Doing it by the book?

Education is not the only way to get into theatre, but it is an increasingly common route. When we started interviewing all our cool dudes who work in the industry, it soon became clear that the older ones (the over-35s) had often just stumbled into working in theatre, whilst anyone younger tended to have qualifications. So sorry folks, it looks like you might have to do a bit of study.

Management

We found that people working in jobs like theatre education, marketing and as general managers, producers and directors often had degrees. The majority were in English, history and other humanities, but we spoke to one director who had a physics degree and it certainly hadn’t closed any doors for him.

Technical and creative

The younger stage managers, techies and designers usually had specific qualifications linked to what they do–some degree-based and some not. Again, it looks like the days of learning on the job could be numbered, with qualifications becoming more and more important.

The bigger picture

Bear in mind that doing a course not only means gaining a qualification (which will get the parents off your back), but will also give you the opportunity to meet other like-minded people and to take part in extra-curricular activities at your college or university. For many, it is the people they meet or the stuff they do in their spare time that sets them up in their first job. (I don’t think I’d be writing this now if it wasn’t for the late nights spent on my university newspaper)