SAM - I have read your comments on value of an 'acting' degree as it relates to success in TV and films.

"If it helps, unless you're attending one of the league schools, your college education will make absolutely no difference in your acting career. A lot of actors get upset when I say this but they tend to be clueless about what really goes on in this industry."

Do you feel the same about a Musical Theater degree - or is this not your area?

Musical theater requires much more vocal and movement training so it could make a difference - again, depending on where you go. But that's just my opinion. This isn't my world.

Does anyone out there have any advice?

is the question whether or not you should get a degree at all? or if it should be a degree in theatre?

i think it's a very personal decision, but i know if i hadn't gone to NYU and gotten a BFA, i would have been completely lost attempting to have a career in acting. i knew nothing of NYC or the business when i was going into college. The training i got, and the contacts i made were invaluable. plus, i had the opportunity to familiarize myself with the city.

i guess it's different if you already have a career established. i didn't, so i needed the training and credits i made while i was in school.

i'll also throw out there that i made sure to get minors that would be practical and give me skills (computer science to be exact) i could use in survival jobs.

i'm fully aware that having "tisch" on my resume probably won't help me in itself, but i definitely think college was worth it for millions of other reasons.

Alot of musical theater majors end up teaching. I know that at least one regional theater in our area requires the staff to have at the minimum, a BFA to teach and prefers MFA's. imho if you audition well, no one is going to ask you where you went to college or what your major is...but when you read the bios on bway, it seems many have MFA's/BFA's, but many also never attend college.

First, I'm asking for my kid. Looking at the future.

If she doesn't get into one of the best MT programs in the country, would it be better to put off college for a year or 2 and hit the auditions? (Her college $ is in an account earning interest.) She would be 18 and could play younger. If she goes to college, by the time she gets out, she won't be able to play younger and will just be competing with all of the other college graduates.

Also, in the same vein, does having Broadway experience as a kid make a difference as an adult?

And the bottom line. Does any of the resume stuff really make a difference? Are they looking at the resumes to make a decision - or the talent?

Again, we're talking MT not TV/film.

Hi,
I'm asking the same questions since I have a kid just starting out too, but not in MT. Personally, I do not think I would put off the education just to try out for more roles. I happen to be a very staunch supporter of higher education. The higher the better. And I am concerned about him getting into the better schools. It will depend upon his talent, not his GP since I have a NHS (National Honor Society) candidate, besides his mother promised him a new car if he gets it.... At least he had his first Off Broadway roll this Spring and a feature film in post.
Anyway it is a tough decision for your daugher to make and I wish her the best.
I do believe that her professional resume will open doors if she can achieve better rolls as a kid. More opportunities, but she will have to prove herself each time she auditions.

1. Get a college education, no matter what you plan to do in life.

2.Yes, there are many of us on the casting side of this business who really do read the resumes, sometimes even word for word. We know that the talent is not all that is required....we know that people who can interact, be responsible, and have some knowledge about life are generally going to be much better performers than people who have talent and nothing else.

When dd has auditioned for equity roles, she is often asked about different things on her resume. Same with film auditions. They seem to frequently ask about the coaches/master classes she's taken, esp if they know the instructor. I think a gap year is a wonderful idea but not for everybody.

So, what rates higher?
(Given equal talent, look etc.)
Actual off and off-off B'way work/ NYC based classes OR University?