This question is easy to answer if you are thinking of theater as a lifetime profession. But what about students who are thinking of a completely different professional path? Here are comments from alumni who are working in various fields:
I consider the rigorous theatre courses I took at ISM to be among the most challenging, revelatory and inspiring academic experiences I’ve ever had. A lively and vibrant instruction in theatre not only instills a confidence that cannot be learned in more traditional classroom situations, but it also teaches students to understand multiple points of view and to be more aware of their own perspectives. My instruction at ISM made me a better critical thinker, and a far more capable communicator. Since graduating I’ve worked as a consultant at the US State Department, overseeing an international staff of 80 individuals, and I’m currently editor in chief of a nationally distributed magazine. My theatre courses at ISM played no small part in this. Alexander Yates, Class of 2000, Novelist, Author of Moondogs
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A fundamental part of theatre is discipline. It has instilled in me the importance of time managment, attention to detail, and communication. These abilities/skills have proven to be great training for my profession, where deadlines are tight, detail is essential, and interaction with clients and directors is constant. Angela Padilla, Class of 2001, Marketing Manager
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Many people have written about a world in which we have a booming intellectual economy. Students who are in a position to choose IB theatre are being groomed for that kind of work. In an intellectual economy the best thing we have to sell are our ideas. Right now very few people are taught how. The people who get it best, the ones who are the most persuasive, the ones who understand body language and how to draw the focus of an audience – those are the people who study theatre. IB theatre is the only place a teacher is given adequate time to help individual students learn the things they will need to develop their own style and understand how to communicate. Learning the art of communication won’t happen over the course of four-hour corporate workshop but over the course of a career. IB theatre provides a two-year head start. No matter what field of work you do, you will see – the best idea doesn’t always win, but the winning ideas are always presented best. – Emily Bennett, Class of 2001, Digital Strategist at Arnold Worldwide
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I initially signed up for IB-Theatre with the intention of becoming a professional actor. Although I ended up on a very different path, my experience with IB-Theatre taught me three key skills that I’ve used consistently throughout my young career.
The ability to think on your feet and improvise. More often than not, your PowerPoint won’t load or you’ll be asked a question you didn’t anticipate. In theatre, almost every aspect of the show is pre-planned yet no two shows are alike. It was through these experiences that I learned to be comfortable with ambiguity and adapt based on the circumstances I’m given.
How to communicate effectively. If the audience cannot understand you, there is not much point to you being on stage. Through IB-Theater, I worked on articulation, projection, and communicating through physicality and body language. So far I’ve learned that most people are influenced not by what you say, but how you say it.
How to be an actor. When I first began interviewing for full-time jobs, I had a lot of insecurity because I was a psychology major trying to make it in the big business world. I decided to create a character for myself that I would play while going on interviews. I imagined this character to be an incredibly confident college graduate seeking a well-paying and gratifying position in business. My interviews were very successful.
With most of my academic life now behind me, I can say with absolute certainty that IB-Theatre is one of the few classes I took that really mattered in shaping the person I ultimately became. – Alexander de Leon, Class of 2006, Strategic Account Manager at Google
Tami Monsod
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