Author Topic: Future  (Read 5468 times)

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dancer-sm

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Future
« on: Jun 07, 2011, 09:16 pm »
I am fairly young, BUT I am very very mature for my age. I have always had my plan set for after high school graduation. I have always believed I am meant to be a lawyer, but now since I have fell in LOVE with theatre, I'm not so sure. So I decided to compromise, while getting my basics I will get a degree in theatre then I will go on to law school.

All I really want to know is have any of you, or anyone you know gotten a degree in something that does not relate to theatre at all? Is it possible to carry on with theatre? I am very conflicted so any comments would be amazing.

LizzG

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Re: Future
« Reply #1 on: Jun 08, 2011, 01:56 am »
Yes - a lot of theater people have gotten a degree in something other than theater.  The key is experience.  Some people get that from school, and some from working outside of school.

I went to school for biology (and that's what my degree is in), but I went to a school with a good theater program where I could SM without being a theater major.  I spent all of my time outside of classes in the theater building, and working in other entertainment capacities on campus and off.  It's been 4 years since I graduated, and I've been employed as a Stage Manager ever since (right now I'm an ASM on a first national tour)!

loebtmc

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Re: Future
« Reply #2 on: Jun 08, 2011, 12:28 pm »
Apologies, I am "avoiding" a meeting by reading this so can't look it up right now, but there is at least one comprehensive thread discussing being a liberal arts or other-than-theater major vs focusing on tech theater. May I suggest you do a quick search and you might be able to get to a lot of already-extant info

plutosams

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Re: Future
« Reply #3 on: Jun 08, 2011, 02:29 pm »
I have a BS and MS in Psychology.  I minored in theatre and found that after grad school it was where I wanted to be.  I have actually found it a great conversation in interviews.  It makes me more balanced.  My one advice is that if you plan to stay in theatre make sure you keep yourself educated and gain experience.  Also find a way to make whatever your degree is in relevant to SM.

cserendipity

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Re: Future
« Reply #4 on: Jun 08, 2011, 02:55 pm »
I too am "avoiding" work duties, but I thought I would take a minute and share a bit.  My undergrad degree is a double major in theatre and political science and then I went on to law school.  (Unfortunately, I had to take a medical leave in the middle of my first year.  I haven't made it back, but I currently work in an administrative capacity in a law firm during the day while I take on various theatre projects in the evenings.) 

That being said, it is possible to go to law school with a degree in theatre.  And it's definitely good for conversation.  People are constantly amazed when I tell I have a background in theatre and political science.  (I also know people who have gotten political science degrees who worked both in the theatre department and after they graduated with professional companies as stage managers, so you don't necessary need a theatre degree to be able to continue with theatre after college.  Experience can help fill that gap.) 

However, both stage management and law can lead to demanding careers.  Especially in your first year of law school, it's near impossible to do anything else except focus on law school while you are in school.  After your first year, you should be clerking or interning during your summers and/or during the school year.   So don't expect that you will have much free time to participate in theatre while you are in law school.  There just aren't enough hours in the day.  (I'm sure that it's possible and there is someone out there who will have proved me wrong, but generally speaking that's how it is.) 

I'm not sure what you plan to do with your law degree, in terms of what kind of law you want to practice, etc., but I can tell you that the associates in my firm (we deal mostly with civil litigation defense) work long hours, evenings and weekends.  It's not exactly the kind of job where you are guaranteed to be done every day at 5.  (Plus law school is expensive, so you have to make enough money to be able to pay off your school loans.)

Anyways, I hope that's helpful and not too discouraging for you.  Ultimately, you should do what you love and finds ways to make things work.   If you want to talk more, feel free to send me a PM.  I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.  And now I really must get back to work.  :) 
If Plan A didn't work... the alphabet has 25 more letters.

On_Headset

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Re: Future
« Reply #5 on: Jun 09, 2011, 06:43 am »
Quote
So I decided to compromise, while getting my basics I will get a degree in theatre then I will go on to law school.
While this will prepare you to become an entertainment lawyer, take a job with Equity, or work in a producer's office, I'm not sure that a law degree would be especially useful or practical for someone hoping to go into the more hands-on side of theatre.

It is generally true that your BA doesn't matter terribly much (there are SMs who have undergrad and even master's degrees in everything from botany to sign language), it must be understood that undergraduate and graduate (especially terminal) degrees are different kettles of fish. Undergrad degrees tend to emphasize soft skills (effective communication, co-operation with others, basic research, time management, etc.), usually include significant general education and breadth components (much to the chagrin of undergrads!), and (outside of laboratory science) rarely go into subjects at such depth that the skills you acquire aren't transferable to other fields. Grad degrees, on the other hand, (and law school is a grad degree) teach you tons and tons and tons about a very specific subject, and not much else. A MA in Philosophy will teach you tons and tons about specific philosophers and specific approaches to philosophy, but as the knowledge becomes more specific, it also becomes less transferable. (You can transfer basic research skills to almost any field. It's more difficult to transfer memorization of Aristotle, or a thorough understanding of Victorian empiricism, or a novel approach to existential metaphysics, or whatever else.)

That's not to say that grad degrees are useless or will never transfer to theatre. Some of them might be very handy: an education degree (especially if you're going into theatre for young people), a history degree, an MFA, and so on could be quite useful. Law is probably not in this category.

The thing with law school is that not only will it take you out of theatre for several years (there just aren't enough hours in the day, especially if you're going the whole hog and intend to sit the bar exam and become a lawyer rather than simply take your degree and run), law school is a high-level vocational program--and a very expensive and demanding program at that. There isn't much transference of skill between theatrical and legal work (outside of those niches of entertainment law and production office and union work), and considering how difficult and demanding law programs are, there's almost certainly a better use for your time and money.

If your heart isn't utterly set on becoming a lawyer, things become more workable. There are jobs which require (or strongly emphasize possession of) a law degree but which don't expect you to have sat the bar exam and are essentially 9-5 gigs (law librarian, for example), and these jobs are no less compatible with theatre than any other 9-5 job--but even then, we're talking about amdram or lower-level professional theatre.

One other thought: the world is full of people who thought they were supposed to be something, but who turned into something completely different. Becoming a lawyer because you've always felt that you "should" be one is a poor reason. That's not to say that you personally would be a bad lawyer, but consider that the legal job market is looking worse and worse, it is increasingly the case that even criminal lawyers never see the inside of courtrooms, over 50% of law school grads have at least six figures worth of debt (and these are the people who go on to become lawyers, as opposed to theatre artists who typically earn much less), and so on.

Do some research and determine what you want to do, basically. Don't be guided by feelings and inklings and birthrights. Look into what you want to be doing, what you're prepared to sacrifice and give up to get there, and be realistic about your own abilities and expectations. (Consider that nobody ever intends to graduate at the bottom of their class, or drop out of school because their debt load climbs too high, or get an F in a key course, or whatever else. Bad things happen to good people, and if you're already stretching yourself to your very limits just to keep up with a life plan [especially a life plan you've undertaken for whimsical rather than practical reasons], you're leaving yourself very little wiggle-room if that plan should fall through.)
« Last Edit: Jun 09, 2011, 06:50 am by On_Headset »

Rebbe

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Re: Future
« Reply #6 on: Jun 10, 2011, 09:27 am »
I’d agree that I don’t think you would be able to manage two careers if they are theater and law, but if it makes you happy to explore theater more while in the relative safety of undergrad, I say go for it.  Better not to have regrets about what you might have done, and you may never have that freedom to play and learn again.   If you do get established in a legal career, you may have the flexibility to engage as theater as a hobby later in life if that’s something you still enjoy. 

I also see a theater background giving you some transferable skills for the legal field.  Lawyer’s need to be detail-oriented, work well under pressure, think of creative approaches for their clients, and “perform” before a judge and jury.  In theater you learn how to do those things, which could give you a step up on other students who are great book-learners but not as strong in putting it bringing it all together in a real world setting. 
"...allow me to explain about the theatre business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster."  (Philip Henslowe, Shakespeare In Love)

hbelden

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Re: Future
« Reply #7 on: Jun 10, 2011, 04:45 pm »
dancer-sm,

Maybe the question you're asking is something like "If I go be the lawyer I've always wanted to be, does that mean I never get to see the inside of a theatre again?"

I have known some lawyers who enjoy doing one show a year at community theatres.  They were all actors, of course, but they did have the time and they really enjoyed the performance.  I don't know if a lawyer could also SM or not at that level, but I suspect they could.  And the theatre would probably be happy to have you.
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LisaS

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Re: Future
« Reply #8 on: Jun 11, 2011, 01:18 am »
All of these are very good points, but I will say, at least while in law school, there can be theatre opportunities. 

Check out this article about Duke Law School's musical about Richard Nixon. The president of the law school directed and starred in it.  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/us/04nixon.html

(Full Disclosure: the director/star is a friend and is the director who I SMed for the most in college.)

MatthewShiner

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Re: Future
« Reply #9 on: Jun 11, 2011, 02:26 am »
The question is a little about wanting your cake and eat it to; or having a really good back up plan. 

Not everyone is going to able to pursue a career in theatre - it's like when a parent says their child can grow up to be president, but not every kid can be president - just because you have the talent, the desire and whatever, it just may not be in the cards to make it as a career.  Doing it for the love of theatre, and on the side of another career is fine - there are some wonderful community theaters out there which give people of all walks of life the chance to make art, create theatre without the pressures of having to make money at it, or do it full time.  (trust, once theatre becomes a HAVE TO DO to make rent, pay bills, etc - it becomes a lot less "fun" - I miss the times I did it just for fun, and I didn't have the amount of pressure I have sitting on my shoulders.)

Don't let the lure of theatre tempt you away from another career that you might be very happy doing full time.  Seriously, the best advice I can give anyone is if you can do ANYTHING else for a living and be happy, then please, please, please - do something other then theatre for a living.  It's a hard way to make a living. 

You can love theatre, and support it in so many ways - be a successful lawyer, and serve on a theaters board - offer legal advice to a local non-profit arts firm - there are countless ways for someone with eyes set on a life as a lawyer can support their love of theatre.  Don't give up one dream, because a new one has come along - I mean, theatre is siren that can easily lure you it . . .

be careful.

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Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

dancer-sm

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Re: Future
« Reply #10 on: Jun 20, 2011, 07:48 pm »
dancer-sm,

Maybe the question you're asking is something like "If I go be the lawyer I've always wanted to be, does that mean I never get to see the inside of a theatre again?"


That is my question. I mean I absolutely LOVE theatre, and I have always wanted to be a lawyer. I do not want to sacrifice either! I am going to try as hard as I can, if I fail at least I will be glad I tried.
« Last Edit: Jun 21, 2011, 12:35 pm by PSMKay »

 

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