Minotaur Column: Why even bother?

Do you have a backup plan for when the acting doesn’t work out? Are there actually any jobs for that? Aren’t you just going to become an English teacher? And, finally, so what do you actually…do?

Credit: UEA Drama Studio

I have the answers ready and rehearsed, down to each pause and breath. It’s not intentional, I’ve just been asked them so many times that it becomes routine. (Note to self: can I disguise ‘learns lines quickly’ as a transferrable skill? Careers centres love transferrable skills.)

Yes, I have a backup for ‘when’ the acting doesn’t work out. In fact, I’m not even wholly convinced I want to act professionally. I want to work in the theatre, or film, or TV…but probably behind the scenes. For now, I’m happy to learn as much as I can and get involved with all aspects of bringing a story to life on stage. After all, isn’t that what people come to university for? To learn, and learn intensely, everything they can about a subject that they love?

And…no. There are no jobs. It’s a competitive field. But before you ask why on earth I would choose such a risky business…I say, look at everyone else. Look to bankers, accountants, and business people working mysteriously in cities. Ten years ago, these were stable and financially rewarding careers. Now, things are less clear. People have lost trust when it comes to money. Frauds and scandals are reported near-daily. The theatre – story-telling – is universal and immortal. However I have to scrape by to make a living, I know I can count on that. It’s home to so many creative and talented people.

To those who say all Drama students will eventually become bitter teachers pushing their students towards a goal they never reached, I say that’s cynical. I have had some truly inspiring and wonderful teachers in Drama and English, and I would be proud to join their ranks.

As for what I do… that takes some explaining, especially when it’s week 12 and you’re sat in the kitchen painting a papier-mâché mask for your final assessment, your flat mates struggling home after six hours in the lab or with three books full of Economics to memorize. Honestly, though, it’s not as bad as that may make us look.

We study the craft of theatre. We read, discuss, and write about plays and theorists and practitioners. We write our own works and hope to one day see them performed. The course is a great mixture of practical, academic, and self-taught. We’re all members of a theatre company already – Minotaur. And may I take this opportunity to remind you all to come see our shows. They’re really good, honest.

What it really comes down to is this: I can think of no place I’d rather be. Three years of immersive education and training, living and breathing the world that I fell in love with at age four whilst staring in wonder at a production of Sleeping Beauty at our local theatre? I wouldn’t miss it for the world.