What I Wish I Learned in My Theatre Program

Dean College

by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder

Don’t get me wrong — I’m deeply grateful for my theatre training. It gave me tools I still use every single day. Public speaking? Comes from years of voice and speech classes. The ability to command a room? Directly tied to learning presence on stage. Collaboration, time management, listening, handling feedback — theatre prepared me for all of that.

But if I’m being honest, there are a handful of things I really wish had been part of the program. Some stuff I had to learn the hard way. Some I didn’t even realize I needed until years later. So here’s a short list — not a rant, just a reflection — on what I wish had been covered in my theatre education.

How to Actually Talk About What We Do

Theatre students are often taught to be humble. Vulnerable. Collaborative. All good things — but not super helpful when you’re trying to explain your value in a job interview or professional setting. I wish we’d been taught how to translate what we do into language people outside the arts understand. Like yes, “I played Hamlet” is great — but what skills did that build? What did you learn about leadership, focus, communication? Those are the things that matter off-stage too.

The Business Side of Being an Artist

I wish we’d had even one class on the financial realities of working in the arts. Taxes, contracts, how to price your time, what it means to freelance, how unions work, or even just how to negotiate. The arts are full of people who love their craft but don’t know their worth — and that’s a problem. If we want artists to thrive, we’ve got to talk about money.

Life After the Stage

I don’t remember anyone ever saying it was okay to not pursue a performance career. The whole system felt designed around one very narrow goal: be an actor, go to auditions, hope for the best. But there are so many other paths that still let you use your theatre brain — creative direction, brand storytelling, experience design, education, community engagement, consulting… the list goes on. I just wish that had been part of the conversation earlier.

Building Community, Not Just a Network

There’s a difference between networking and community-building. Networking often feels transactional. But real community — the kind where people look out for each other, recommend each other, collaborate across time and space — that’s something special. I wish we’d spent more time in school thinking about how to nurture those kinds of relationships. Because let’s be honest: most opportunities come from people, not postings.

Your Degree Is a Launchpad, Not a Limitation

Maybe the biggest thing I wish someone had told me: your degree doesn’t lock you into a single identity. You can love theatre and still pivot. You can apply what you learned in spaces that don’t look anything like a black box or a rehearsal hall. That training — the instincts, the empathy, the creativity — it travels with you.

I’ll always be grateful for the foundation theatre gave me. But if we’re going to keep evolving how we teach the next generation of artists, we’ve got to think beyond just performance. We’ve got to prepare students for a world where storytelling, presence, and collaboration are needed everywhere — not just on stage.