My parents don't want me to go to a musical school?

K so i understand where my parents are coming from when they say they don't want me to do this because it is going to be hard and they are worried about me making a living . i get it, so im trying to compromise i said i would do a double major with musical theatre and nursing so i can still have a job that will let me act if Broadway doesn't work out. i have the intention of going to new york eventually either after college or for college. but my parents just think this whole musical theatre is a stage and i am going to regret it, they don't understand its my passion and i love it what can i say to them to help them understand, also where are some good colleges that will allow me to get my 'fall back education" also?

My parents don't want me to go to a musical school?ballet theater

You best follow your passion. Tell your folks music is business, too! I have a college degree and got nowhere, but when I got into acting, now I'm getting somewhere. Go where God sends you.

My parents don't want me to go to a musical school?chicago theater opera theaterGo to Music School!!! Report It


There are lots of really good liberal arts schools, which would be the best way to go to get a "fall back". Your parents are worries, and rightly so, even with talent and lots of training (a must if you want to make a living at this), it also take a lot of luck. It is a very hard life, and will be filled with let downs and disapointments. It can also be very rewarding and a hell of a lot of fun. Good luck
If you want to be any kind of actor, you'll need some kind of marketable skills to earn a living when you're not acting. No one -- and that means -no one- -- works full time in the NY theatre for all of their lives.

At some point, you'll be doing temp work or waiting tables or working retail. (There are actors who work regionally and never stop working, but their number is tiny compared to the vast number who aren't working full time.) It's better to have a background in something you enjoy and can do to keep body and soul together when you're not working on stage.

I applaud you for realizing you'll need something to fall back on, and a double major does seem a good compromise, but remember that even if you're staggeringly talented, you'll face a break-in period before people get to know you, and even then, you're not going to work in the theatre full time forever. I know plenty of wonderful actors who can't get arrested and who have to work a "real" job.

By all means, persevere and follow your dream, but stay somewhat clear-eyed, too.