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.
  
• Real People Working in Entertainment by Jan Goldberg.

Vocational Biographies

Vocational Biographies 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
• 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 — 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