At some point in every serious high school theatre student’s life, the question surfaces:
Should I actually do this?
Not just in high school. Not just as the thing I love and the place I belong. But as the thing I study. The thing I build a career around. The thing I tell people I’m doing with my life and then watch their faces do that thing.
It’s a big question. It deserves a real answer.
Here’s the most honest one I can give you.
First, Separate the Questions
“Should I study theatre in college?” and “Should I pursue a career in theatre?” are two different questions that often get tangled together.
Studying theatre in college does not automatically mean committing to a professional performance career. Theatre training develops skills — communication, collaboration, empathy, public speaking, creative problem-solving — that are genuinely valuable in an enormous range of careers.
Conversely, plenty of working theatre professionals didn’t study theatre in college.
Before you decide anything, get clear on which question you’re actually asking.
What Theatre Programs Actually Involve
A lot of students fall in love with performing in high school and imagine that a theatre degree is an extended version of that experience. It is not, quite.
Conservatory and university theatre programs are rigorous, demanding, and frequently humbling. You will take classes in movement, voice, acting theory, script analysis, theatre history, and stagecraft. You will spend long nights in rehearsal and production. You will have your choices challenged and your instincts questioned by teachers who know things you don’t yet know.
You will also, at various points, feel like you’re not good enough. This is normal. It is part of the training.
The programs that are most valuable are the ones that push you hardest — not the ones that make you feel like the most talented person in the room.
The Different Types of Programs
Not all theatre programs are the same, and the differences matter:
BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts): A conservatory-style professional training program. Intensive, focused almost entirely on theatre, and often highly competitive to get into. Usually involves an audition for admission. Designed to prepare you for a professional career.
BA (Bachelor of Arts) in Theatre: A broader liberal arts degree with a theatre major. More flexibility, more general education requirements, and more room to double-major or explore other interests. Good if you love theatre but want to keep more doors open.
Musical Theatre BFA: Specifically for students who sing, act, and dance. Extremely demanding and extremely competitive. Programs at top schools admit very small classes — sometimes 12 to 20 students per year.
Theatre Education degree: For students who want to teach theatre at the K-12 level. Combines theatre training with education coursework and student teaching. This is its own distinct path with its own job market.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Before you apply to theatre programs, spend some time with these:
Why do I want to study theatre? “Because I love performing” is a real answer, but dig deeper. What specifically draws you? Is it acting? Directing? Design? Playwriting? Stage management? Theatre is a broad field and the answer to this question matters for which type of program fits you best.
How much financial risk am I comfortable with? Theatre is a competitive profession and most theatre careers involve periods of financial uncertainty. That’s a real thing to consider, not a reason not to pursue it, but something to go in clear-eyed about. Scholarships, program costs, and student loan debt all deserve serious attention.
Am I doing this because I love it or because I’m afraid of something else? Some students choose theatre in college because they genuinely can’t imagine doing anything else. Others choose it because it’s comfortable and familiar and the thought of doing something new is scary. Only you know which one you are. Be honest with yourself.
Have I done enough theatre to know if I love the work, not just the applause? The applause is wonderful. The work is what you’ll spend most of your time doing — the unglamorous, repetitive, sometimes frustrating process of building something. Do you love that part too?
The Audition Process
Getting into a competitive BFA program is its own undertaking. Most programs require a live or recorded audition, typically consisting of two contrasting monologues (one classical, one contemporary) and sometimes a song.
Start preparing early — junior year if you can. Work with a teacher or coach on your audition material. Research each school’s specific requirements carefully because they vary. Visit programs if you can. The culture of a program matters enormously and it’s hard to assess from a website.
A few things worth knowing: rejections from top programs are not always rejections of you as an actor. Casting a class is a complex puzzle and fit matters as much as talent. Students who don’t get into their first-choice programs and end up at their second or third choice often have extraordinary experiences. Where you go is less important than what you do when you get there.
Alternatives Worth Knowing About
A theatre degree is not the only path to a life in theatre. It’s worth knowing about:
Double majoring. Studying theatre alongside business, education, arts administration, or communications gives you a broader professional foundation while keeping the thing you love central to your education.
Community college then transfer. Getting your general education requirements done at a community college before transferring to a four-year program can significantly reduce the overall cost of your education.
Training outside of college. Conservatories and training programs that aren’t affiliated with degree-granting institutions exist and are respected in the professional world. Some of the best actor training in the country happens outside of universities.
Just doing it. Some people move to a city with an active theatre scene, get involved in community theatre and fringe productions, take classes and workshops, and build their experience that way. It’s slower and harder to navigate without the structure of a program, but it’s a real path.
The Honest Bottom Line
If theatre is the thing that makes you feel most alive — if you can imagine the work and not just the performance and still want it — then studying it seriously is worth exploring. The skills you develop, the people you meet, and the version of yourself you become in a good theatre program are genuinely valuable regardless of where your career goes.
If you’re not sure, that’s okay too. It is completely reasonable to go to college with theatre as an interest rather than a major, keep doing it, and see what you discover about yourself over time.
You don’t have to have this figured out completely. You just have to be honest about where you are.
Thinking about theatre programs and have specific questions? Drop them in the comments — this is exactly the kind of thing we love to dig into.