<p>Just gotta chime in here with a story that will make both “sides” think I am agreeing with them. </p>
<p>My D, now a junior in, yes, a college BFA program, was part of a program where she was mentored by the cast of a musical at a LORT theater in our town. Basically, she and a few other kids would attend all rehearsals, observe the actors, director, etc. and interact with them all, with the idea that the students would learn from observation and that interaction. The cast members were not locals: ALL came from all over the country to do this production.</p>
<p>One afternoon, they had a session where the students asked the actors questions. My daughter said “Which do you think is better, to earn a BFA degree or a BA degree? Which did you do? Do you think it makes any difference?”</p>
<p>Almost all of the actors thought that the right thing to do was what that actor hadn’t done. Those who earned BA degrees in fields unrelated to acting or musical theater suggested a BFA or BA in acting and/or theater/musical theater. Those who had gotten BFAs suggested getting degrees unrelated to performing. </p>
<p>So the grass is always greener. I should note that these were folks who have done quite a bit of theater at very high levels, including (several) shows on Broadway and feature films in large roles.</p>