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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Any college not in New York City or Los Angeles (or closely surrounding areas like New Haven) is a waste of time and money.  New York University, University of Southern California, Yale, etc.  All of the rest - as good as they may be - are insulated and give a false security.  Face the big dogs right away and audition and make contacts while you are in college.  [/quote]

Are you actually in the theater/movie business, PP?  Because this post is stunningly ignorant.  There is more than one way to make a living at acting and there are many schools across the country that have excellent programs.  In many cases, talent who stay in regional theaters can work regularly while holding down full time jobs as well.  Know how I know?  Because I live in a city with a regional theater scene and I have friends who are doing it.  And they are not poor, nor do they wait tables or bartend.  They have families and homes and comfortable middle class lives like tons of other people.  Plus they are far more interesting and intelligent and well-read and cultured than you could ever hope to be.

OP, my advice is that you are getting ahead of yourself.  With a ninth grader, try to find some summer programs for your child to participate in.  A 2-4 week residential program away from home is a good test of whether or not your child actually has what it takes to survive in that world, whether or not they have a developed talent at this point.  Encourage your child to audition for shows - even community theater - in your area.  Your child needs some solid experience of what it is like to do a show and be part of a cast before they commit to a major in theater. It is highly competitive and not for the faint of heart.

BTW, I am a former theater (and English - gasp!!) major who left the business.  I now have a master's degree and a well-paying professional job where I manage an entire division and staff.  The skills I learned in theater - confidence, speaking, improvisation - are all skills that serve me well in my current career, where I frequently have to give presentations, speak to people in person and on the phone whom I've never met before, handle curveball questions with grace and navigate difficult people.  People who act like these skills are useless are ignorant and narrow-minded, and their opinions aren't worth much.  [/quote]

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