Drama & Theatre Studies

Frank3142

Hi,
I am doing my Leaving Cert at the moment and i have an interest in this course. I was just wondering if anyone could tell me anything about it. I am thinking of doing it through the TSM with German? Could anyone tell me more about it either as a single degree or TSM. Also what does the questionnaire and interview entail?
Thank you for your help!

Fo Real

Go for it. Fantastic job prospects await you when you finish your degree. Employers will be salivating when they hear you acted in school plays. Don't waste your time with a trivial course in something practical like accounting.

languagenerd

Ignore the person above me, all their posts are like that.

I don't do Drama & Theatre Studies, but a lot of people in my French class do it as their other subject. It was pretty intense in the 2nd year (they missed a good few French classes while rehearsing a play) but they all seem to love it. As for German - go for it, the language facilities etc. are really good

Lawliet

Fo Real wrote: »

Go for it. Fantastic job prospects await you when you finish your degree. Employers will be salivating when they hear you acted in school plays. Don't waste your time with a trivial course in something practical like accounting.

Yeah, god why do something you're passionate about when you could get a job that will lead you to waking up at age forty with the bitter realization that you've have wasted your life.

Troll in the dungeon etc.

Fo Real

@Lawliet: It's easy to say do what you're passionate about, but how is the OP going to pay the rent and buy food after he has graduated with a piece of paper saying he has a degree in theatre studies? He won't be qualified for anything.

"Follow your dreams" in airy fairy hippy talk from people who have never had to look for a job. I'll pay attention to graduates of theatre studies if they want to make a contribution to the thread, but I'm going to ignore the two naive replies above me who are still trapped within the college bubble.

Fo Real

Fo Real wrote: »

@Lawliet: It's easy to say do what your passionate about, but how is the OP going to pay the rent and buy food after he has graduated with a piece of paper saying he has a degree in theatre studies? He won't be qualified for anything.

"Follow your dreams" in airy fairy hippy talk from people who have never had to look for a job. I'll pay attention to graduates of theatre studies if they want to make a contribution to the thread, but I'm going to ignore the two naive replies above me.

I think you're missing how it is a good idea to do a degree in drama and theatre in Ireland should you wish to work in theatre in Ireland. Like my fiancée, for example, who has been working pretty non-stop in Stage Management since 2007 when she graduated from the course in Trinity. And by the way, she can easily pay the rent and afford to buy food.

I'm sure the same could be said of me, who has a degree in Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering. There are 'fantastic' job prospects in this field right now. Should everyone be advised to become accountants?

OP, I'll see if I can get a response for you, albeit 5 years out of date.

SMDee

Hi there

Just thought I'd throw my two cents in as someone who has a piece of paper saying that I have a degree in Drama & Theatre Studies. It's actually an honours degree which I got after four years of hard work and at the end of it all I love my job and work in an area that is constantly changing and evolving.

Yes working in theatre is tough and there isn't always work but people I went to college with who were studying computers and "guaranteed" jobs are now under the long term unemployed category. There is no such thing as a "safe" job anymore. I think when someone asks for advice there is no point in being negative for the sake of being negative, especially if you don't appear to have a clue about what you are talking about.

Now to the main question, Drama & Theatre Studies in Trinity. I did Drama & Theatre Studies in Trinity 5 years ago. I started off as a TSM and did it with Sociology but Drama was my main love and so I spent the whole of first year trying to transfer into Single Honours Drama. I managed to convince them by the start of second year and had to do some catch up courses. The course used to be less practical in first and second year but in my third and fourth year there they started to phase in changes and it is quite a bit more practical now. For example you might spend a 6 week segment studying Stanislavski with a 50min lecture and a 2 hour practical class exploring the technique. That's a very wishy washy example but it is good and really interesting and a much better way of learning about Theatre theory than just sitting in a lecture room for hours on end.

As languagenerd mentioned there is a show in second year which you have to perform in. I managed to get out of it as my class was really big and they needed a stage manager. It's a really good experience and your class really pull together as a group. It's usually performed in the Samuel Beckett Theatre in the summer term. I know that it can be difficult for TSM students juggling rehearsals and their other subject but everyone has survived so far and if you talk to your class rep and lecturers in advance something can always be worked out. You won't be the only one in this situation. In my second year we also went to Athens for a week to study Greek theatre. It was amazing!

In third and fourth year you get to pick almost all of your subjects so if you are interested in set design or directing or playwriting or more theoretical subjects you can focus on these. I was more interested in the practical side of making theatre so I focussed on directing, stage management, theatre management and performance & technology. I loved my third and fourth year and got to direct a play in the Samuel Beckett Theatre in my final year. A really good way to discover what areas you are interested in is to get involved in Players, the drama society but make sure you don't spend all your time there and not in lectures and the library. The way I got my place in Single Honours was through someone failing first year because they spent too much time in Players and didn't hand in any essays.

So what have I gotten from my degree? While I was in college I worked in the box office in the Beckett Centre and Players. This led to me working for the Dublin Theatre Festival, the Lambert Puppet Theatre, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and doing consultancy work for The Cat Laughs Festival. I've been on tour with shows around the country and spent six weeks at the Edinburgh Fringe with a show, I've worked with Victoria Smurfit, Pauline McLynn, Gary Cook, Aaron Monaghan, Rory Nolan and hundreds of other actors. I currently work for the Abbey Theatre as a Stage Manager. I love my job, even when I am having a bad day there is nothing else I'd prefer to do. I am so glad that I followed my dreams and was allowed to do so and supported by my family and friends. I've never had a problem paying my rent and the people I was in college with have gone on to be performers, playwrights, directors, lighting designers, teachers and lecturers. I don't believe any of them are having problems with their rent either.

Frank, I will PM you my email address and if you want you can contact me about the interview and questionnaire. They aren't something to be scared of at all, you just need to be yourself I don't know anything about languages in TCD but I've heard that the facilities are great and I'm sure languagenerd could give you further advice if you want. Good luck with the CAO and the big LC. Remember it is just an exam and will be over this time next year!

Frank3142

Thanks for all your replies everyone they were really helpful, SMDee I PM'ed you it would be great if you could get back to me. thank you