Though some students may pursue a degree because of its economic potential, others say their passions outweigh the lack of job security in their particular field.
When a student’s love for their career choice outweighs their fear of failure, they may be willing to take whatever risk is necessary to pursue that career, said Dominic Pagliaro, a freshman pursuing a BFA in musical theater.
In order to pursue their passion for acting and their dreams of Broadway, theater majors in IU’s Department of Theatre and Drama must endure potential lack of job security upon graduation.
“Ideally, I would still like to make it on Broadway,” Pagliaro said. “I’m sure that’s the goal of everyone in the musical theater department.”
Although most of his family found interests in sports and engineering, Pagliaro said he found himself leaning toward the arts when he was in high school.
When he had to make the decision between sports and theater, Pagliaro said he chose theater because it was something he always looked forward to.
“I was that one kid who kinda always found myself through the arts,” he said.
Although Pagliaro said he still aspires to make it on Broadway, it’s no longer the goal he prioritizes.
He said his love for acting is what really matters to him, so, regardless of where he is and how much he is making, Pagliaro just wants to act.
“I would really be satisfied with doing any kind of on-stage, film, TV work,” Pagliaro said. “As long as I get to act and make a living from it, even though that’s basically all you make.”
Sophia Garofoli, a senior working toward her BFA in theater, said she can’t stress the importance of arts both in education and within the community enough.
Garofoli said she has been acting for 15 years and can’t imagine her life without it.
“It gets me through the bad days and makes the good days better,” she said.
One benefit of being a theater major is the students have formed a close community within their department, Garofoli said.
In most classes, students sit in chairs while listening to lectures, but theater students get to interact with one another when they perform scene work.
“We’re so close,” Garofoli said, “I think it’s because we see each other in emotionally vulnerable states, when we’re doing scene work and in rehearsals.”
Pagliaro said theater is different than other careers because each actor comes from a different background with different experiences, which they use to perform.
Actors tend to have outgoing personalities, which helps the students unite despite their differences, he said.
Although theater students are constantly in competition with one another because they audition for many of the same roles, the close-knit community ensures the competitive nature of the major does not create animosity between students, Garofoli said.
After her graduation this spring Garofoli said she is moving to New York City to pursue her acting career. Although there’s no certainty theater students will be hired right after graduation, Garofoli said that is a risk they must be willing to take.
Although Garofoli and Pagliaro said they realize their major is not as typical as a science-, math- or English-related major, they do it because it’s what they love.
They both said they believe the arts are an important sector in every community because of the positive effect they have on society.
“You need to have people who have all different abilities in order to create a comprehensive, well-rounded society,” Pagliaro said. “I think the arts are something that all people need in some way, shape or form.”
