Theatre Management (International student)

petrajaga · August 14, 2010, 2:25am

Hello everyone!

I’m a student from Croatia extremely interested in receiving a degree in and moving into the field of theatre management/production. I’m definitely considering and looking into a broader degree in arts/performing arts management, but theatre - musical theatre in particular - is the area I would prefer to pursue a career in. However, I’m well-aware of some obstacles in my way, so I was wondering if someone on this forum might be able to give me any help/advice.

This will turn into a bit of a novel, and I do apologize for that. Unfortunately, there is very little institutional counseling I can get in my own country and, while I don’t expect anyone to do my research for me, there is some information/support I have decided to look for here because I really can’t think of any other way of obtaining it, so I hope you can bear with me for a while. ;)

The first major issue I have is the lack of experience at this point. Theatre functions in a much different way here than it does in countries such as the US and UK, to the point where theatre management isn’t an occupation with clear-cut preparation programs and (private) theatre production hasn’t been present at all in the market until very recently. All of this is why, as a high school junior/senior, I was largely unaware of this career track even being an option and have chosen at that point to focus on something else entirely. (Specifically, I’ve got a BA in English/Swedish and am currently doing a MA in English; I’ve got strong academics and a pretty good GPA.)

A thing to note, though, is that, along with a “general” high school system, I have also graduated from a music school. In Croatia, this is a full-fledged second high school diploma awarded after the completion of a curriculum which included flute (my main subject in which I’ve got 11 years’ worth of instruction), as well as various music-related subjects (music theory, history of music etc.). Perhaps my most significant achievement there has been strong involvement in the creation of a original musical (junior year) and a song cycle (senior year). I took part in virtually the entire creative process for these works: I was part of the composing team, took part in various “backstage” activities, from prop/costume creation to organization and promotion, played the flute during the performances etc. I’ve read on this board and elsewhere that some schools look favorably upon previous experience in the performing arts, so I hope that this could work in my favor.

There is one further aspect of my experience so far that is rather significant but will be somewhat difficult to communicate. Specifically, while I have little hands-on experience in getting involved with productions, my experience as a theatregoer is considerably greater. In the past few years in particular, I have seen an average of 75-100 theatre productions per year. I’ve seen everything from multi-million-dollar Broadway productions to regional theatre/amateur productions in the US, UK, Austria, Germany and Croatia, and can confidently claim to have a very good grasp of how theatre functions across multiple countries, particularly when it comes to musical theatre. If I were to study in the US, I feel that I would be well-equipped to follow any discussions/take part in any projects that have to do with US theatre and, at the same time, be able to provide other perspectives on the same issues. I’ve seen that, for instance, NYU’s Performing Arts Administration encourages students to take part in study abroad programs for this exact reason, so I would imagine that this aspect of my experience would be looked upon favorably.

Overall, while my background is nowhere near perfect for this type of degree, I feel that I have plenty of strong points that would make me a good candidate.

In any case, I will not be applying for any program until the fall/winter of next year. What I intend to do in the mean time is the following:

Research graduate programs that would suit my goals.
Try to visit some schools during my upcoming trip to New York. I know for sure that Columbia’s Theatre Management program has a system of setting up perspective applicants for interviews with current students, so I intend to take advantage of that. I’m currently researching similar opportunities at other schools as well.
Look into more practical work experience in Croatia. I believe I have a good shot at getting an internship at a private MT production company here and am looking into other similar opportunities.
Try to draft the best SOP possible, explaining my interest in the field, experience so far (particularly the theatregoing experience, which is hard to fit elsewhere on my resume) and how it ties into with future goals.

My first question is whether or not my current background, combined with my “plan of action” look like I’m on the right track. Is there something I haven’t considered and should? Something that I shouldn’t be focusing on?

Also, what sorts of letters of recommendation are normally submitted for these programs? I’ve looked here on the forum, but it seems that most tips have been given to applicants for PhDs that would eventually lead to positions in the academia, but I’d imagine things to be different for this type of degree. My current professors wouldn’t really be able to provide information about my aptitude for theatre management, but would definitely be able to attest to my academic capabilities, writing skills etc. On the other hand, possible supervisors at future internships might not be able to comment on these aspects. Would it be a good idea, then, to get a set of LORs (each positive in its own way) from different perspectives that complement each other and ultimately give a well-rounded picture?

Finally - and this is my second major issue - there is the question of finances. I’ve looked at the websites of the universities I’ve been considering, but all the information there is pretty general. I’m not trying to get my googling done for me, but is there anyone on the board who has first-hand experience in getting financial aid for arts management programs (Columbia, NYU, CMU etc.)? Is there a possibility of getting a full or near-full scholarship? Fellowships? Work-study? I know this varies from college to college and from student to student, but if anyone would be willing to share their own experience when it comes to funding their education (be it on the board or via PM), I’d be most grateful.

… if you’re still here after having read all of this, you have no idea how much I appreciate it. Again, I’m sorry to have been this long, but I figure that presenting my whole case might help anyone reading this in giving me the advice I’m looking for.

Thanks in advance!

LAC_operon · August 14, 2010, 12:37pm

I’m not a “theater person” - but have known plenty.

My impressions - while your HS project sounds like a great HS project, if you are going to have a masters soon, it looks odd to refer back to HS (which was a really long time ago). It would make sense to talk about your HS project if it was part of a long line of demonstrated interest in theater (see the thread about <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/graduate-school/974446-do-you-guys-still-include-things-you-did-high-school-your-resume.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/graduate-school/974446-do-you-guys-still-include-things-you-did-high-school-your-resume.html</a> ) - but it seems that your HS project is your only demonstrated leadership to date, which won’t look impressive to admissions committees.

Experience: In my opinion, you need to be a stage manager for this next year. While going to so many plays is impressive - I would think it’s hard to appreciate the number of cues required for one moment in a play (light cues, sound cues, props, set cues, etc. - just for that few seconds an actor walks on stage) just from watching (I assume you know about all this, but I think admissions people might not know if really understand all this if you haven’t been a stage manager recently). So: Stage manage stage manage stage manage. Live, breathe, eat, sleep in the theater. See if you get sick of it. If not, proceed with grad school.

Also: where do you plan on working? In the US, UK, etc. or in your home country? It seems like you would need to start out working outside of your home country do to a lack of jobs (job stability for the long term) even if you can find a few positions now. If so, it might be better to move to the location where you plan to start your career and try and get some jobs working as a stage manager for a couple of years before applying to places like columbia. Your international experience and perspective will be interesting to schools, so long as if you have a good amount of professional theater experience too.

Good luck!

KatMT · August 14, 2010, 1:34pm

I suggest that you post this on the Theatre/ Drama majors thread. There is also information about Theatre Management programs on that thread.

It sounds like you are hoping to pursue a degree in Theatre Management or Arts Management (MFA or MA), not Stage Management, correct?

In addition to the schools you have listed you may want to take a look at Yale Drama School, and George Mason University. What about schools in the UK?

Financial aid in the form of scholarships, assistantships, and fellowships will vary from school to school.

It is hard to say if your current background and experience will make you competitive for Arts Management programs. Contact the schools directly, many may give you some feedback on you competitiveness level.

You also should look at the University Resident Theatre Association – URTA. This is a group of graduate training programs that are all affiliated with professional theatres. Many do give scholarships and assistantships to graduate students.

petrajaga · August 14, 2010, 3:22pm

Sadly, this is the only field-related experience I currently have. I’ve demonstrated leadership elsewhere in my college career - I’ve been elected as my major’s representative in the student council, have exhibited initiative doing research and am the person in charge of a small department at my part-time job.

What I don’t have is experience where both my leadership abilities are connected specifically to arts/theatre management - I’m fully aware of this being a huge drawback and definitely intend on trying to overcome it in the next few years.

Exactly.

Thanks for the recommendation about the Theater/Drama sub-forum. I wasn’t sure whether or not to post there as the individual major forums seem focused more on undergrad majors but I’ll definitely give it a try as well. Thanks for the URTA link as well, will definitely check it out.

Thanks for the program recs as well. I’ve already looked into Yale, but hadn’t been aware of GMU’s program. As I said, I definitely plan on contacting individual schools and trying to visit some of them, so hopefully that’ll give me a better outlook on what I can do to improve the strength of my application.

I’ve also been looking at similar programs in the UK. The issue there, however, is that I’d currently be paying overseas student tuition (up to 3x of the home student fees) and have to enter the country on a student visa (which would significantly limit the working hours I’d be able to do). Thus, I’m waiting for Croatia to enter the EU since I’ll then be treated as a home student, which will make my chances regarding both college and finding relevant work experience much better.

Theatre Management (International student)

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