Top 10 Reasons To Get a Theater Degree
If you want to start a career in the performing arts, an accredited theater degree can be your ticket to success. PennWest California’s bachelor’s degree in theater is one of the only programs in Pennsylvania that is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre.
Our well-rounded program is designed to give you a mix of professional theater training, performance skills and classic liberal arts knowledge. Theater majors from PennWest California go on to a wide-rage of dynamic performing arts positions both on the stage and behind the scenes.
Here are the top 10 reasons to get a theater degree.
1. Diverse Career Options: There is so much more to the performing arts than acting, directing, dancing or designing. From technical roles to working in wardrobe, check out all the amazing jobs you can pursue with a theater degree. Moreover,many careers in theater are showing promising growth. Acting opportunities, particularly those in digital media, are growing faster than in most industries. Performing arts teachers are also in high demand, with job vacancies increasing by more that 36% since 2004.
2. Performance Opportunities: A theater degree program can give you access to amazing performance opportunities. At PennWest California, for example, we boast excellent facilities such as theaters, fully equipped scene and costume shops, and a design lab. As a first-year student and throughout your entire college experience, PennWest California theater majors perform, direct, manage, design and produce plays, musical theater and dance performances on campus. Our program also helps students find many off-campus internships and theater opportunities throughout Pennsylvania and beyond.
3. Comprehensive Theater Training: A good theater degree program provides instruction in a variety of disciplines, including performance, theater history, dramatic literature, design, technology, stage management, theater production and arts management. At PennWest California, we go above and beyond this standard curriculum, as our professors tailor their offerings to provide individualized learning opportunities. As a PennWest California theater major, you'll receive a rigorous education in both the craft and art of the profession, with a firm foundation in the liberal arts. We also offer two specialized theater concentrations: Musical Theater and Design and Entertainment Technology.
4. Community: Of the top 10 reasons to get a theater degree, perhaps this one is the most rewarding. Through performing and collaborating with your peers in a university setting, you’ll become part of a close-knit community of people who are passionate about the performing arts. PennWest California performances, clubs and social gatherings foster camaraderie while emphasizing teamwork, collaboration and discipline.
5. The Opportunity to Work with Top Talent: When you enroll in a theater degree program, you’re signing up to train with some of the top talent in the field. PennWest California professors, for example, are not only accomplished scholars, they are also passionate artists with long histories as professionals. And the program regularly brings in top talent to engage with students as guest speakers and performing artists.
Read on to discover more of the top 10 reasons to get a theater degree.
6. Creative Expression: It is said that creative expression helps us to better understand our world, and to become better at navigating life’s challenges. A bachelor’s degree in theater will teach you how to express yourself more effectively, develop your creativity, and share your vision with your peers and the public.
7. Life Skills: Studying performing arts at a university like PennWest California develops life skills that are immediately applicable in the real world. PennWest California theater majors build confidence and public speaking skills, learn how to collaborate effectively, hone study skills, and develop critical thinking abilities. These are degree benefits that can help you in all areas of your life.
8. Auditioning Practice: Knowing how to interview and audition is one of the most important skills in the performing arts and entertainment industry. Why take a trial-and-error approach when you can get professional guidance? Learn from the experts how to memorize scripts, exude confidence or display your design portfolio to get results. PennWest California’s theater degree program includes extensive auditioning and inerviewing practice, with the feedback you need to make your talents truly shine.
9. Open Up Your World: Studying the performing arts can help you understand people from other cultures and traditions. Also, careers in theater often include lots of travel — both throughout the United States and abroad. For example, PennWest California theater program graduate Mark Rockage ’10 landed a job as a theater technician for Norwegian Cruise Lines that enabled him to live and work in the Mediterranean for six months. Now he’s working his way up in the Disney organization. Where will your theater degree take you?
10. Social Change:Theater enables us to examine and reflect upon society, both as performers and audience members. As you will learn in PennWest California’s degree courses that focus on the history of theater, the performing arts have often played a major role in movements for social change. If you want to make a difference and express your vision of the world, a degree in theater is a great place to start.
Are you inspired by these top 10 reasons to get a theater degree? Take action today, and apply to PennWest California’s bachelor’s degree in theater now!
What Can You Do with a Theater Degree
With degree courses that span everything from stagecraft to voice training to directing, PennWest California theater majors graduate ready to excel.
Musical Theater - Concentration
Discover how you can gain access to private music lessons, top music facilities, and resume boosting musical experiences at PennWest California.
Performance Opportunities at PennWest California
PennWest California has two major theater venues, and countless performing arts clubs. Learn more.
Design and Entertainment Technology
A PennWest California Theater Concentration
Learn about a theater concentration that combines technical expertise with innovation, artistry and creativity to bring productions to life on the stage or screen.