fathom
friday, april 25, 1980
Broadway lights entice some from academia
pogoG
By Pam George
The lure of sparkling city lights and the dream of
stardom tugs many prospective actors and actresses to
the crowded and competitive streets of New York City.
Or Los Angeles. Or even Kansas City.
The choice of the city depends on the individual,
who packs a suitcase full of dreams and belongings, but
often leaves behind thoughts of obtaining a college
diploma.
Many students in theater arts choose to practice
their craft in the professional world, while others dili
gently study the elements of theater in college.
Tice Miller, professor and graduate adviser for UNL
theater arts, said he believes a degree is extremely im
portant. "It would be tough to say that the college degree
makes a difference, but some students are finding out
they need it before even getting in the door" Miller said.
He said he rarely advises students to quit school to
pursue their career, because "sooner or later not having
it (a bachelor's degree) catches up with them.
Miller agreed the exception would be a student who
was not doing well in school, but had acting ability.
Then it would be better to get away for a while, and
then come back, he said.
One such "exception' was Ann Sandin, 20, a student
who left UNL for a full school year to live in New York
City. .
Sandin said the thrill of being in New York was
counter balanced with disappointments.
It was where I wanted to be," she said, "but the
money situation was impossible."
Sandin worked as a sales clerk to support herself, and
found little time or money to take acting classes.
Miller said most young people who must earn a living
while pursing a career encounter this problem.
"While in school they are free to work in many pro
ductions, but out in the world, they end up spending
most of their time working as a waiter, or something,"
he said.
Sandin said she moved to New York because she was
tired of school and not really working toward a goal.
But now that she is back in school, her interests have
expanded. "Now I really enjoy it," she said, "and I am
shooting for the full degree, not just taking acting classes."
The experience was a good one, she concluded, be
cause it enabled her to "get my mind together."
Another former student, John Thew, 20, still lives
in New York City after attending UNL for two years.
He works as a cocktail waiter, and has scheduled an
audition in several weeks with an acting teacher.
Thew's basic reason for leaving school was "I have
always done things my way. And I wanted to try New
York, no matter what."
Thew said competition is severe, but he has made
many contacts with producers and agents during the eight
months he has lived there.
"It's just a matter of time, now, keeping in touch
with them to be sure they know I am available for work,"
he said.
Not having a degree in theater arts doesn't bother
him, Thew said, and his plans do not include returning
to school.
"In the professional theater some people would prefer
someone who has had a college education," he said.
But then many don't care. They just want to know you
are in touch with yourself."
Kathy Saylor, stage manager for the Nebraska Re
pertoire Theater Children's Company, has stayed in
Lincoln since beginning her study of the theater at UNL.
"Lincoln is highly competitive just like anywhere
else," she said, "but leaving or staying in school is an
individual decision."
Saylor said that requirements are difficult for those
students who just want to act. But, she said, the
opportunities available to aspiring performers are "fan
tastic" when in a university situation.
For example, the Nebraska Masques will sponsor a
New York City agent April 26, who will explain techni
ques in commercial auditions, radio auditions, acquiring
living accommodations, and other aspects of working in
theater that a student should know, Saylor said.
Miller agreed the benefits of being in school should
keep many students from following a path to elusive
bright lights until after graduation.
"But for some students the theater is just in their
mind," he said. "So they often need a chance to actually
work and scrape, to make it a reality."
By Mary Fastenau
They call them nontraditional even though they take
traditional classes, study in traditional ways and graduate
with degrees just like everyone else.
The only thing that separates them from every other
student is that they acknowledged a change in "what they
wanted to be when they grew up" after they were grown
up.
Richard Rowland changed his mind after retiring from
the Army Corps of Engineers and 33 years of work as an
engineer. At age "56 years young" he decided he wanted
to study law for the rest of his life, instead of choosing
the traditional route and playing golf during his retire
ment years.
Rowland said his family and friends have supported his
decision, although a few don't understand.
'They tell me, you could play golf the rest of your life,
are you crazy?" he said.
His decision to return to school was made after years
of working with lawyers since "everyone liked to sue us,".
Rowland explained with a laugh.
lie thinks that he will specialize in water resources and
will have to set up a private practice.
"I'm going to hang out the shingle and say, 'Hey world,
herelam!'" ' , . , , L
The hardest part of returning to school has been
planning his evenings for studying instead of other activit
ies, according to Rowland.
"All of a sudden I had to spend three to four hours
studying. It took a couple of weeks to get into that frame
of mind," he admitted.
The Socratic method of teaching has also raised a few
problems, Rowland described this as when instructors
"badger you to death to get all the details out and are
always asking why." He said adjusting to that method of
teaching is a problem for most freshman law students, no
matter what they have done or studied previously.
He has had no problems with the other "traditional
students." Rowland said he joined one of the legal
fraternities and has enjoyed that experience.
Although he admitted there may be some disadvant
ages to returning to school, he said he doesn't have the
distractions other students might have.
"I got a lot of that stuff out of the way a long time
ago," Rowland said, punctuating his observation with
laughter.
"I guess I've never really been conscious of age. That
just hasn't been a hang-up."
Although he decided to change careers, he didn't
change addresses and commutes from Omaha with three
other law students. He said he enjoys that and it gives him
an extra two hours of study time.
Gay Crosier is also a commuting law student but her
home is in Geneva. Crosier didn't wait until retirement to
go back to law school she made her decision four years
after graduation.
"After I'd been out of school four years, I looked at
what I was doing and where I was going and I wasnt that
happy in the job I was in," she said.
Crosier explained that she had worked in the area of
human services serving as coordinator of what is now Hot
line for the Handicapped and as a consultant and a social
service worker for several counties.
The 25-year-old said her decision to come back to
school was a gradual one. She said she had considered it
early in her undergraduate work but then had abandoned
the idea after hearing all of the "horror stories."
Although no one was vocal in opposition to her
decision, she said that initially her husband was the only
one who "truly supported" her.
The mother of a 3-year-old son, she said people were
afraid that she would become so involved in school, she
would ignore her home and family.
"When they saw that my home and family weren'l
falling apart they became very supportive," Crosiei
said.
Not abandoning her role as a parent, she said she does
not study at home. She says she will stay in Lincoln
with her husband's parents if she has a lot of homework
Her experience outside, the academic world has helped
focus her current educational experiences, Crosiei
explained.
"Having been out of school for awhile and out in the
job market helps."
She worried about "sticking out when she came back
to campus because she had received her undergraduate
degree at Nebraska Wesleyan University where there are
few nontraditional students but that hasn't been a
problem.
After graduation, she said she will take a job anywhere
and hope that she can support her husband, a teacher,
when he goes back to earn his doctorate.
they are grouped together as nontraditional students,
but Rowland, Crosier and other people who have changed
their minds about "what they want to do when they
grow up" after they grow up, say that they have no re
grets about their change in career plans when experiences
outside the academic world have given a new focus to
their study.