<p>Sooviet What is the name of the show and when and where is it being produced? Do I have a chance of seeing it in early August (4-7) when I go to pick up student from NYU summer program? I am really curious to see it and get a feel for what NYU grad written shows are like.</p>
<p>CalMTMom…
I’m not sure that I want to mention the name of the musical and venue on this forum. I have to think about it (there is publicity about it on the internet and since she is the creator, her name is with that publicity). In any case, her original musical was LAST NIGHT in NYC…I just flew back. It was a one time showing for now. This was the next level of it I should say…the show was doubled in length and a NY small theater venue put it on. My D is also in it. Many Tisch grads were in it as well. What happens next with it remains to be seen. Some other theater companies attended. We shall see. She is cast in two other things coming up but neither are the first week of August. I haven’t posted in terms of “jobs after graduation” and I might but not sure. I will say that she was cast just one week following graduation and will become Equity. </p>
<p>AS far as getting a feel for NYU grad written shows…I don’t know how many musicals are written by undergrads at Tisch. There is a Graduate Musical Theater Writing program at Tisch and many musicals have been developed there and my D has been in 3 of those actually, one recently in concert in NYC too. My D was not in a program for writing musicals but wanted to do this as a project before graduating and so she did. Then a theater saw her show at Tisch and offered to stage it at their venue and in the past two months, she developed it further. </p>
<p>I’m sorry to be elusive and have to think about naming her own show and what else she is in as all these things are not associated with school and are on theater sites online and such.</p>
<p>I understand about naming names on this very public forum and not knowing who anyone is. I am really interested because my d writes her own songs (just starting) and she has been a life long writer. She also LOVES to perform especially to sing. She is starting to express an interest in possibly writing musicals after seeing a friend’s show produced at a local theater (He just graduated from HS here believe it or not–an extremely creative and talented kid who is also an incredible performer) If your D’s show gets produced in the future I would love to go see it.<br>
I know about the graduate program, but also know about ETW which might be a viable option for my D if she decides to audition for NYU’s New Studio for MT. Just helping her to do some of the time-consuming research on her journey…truth be told, am missing her a little since I just got home from NYC last night and dropping her off at NYU for the summer, this was a way to feel connected today. </p>
<p>Congratulations to your D, it is great to see graduates working --you must be proud. From your previous posts about her journey, I can’t say that I am surprised about her employment. People who are smart, driven and focused usually work:)</p>
<p>CalMTMom, you can always contact me via email if you wish. </p>
<p>My daughter did CAP21 for five semesters and ETW for 3 semesters. ONE (of several reasons) she chose to do ETW was the opportunity that they provide to do Independent Projects and she wanted to write and stage a musical before graduating. Like your D, my D is also a songwriter. In this case, she composed a musical. But she also has written songs she has performed in gigs in clubs in NYC (not MT songs) accompanying herself on piano. It is nice to have more than one skill in this field and she enjoys all these aspects very much. In this musical, she was also one of the performers. You were in NYC last night? Oh, too bad if I had known because I was in NYC for the night last night too and maybe you could have gone but hopefully there will be other times. I hope your D loves the summer program. It is supposed to be great but my D never did it. However, two summers ago, she was an accompanist for the Tisch/CAP21 pre-college program vocal classes. Like your D, mine loves to perform and is going for it as a performer but she also is involved in these other aspects as well.</p>
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<p>Agreed - but honestly, Sooz, if you think the typical student couldn’t put together the info you’ve shared on here and find out who your daughter is within 10 minutes or less, you are naive to the ways of the kids and the Internet.</p>
<p>MucThCC…I am sure many who wanted to figure it out based on a body of posts over time could indeed do that. I am not sure if I should post her current shows or not and if I did, there is nothing to “put together” as it is very black and white. I surely recognize what you are saying. But in one scenario, someone has to take the time to search and figure it out. Ya know, I can figure out many people’s kids on here including yours. I understand that. I’m not saying I won’t post the post graduation shows but I have to think about it. But certainly there are those who will take the time to piece this or that together and so be it. I’m not naive. I am quite aware of it but thank you anyway.</p>
<p>Going back to “jobs after graduation,” I just wanted to post that a 2009 BFA MT grad of Western Michigan University was recently cast in “West Side Story” on Broadway - his first audition in the big city. Lauren Zakrin, of “Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for Elle Woods” (reality tv show on MTV) was also a student at Western Michigan University. Grads from this school have also gone on to tours or Broadway productions of Wicked, Drowsy Chaperone, Ragtime, Kiss Me Kate, Spamalot, The Pirate Queen, Beauty and the Beast, Taboo, etc. I’m quite positive this can be said of many/most BFA programs, but I just wanted to point out that success is possible even for those graduating from lesser known schools.</p>
<p>Mom103, what role will your friend from WMU be playing? I’ll be seeing the show again sometime in the near future. Congrats to him on booking the show!</p>
<p>The term “Plan B” is frequently used to discuss what a student will do if after graduation performing opportunities don’t come and is often spoken of in the context of planning for and finding another career. I prefer to view “Plan B” as how will a graduate support themselves as they hit the audition circuit or when they are in between shows. “Plan A” is performing and “Plan B” is employment with sustainable and reliable income that enables a performer to live and otherwise supplement their income from “Plan A” to generate the revenue to support a comfortable lifestyle and make a decent living while still having the flexibility to audition and perform in shows. It can be a complicated jig saw puzzle in which it is critical to arrive at a clear picture about what it means to you be a successful performer, what kind of performing career do you want to pursue taking into account all the facets of your life. And this “clear picture” doesn’t have to be static, it may (and probably should) change over time, but whatever it is at a given point in time will materially impact on your “Plan B”.</p>
<p>My experience working with professional musicians has influenced my views on this. In the city where I work, there is 1 major philharmonic orchestra. Its musicians have a full time year round salary and earn a very nice middle to upper middle class living. They have job security under a collective bargaining agreement and in the absence of losing the ability to play have no employment worries from year to year (other than the impact of the economy on funding for the arts - but that’s a different issue). Unfortunately, there is a finite number of positions for musicians in that orchestra and there are many, many musicians who are equally talented who must seek other forms of employment. They audition for the standing orchestras of ballet companies, chamber orchestras, opera companies, pops orchestras, theatre companies, all of which provide part time employment during the “season” of September through June. They play single engagements, work as subs for musicians from the standing orchestras who are absent for one reason or another. They teach at area colleges or conservatories and give private lessons. During summer breaks in the “season”, some leave the area and play at festivals in other parts of the country. In one form or another, they manage to eke out a year round sustainable income.</p>
<p>The parallels to what MT students will face are many. Very few actors land a show which provides sustainable and viable income for protracted periods of time. Even fewer land that movie which which commands a salary and other compensation that will carry the actor for a year or more and even fewer land a TV show that will provide sustainable income for years. Most actors are going to be pounding the pavement, doing audition after audition in the hope of getting a paying job and needing to string together many roles to have the semblance of a viable income. Most will have to have a job doing something else other than performing to make it from year to year and hopefully have a comfortable lifestyle.</p>
<p>I think it is very, very important for our kids, while they are still in school, to start to think about these things, to define what their their “Plan A” will be upon graduation, define their “Plan B”, map out a road map to achieve those goals and take concrete steps to put them both into place upon graduation. The shape and complexion of this jig saw puzzle will be very different for the student who concludes that their “Plan A” upon graduation is to be a Broadway performer and for whom going to NYC is a must, for the student who wants to perform regionally, for the one who wants to tour domestically and the one who wants to tour or perform outside of the U.S. And “Plan B” does not have to be the “dreaded work as a food server”. Our kids are getting a college education and as part of that are developing a process of creative thinking, important communication skills, the ability to work collaboratively on complex projects and put in long hours, and demonstrating a superior work ethic while honing their talents and skills as performers. These are very marketable abilities both within the world of performing and its ancillary businesses as well as in the non-performing work world.</p>
<p>This is a discussion I have been having with my daughter now, as she is moving into her junior year. She has given a lot of thought to what her goals and priorities are as a performer. She was in a show this summer and is studying with a voice coach who is a music director on many professional shows as part of moving ahead with her “Plan A”. She had positioned herself with an entertainment company as a dancer and vocalist and has now moved into a position as MC (higher compensation). She is also interning with another company at which her creative way of thinking and all of the the non-performing skills and abilities she is developing from her MT program are exactly what is called for and will start in a paid part-time position in the fall. These are part of her “Plan B”. While there are no “guarantees”, the fact that she is focused on this process now, rather than later, I think is important.</p>
<p>Ok, enough pontificating!</p>
<p>What kinds of Plan Bs are there besides waiters?
Since I am going to a college (NYU) with a pretty prestigious academic and artistic reputation, I was thinking that I could use that to my advantage to pursue better paying survival jobs. I know that I will be paying visits to both the NYU Wasserman Career Center and Tisch’s own career center.
But don’t all good day jobs require like a bachelor’s degree? I’ve heard that these days good jobs require master degrees.</p>
<p>Clay, I don’t think my kid is ever gonna be a waitress. She can earn money in Plan B in other areas of the arts besides performing on stage. She earns money, for example, as a musical director, as an accompanist, and has taught MT too. She is fully supporting herself. She also auditions (well, has only been out of school two months) and is also cast in shows for pay. It is important to have skills besides just singing, dancing and acting. But there are jobs that require a college degree that you could get (being a waiter does not require a degree) and/or jobs in the arts that require related skills. I feel my kid is gonna work in the arts in various capacities, even while trying to make it on stage.</p>
<p>but what about those (like me) who are not good enough at the piano to be an accompanist or a music director?
I mean, would it be possible for me to teach at like youth theater academies with just a BFA?</p>
<p>clay, I just gave you an example of her “additional skills” and so am suggesting that the more you develop additional skills, as well as earn a degree and get experience, you can do other things besides perform and it need not be waiting tables. There are many kids’ theater programs that would take someone with a BFA to teach or direct and so on. You can work in a casting office (do an internship one summer first) or sooooo many other things in the arts.</p>
<p>Just to follow up on soozie’s post, I know a student who graduated with a degree in vocal performance. She loaded up on electives involving theatre administration and got a job out of college in the marketing department of a major professional venue. Like you, my daughter is not good enough at the piano to do some of the things soozie’s daughter does. But, as I mentioned above, she has a job with an entertainment company that provides music, dancers and MCs for Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, Sweet 16s, camp parties, school parties, corporate parties, weddings etc. She started doing this at 15, worked her way up from junior dancer to senior dancer, dance manager and now MC. She makes very good money doing this and when she graduates will command an even greater salary. The work is mostly on weekends and she can control her schedule. The internship she is also doing now is with another type of service business that requires creativity, artistic flair, the ability to work collaboratively and coordinate complicated events, and the ability to communicate and relate to clients. All of these things draw on her talent, education and experience. She worked a job as an unpaid intern yesterday and received a $100 gratuity. In the fall she will go on a salary basis. It is again, for now, part time work but after graduation can expand. It is also a job where she can control her schedule. </p>
<p>As soozie mentions, there are jobs in the arts in addition to performing. There are jobs that draw on the skills and talents of a performer but are not performing as we normally think of it. It’s important to think out of the box and perhaps think in terms of more than 1 endeavor like the musicians I referenced earlier.</p>
<p>Michael’s advice is spot on. </p>
<p>My daughter also has done Broadway themed birthday parties but has been too busy with other work the past couple of years and has let that work go but could do it in an instance if she told them she was available again. She was also offered to teach MT classes to kids but just doesn’t have time but knows she could do that too if she needed work in the city. </p>
<p>So, find jobs that either utilize skills you have or also do internships or develop a wider range of skills. My D knows there are jobs she can do while auditioning to earn money and these are jobs she likes and are very related to performing arts but just are not as the actor on stage.</p>
<p>Also, you have to network. My D can’t always take jobs she is offered and so has offered her friends up instead and gotten them work! Just this week alone, my D had a major conflict with her regular daily job because she is in rehearsals for a show she is in tomorrow night and so she hired a friend to take her place at her job all week and is paying the friend a salary. Likewise, she knows lots of people in the field and also just through NYU itself (both other students and faculty) and they contact her about doing projects for them.</p>
<p>My son is currently attending bartending school now that he’s finished with his summer professional theatre work!</p>