Beyond Highschool:
Building a future on the stage

Whether they have dreams of a professional career or a lifelong passion & hobby, it is often difficult for teenagers to get beyond the one highschool production a year.

When I was in highschool, we had a very developed theatre program that did not offer any musical theatre experiences. Since I had been a dancer from a young age, I was "typed" as a dancer and had difficulty being taken seriously. I had to look outside the school for performance opportunities.

Even if your school is providing you with the experiences you desire, you won't be in highschool forever. If you plan to pursue theatre professionally or otherwise after highschool, there are some things you can do now.

1. Break into community theatre.
   Performing with adults is a much more valuable training experience if you are looking forward to a professional career. We can often get a warped view of our own talent when we are only performing with people our own age. You can also make some very valuable contacts in community theatre.
   
2. Don't limit yourself to shows.
   There are many different ways that you can gain experience. When you are young, you naturally have not had the time to build the range of experiences that someone older would have. If you are planning to apply for post-secondary education in a performance field, the longer your resume the better. Full-length shows are fun and valuable, but they are also time consuming and limited in number. Don't pass up chances for concerts, coffeehouses, variety shows... you get the point.
   
3. Build your repertoire.
   If you are planning on auditioning for a university or college program, you will need to have a range of pieces to choose from. Remember also, that for a successful audition you should never use a new piece. So what to do? Listen and read everything you can, make a list of potential pieces, learn them, and perform them anywhere you can. You can never start this process to early.
   
4. Learn everything you can.
   Highschool is a wonderful time to learn new skills while you are still under your parents' roof and don't have to deal with so many pressures of college and/or the real world. If you can find the time and the resources, do what you can for that "special skills" section. Also, read every book and watch every movie you can on musical theatre. You know, in all that extra time you have. :)

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