What Can I do With a Degree in Theater Arts?

Career Center Library Resources

• 100 Best Careers in Entertainment by Shelly Field
• Breaking & Entering: Land Your First Job in Film Production by April Fitzsimmons.
• Career Opportunities in Television, Cable, Video, and Multimedia, fourth edition, by Maxine K. Reed and Rober M. Reed.
  
• Career Opportunities in Theater and the Performing Arts, second edition by Shelly Field.
• Careers for Film Buffs & Other Hollywood Types by Jaq Greenspon.
  
• Great Jobs for Theater Majors by Jan Goldberg.
• Real People Working in Entertainment by Jan Goldberg.

Vocational Biographies

Vocational Biographies (http://www.vocbiosonline.com/login.php) describes the career success stories of 1001 real people. Search by career title, keyword, topic, and career cluster. Username: portland su and pass code: 3w9n.

• Actor
  
• Children's Theater Artistic/Executive Director
  
• Commercials Actor
  
• Costume Director
  
• Film Editor
  
• Sound Editor/Foley Artist
  
• Stage Technician Training Coordinator
  
• Stunt Coordinator/Performer
  
• Theater Dresser
  
• Theater Set/Display Builder
  
• Voice-Over Actor
  

Sites with Career-Related Information for Theater Arts Majors

• A Career Guide for Theatre Arts Majors — From Fine Arts Career Services at the University of Texas at Austin.
• Career Opportunities for Majors in Theater Arts — From Career Services, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
• Career Options for Theatre Arts Majors — From the Theatre Arts Department at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Includes list of theatre arts-related careers UW-Parkside theatre majors have chosen. Includes list of non-theatre careers that theater arts majors have chosen. See also Marketable Skills of Theatre Majors.
• Careers in Acting and Design/Technical Theatre — From the Theater Arts Department at Christopher Newport University, Newport News, Virginia
• Opportunities in Theatre and Entertainment — From the School of Theatre at Illinois State. Includes opportunities in Theatre and Entertainment and Career Resources for Theatre Majors.
  
• Possible Career Titles for Theater Majors — From the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina.
• Theater: What Can I Do With this Major? — Outlines common career areas, identifies typical employers, and suggests general strategies to enhance employability. From Career Services at the University of Tennessee.
• Theatre and Speech Majors — From Career Services, Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina.
• Theatre Arts and Communication — From Career Services and Whittier College, Whittier, California.
  
• Theatre Production — From the Career Services Center at the University of Delaware.
• What Can I do With a Major in...Theatre Arts? — From the Career Services Office at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, North Carolina.
  
• What Can I do With a Major in Theatre Arts? — From Career Services at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
  

Sites with Job Search Resources for Theater Arts Majors

• Job Openings, Auditions — From the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC).
• Employment, Internship, and Volunteer Listings (Current) and Opportunities (Ongoing) — From the Artist Trust, "a not-for-profit organization dedicated exclusively to supporting Washington State artists working in all creative disciplines."
• Casting Call — From Actors Equity Association (AEA).
  
• Classifieds — From the United States Institute for Theater Technology (USITT). Includes many academic postings and also jobs with opera companies, cities, and private companies.
  

Professional Associations

• Actors Equity Association (AEA) — AEA "is the labor union that represents more than 45,000 Actors and Stage Managers in the United States."
• American Alliance for Theater and Education (AATE) — "...connects educators, artists, researchers, scholars and administrators, and provides opportunities for members to learn from each other, exchange and diversify their practices, their audiences, and their perspectives."
  
• American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) — "The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) is a national labor union representing over 70,000 performers, journalists and other artists working in the entertainment and news media."
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)
• Screen Actors Guild (SAG) — SAG is a labor union that "represents nearly 120,000 actors in film, television, industrials, commercials and music videos."
• Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SSDC) — "The Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SSDC) is a national independent labor union representing members throughout the United States and abroad."
• United Scenic Artists — Represents designers and scenic artists.
  
• United States Institute for Theater Technology (USITT)
  

Oregon/Washington Theater Companies

Additional Resources

• Backstage — Trade paper and career advice for actors
• Dear Dori — Virtual advice for actors
• Oregon Film and Video Office
  
• Oregon Media Production Association — Provides "forums for networking and professional development." The Source: Oregon's Media Production Directory
• Playbill
• Princeton Review, The — Career Profiles: Actor
  
• WWW Virtual Library Theatre and Drama — Pointers and resources for actors
• Theatre Resources — Artslynx International Arts Resources

• Casting Notices in Oregon
• • Portland Area Theatre Alliance (PATA)
    
  • NWTheatre.com
    
  • Oregonian Call Board, The
    

• Need an Agent?
• • Oregon Media Production Directory (OMPA) — Provides talent and casting agency listings
    

Department of Theater Arts - Portland State University