Student Blog: Staying Artistically Literate On A College Budget

As theater lovers and aspiring industry professionals, staying musically literate is extremely important. You can learn just as much watching live productions as you can in class, not to mention it’s a great way to support your local arts community. However, being a patron of the arts isn’t exactly college-budget friendly, so I’ve compiled a list of ways to support the arts and stay musically literate on a college student budget. 

Local Theater Programs

A great way to support the arts in your community is to find local arts departments. A quick internet search will lead you to your area's elementary, middle, and high schools. Gathering together a group of friends to support school plays and musicals is not only fun, but it’s also meaningful. This is also a great way to see shows you’ve never seen. Supporting local theater departments fosters mentorship, meaningful connection, and is a great way to see shows on a budget. Most school shows offer reasonably priced tickets and even have student discounts.

Community Theater Shows

Community theaters exist everywhere. People of all ages and experience levels love to participate in the arts. Attending and supporting community theater shows is another great way to see shows in your community. Community theater brings together artists of all ages and backgrounds. You can see a production that features a woman who cuts your hair alongside Broadway’s next star in the making. These shows also usually have student discounts or volunteer opportunities for free tickets.

Regional Theaters

Regional theaters feature extremely talented performers and high-quality shows. Sometimes these theaters even premier shows regionally. Seeing a show at one of these theaters will leave your jaw on the floor and will inspire your artistry in a new way. These shows not only have phenomenal performers, but they also have wonderful technical elements. Many of these theaters have rush opportunities similar to those of Broadway theaters, making them affordable for students. Similar to community theaters, these venues also sometimes have volunteer opportunities that allow for discounted tickets.

Gather With Friends

While not attending a show, another way to stay artistically literate is to gather with friends to participate in theater together. Sharing the cost of a Broadway streaming account and gathering to watch shows is a way to connect and discuss theater in your own home. There are many affordable ways to see Broadway and West End productions from your home. Another way to commune is to put on a staged reading with your friends. Dig out an old script and assign everyone a character, then have a fun staged reading with karaoke tracks and improvised dances.

There are endless ways to remain artistically literate on a college budget. The most meaningful part of theater is the community that it builds, and not only are these ways to stay literate, but they are also ways to find the arts community around you. Build a community, stay literate, and improve your craft by seeing shows as much as you can.