Correction
"Here I am at Princeton, the best school in the world," said Will Ellerbe '08, "Why shouldn't I be able to be a dramaturge?" While he came to Princeton with an interest in acting, it wasn't until he took a class with Michael Cadden, director of the program in theater and dance, that he became interested in making a career of researching the historical and cultural setting of a play. Ellerbe's goal illuminates how undergraduates are choosing careers in the arts—and what the University is doing to help them.
Princeton is known for producing top professionals in business, politics and the medical field. But what happens to Princeton performers? If these artistic undergrads choose to pursue performance-related careers, can a Princeton education help them navigate the acting world?
Most students in the theater and dance program don't choose careers in the performing arts. But of those who do want to jump into the acting world, most must stray from traditional techniques of securing a job.
Between five and ten students out of 25 seniors in the program of theater and dance go on to professional careers every year, Cadden said.
These students have a wide range of careers to choose from. Theater and dance students can work as producers, designers, playwrights and actors in either theater or film. Princeton alumni have certainly made their mark in the acting world.
David Zabel '88 has produced episodes for the hit NBC TV show "ER," and he is writing episodes for the show now. With similar success, Jennie Snyder '99 has been a writer for the WB show "Gilmore Girls" and the ABC show "Faith and Hope."
Cadden estimated that, of the students in the theater and dance program who eventually work in the acting world, the majority are producers, with a small minority of actors.
For students as determined as Ellerbe, there are several ways to make dreams come true.
To me, Career Services was totally about people who wanted to be bankers and lawyers," Molly Hickok '82 said, who majored in comparative literature with a certificate in theater and dance. She is now a prominent actress in the off-Broadway sector for the Big Dance theater company. Many students share Hickok's sentiment, but the Career Services office has more to offer than they might think.
Kathleen Mannheimer, Career Services' associate director, pointed to the library in the Career Services office as a resource for students in their job searches. These shelves boast everything from directories of theater training programs and internships to books about the options postgraduate options for art students. While there is no checkout system, students can go to the office to browse the books at their leisure.
The Office of Career Services also encourages students to visit the websites of professional associations and major job and internship listing services. Students can see a list of these sites on the Career services website.
Students looking for jobs in the arts, Mannheimer said, are referred to the Alumni Careers Network. Currently, 19 alumni have listed "performing arts" as their field of work on the Alumni Careers Network. (By contrast, 80 alumni have listed identified finance — and more specifically, investment banking — as their field of work.)
"These alumni volunteer to give advice to students and alumni and can serve as a networking tool for information about internships and full-time positions, as well as general information about the field," Mannheimer said.
Still, most students say the bulk of the advice they get about the job search is from elsewhere — especially professors.
One benefit to studying the arts at Princeton is the individual attention students receive from the faculty. With relatively few students getting certificates in the arts, campus artists have greater access to faculty than they would at a conservatory.
Ronee Penoi '07, who is pursuing a certificate in theater and dance, spent the second semester of her junior year in England, but she still needed to complete her application to do a thesis production. A professor who happened to be in London at the time met her in the lobby of the National Theatre in London, where she did her interview. He also made recommendations about what shows to see while she was there.
"It was a point of comfort to be able to have my professor from home buy me a cup of coffee and chat with me," Penoi said. "I really felt like I had someone in my corner."
Unlike more traditional art schools, students in the University's theater and dance program get the benefit of professionally designed theaters and studios. Both faculty and students complimented the program for its support of many seniors' shows and performances.
Ellerbe, who is in the process of applying to do a thesis show, said this aspect of the program is something that drew him to Princeton in the first place. "I was so impressed that Princeton gave their undergrads so much money and resources," he said.
Besides the thesis show, students can get real experience in different aspects of the theater world through internships at the McCarter Theatre. There are several internships available that allow students to explore theater from the developmental side to the artistic direction of the show. Students can apply through TigerTracks.
Students in the performing arts benefit from the broad liberal education at Princeton more than if they narrowed their focus to a major in theater at a traditional acting school, said alumni, professors, and students.
"A lot of people say that you make art with your brain, not your hand," Anne McCauley, the David Hunter McAlpin Professor of the History of Photography said. "If what you are saying is not interesting, your art is going to be uninteresting."
Though a career in theater can be intimidating, it seems that Princeton can still prepare students for the challenge.
Correction
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Jennie Snyder was a member of the Class of 1988. She is actually a member of the Class of 1999.
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