Theatre tech / costume tech.. right fit?

madbean
Sat, 01 Sep 2012 03:58:27 +0000

OP, since you are a little older (22 or up?), have a BS degree, and already working to support yourself, you may have to think outside the academic box here. If you truly want to work in costume/wardrobe in films or television, you need to get an internship on a production and begin to see if this work is for you. Since you say you have student loans already and must work at this point, you will likely need to find a less expensive road to your destination. There is no degree required, as I’m sure you know, to get this type of work, and frankly, it doesn’t pay big bucks so you cannot expect to pay back more mountains of loans easily or quickly when you go out, finally, to work in the field.

In fact, such work is mostly freelance and job by job. Until you get established, you will often have to find supplemental income. It takes a huge amount of drive and commitment and willingness to be a little broke while you make your mark.

If you lived in Los Angeles, I’d suggest you keep your day job and take a class at UCLA Extension or the Art Center at Night in Costume Design/Production and start getting your skills sharpened, while you see if you really have the talent and ambition to make it. I feel certain there are similar night classes in NYC and suggest you look into NYU, Fordham, The New School, Pace etc etc to see if they offer Extension or Adult Ed classes in Costume.

Best of luck.