<p>The only rule is that there are no rules. Some say its the Indian - not the arrow - although its certainly helpful for the Indian to have acquired a quiver full of very straight and sharp arrows somewhere and you can rest assured that youll get plenty of those from a quality BFA. </p>
<p>All my work since graduation has been on-camera and of the successful people Ive worked with, only a small minority have acting degrees. In fact, most dont have degrees in theatre at all. Especially the men. Its about evenly split between actors who got a BA or BS in whatever and later got their professional training in non-scholastic studios or trained purely in the studios without ever going to college. I dont think I know anyone who relied purely on the training they got in a BA program other than Northwestern or UCLA which are really more akin to a BFA. Also keep in mind that while some of these people are absolutely golden within a certain range, that range is usually fairly limited and Im not sure Id care to see their Shakespeare. </p>
<p>Most of the actors I know and know of who work regularly in straight theatre (not MT) On and Off Broadway and in the major regionals, however, do have BFAs or MFAs and the ones who have BFAs mostly come from a small handful of conservatory programs except for one who has an Ivy League BA but actually grew up in the business with a father who is a renowned teacher and director. The majority have MFAs which were preceded by a BA or BS - sometimes in theatre, sometimes not. </p>
<p>Again, no rules. Only trends and the real question might be if you can have a decent acting career period since the vast majority never get past the Off Off Broadway and ultra low budget indie film level no matter where they went to school or trained. If theres any rule, its that youd better be in it out of love no matter which route you choose because there are definitely no guarantees …</p>