<p>You can use at degree in theatre in many different ways, and it is most certainly not a “waste of money!” </p>
<p>Your question of “How can I use it?”, however, is a common one among many freshmen in college. I am assuming you are asking about a general Theatre Studies degree, and if that is the case, there is almost anything you can do with it, although many people do not know this coming in. In many Universities, with a Bachelor of Arts degree, you can focus on dramaturgy, which is the study of the dramatic composition and theatrical representation, criticism, playwriting, theatre management, theatre history, directing, stage management, and sometimes even Acting or Musical Theatre, which many times are a B.F.A. conservatory program. If you want to ensure that you get a job, you could certainly get a degree in the Design and Technical aspect of theatre, which is definitely a large group of people who almost always are employed! </p>
<p>Also, if you mean “would I have the same chance as someone else when interviewing and auditioning for a job in theatre if I they did not have a degree and I did?”, I would have to say that it depends. Plenty of people get cast in professional productions without having a degree in acting, but as always, having a degree in anything simply means that you have studied it and learned about it in depth. Whether that means something to your employer is up to him/her.</p>
<p>The same goes for you: if after researching degrees in Theatre in various schools you still feel that you would not benefit from studying the craft, going to school in this field of study is probably not for you. I hope this helps! I am a freshman theatre major right now so if you have any questions I’d be happy to answer them as best I can!</p>