in acting, many in the theater field do not. Instead, some people imagine working on the technical side (lighting, sound, costume design, scenic design, etc), while others might dream of pursuing a career in the more business side of the theater. Regardless of if you want to act, design, or own your own theater company one day, there are plenty of job opportunities in the world of drama.
2. “So, what’s your backup plan?”
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that having a backup plan is bad, but when theater majors hear this repeatedly, it sounds like you just expect us to fail. I’ll save you the long list of people I could make that are very successful with a theater degree, but I will say that if it is something you are passionate about and want to do and are willing to work hard for, you can succeed.
3. “Oh, so you’re okay with waiting tables for a living?”
…I shouldn't have to explain how many levels of wrong this is, but I’ll try to sum it up in a few sentences. Nothing is wrong with working on the wait staff at any restaurant. What is wrong, however, is assuming that if you aren’t successful in life, that is the job you will be working. Yes, many actors do wait tables while they are out auditioning for work, whether that be for television shows, films, musicals/plays, or any other type of acting work. It’s a good way to make money, especially if you need regular pay. That being said, there are so many other jobs that actors can hold that pay regularly while they audition for work.
4. “Theatre classes are easy! I wish I could just take theater classes!”
I actually laughed at this one. From the outside looking in, it may seem to some that you take easy classes while working towards a drama degree. I’m not sorry to burst your bubble - our theater classes aren’t any easier than the classes for other degrees out there. You may argue with me and that’s fine, but until you really dedicate your life to working towards being a professional actor or theater technician or whatever job you would like to have in the field of theater, you won’t see how truly difficult it is.
Fun Fact: My acting class requires a lot more and is much more difficult than several of my other general education requirements.
Fun Fact Number Two: This is actually what I look like while trying to prepare a monolog for said acting class.
So, these are, in my opinion, the top four questions that you should NEVER ask a drama major. If someone tells you they are a drama major, ask them if their concentration is tech or performance. Ask them if they’re currently working on a show. Ask them if they prefer musicals or straight plays. Ask them if they only want to stick to the theater or if they’d try film too. But, please, do not ask the four questions I talked about above.
Sincerely,
A Drama Major.
