<p>I am a tennis player and and definitely going to university on a division 1 sport scholarship. Can I still be a theatre major with such a huge extracurricular activity??</p>
<p>please do not tell methat my dream just isn’t possible</p>
<p>I am not an expert, tennisbabe, but I think it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to be an acting major (BFA) and be on a tennis scholarship that requires so much time outside of class. However, I think it would be possible to do perhaps a BA in theater/theater studies and do your scholarship sport as long as your theater program would not require you to be in plays or musicals that rehearse and perform after hours. Of course, then you have to ask yourself the question "Can I be happy and learn what I need to learn doing ONLY or mostly classroom acting work? " In other words, would you be OK not actually performing in productions? Most rehearsals for productions occur in the evening and on weekends, which would be when you would be playing tennis.</p>
<p>I would think a lot depends upon the theater program, your coach and how determined you are to be both a Division I athlete and theater major. Yes, it can be done, although I would agree with NotMamaRose that it probably is close to impossible if you want to pursue a BFA. As for the BA and ONLY doing classroom acting work I think a lot would depend upon your school. I know that at my daughter’s Division I LAC there was a member of the swim team who was a English/theater major in a featured role of a play we saw in February (the cast included members of the football, tennis and swim teams who were majoring in other subjects). </p>
<p>You’ll have to ask coaches and faculty at your prospective colleges for their take on this issue to get school-specific answers to this question. Good luck.</p>
<p>One of the players at USC was on varsity tennis and was a theatre major. I’m not sure how much she was able to participate in theatre however. Since I am very familiar with varsity tennis and theatre (especially if you are in Los Angeles or near New York and want to act professionally) I would say that you really may have to make a choice. I am NOT saying that you should give up a scholarship or a dream of acting but there will have to be compromises. I know that fitness training, depending on school, is 2 hours per day PLUS tennis. Road trips will take you away from performances, probably making you uncastable. And since, unlike high school varsity tennis (but much like junior tennis) there isn’t a “season”, your commitment to both would be difficult. In addition, if you are auditioning for professional work…and have to be available for auditions when called…I can’t imagine a coach saying that you could leave practice for two hours for an audition, much less give you time off for a shoot.</p>
<p>Agree with others here. It really would depend on the theatre program that you find on your chosen campus. Even in some BA programs you will need to participate extensively in either acting or working shows (tech stuff like lights, sound booth, costuming). I would add that on your ‘off-season’ from tennis you may be able to get the ‘hands-on’ requirements for your major done, and maybe you can do more theatre history and theory classes during tennis season. </p>
<p>Think long and hard about these two desires. I wouldn’t count on getting the ‘big’ roles if you are not in front of the directors every season. New acting talent shows up every year. If you are only available during one semester you might be relegated to smaller roles. Ask yourself this? What are you going to do when a role that is perfect for you comes along during the school’s theatre season and it interferes with your tennis matches?</p>
<p>I can’t see it being possible at a BFA program. Mandatory attendance would be just one factor that would make it impossible. One of my Ds has a best friend who played tennis for Princeton and her training schedule and her travel schedule were challenging. Neither, as far as I can see, would be able or willing to accomodate the other.</p>
<p>I know that there are some D1 schools that aren’t as competitive as other schools. I do know that UCLA and USC are extremely competitive. One girl we know had to change her major, not theatre, because the classes for her original major were in the afternoon…tennis practice time.</p>