BWW Blog: How to Get Involved With the Theatre Department as a Business Student

Hi, friends! My name is Alison and I am a senior at Columbia College Chicago, majoring in Live & Performing Arts Management and minoring in Public Relations. I am a student in the Business & Entrepreneurship department, therefore, none of my classes are a part of the Theatre department, even though my career goal is focused in producing for theatre. This being said, I'm always wondering, "How can I get more involved with the theatre department and how can I make friends that share the same interests as I do?" There are many solutions to this question.

As the first week of the spring semester has come to an end and week two is underway, I have finally been to all of my classes, witnessed a few familiar faces, and went through all of the first day of class introductions. One fun thing about college is electives - I meet students of all degrees in my classes, both business students and theatre students. As theatre students take business electives, there are theatre classes that students in other departments can take as well, as long as you have taken the many prerequisites that come along with them. Last year I took an elective called Events Management Practicum: Theatre. The whole purpose of the class was that each student was to play the role of a producer, select plays submitted by playwriting students, find directors and actors, then produce a series of staged readings during the last few weeks of the semester and post advertisements in each school building. So far, that class is what best introduced me to the theatre department and students involved. Not only did business students get real work, but theatre and playwriting students did too, and it was a great opportunity for collaboration.

As college students, we are the ones who are being trained and will be released to deliver our new ideas and creativity to the world. We are the future theatre makers. That being said, we very well may end up working with some of the people we went to school with. Since I want to go into producing and casting, I find that attending my school's theatre productions and showcases and taking notes (yes, I actually take a notepad and pen with me) to be good practice for what I want to do in my career. I interned at Victory Gardens Theater as the Producing & Casting Intern and this was the same tactic we used while attending showcases and productions around Chicago to find new talent. The whole point of doing this is to make note of people that stand out and have a certain uniqueness to them. That's not only for actors - the stage direction, set design, and stage management are what also bring a production to life. Both actors and the creative teams are what producers need to pay attention to.

Since I never have a real reason to go to The Getz Theatre, besides attending the school shows as an audience member, it's hard for me to know what really goes on in the department. Because of this, I now make it a priority to go into the theatre building at least one a week to check out the fliers on the bulletin boards of each floor and talk to theatre students that are hanging out between classes and rehearsals. There are so many awesome opportunities posted on the boards that aren't listed on the theatre department website, plus word-of-mouth is one of the best ways to discover new things!

All in all, talking to people, collaborating, and going to events are a few of the best ways to get involved in your school's theatre department. I'm still trying to find new ways of getting involved, therefore, I find keeping my eyes and mind open to opportunities to be an essential part of the search. I'm even going to email my advisor and see if he knows of any other cool ways for me to participate in theatre events. School is meant for students to try out new things and explore all possibilities, so have fun! It's your time to shine.

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