Although New Trier’s performing arts community makes up a significant portion of the student body, many of its students opt not to follow this path into college.
“I am one of three girls auditioning for musical theater, a couple are auditioning for straight theater, a couple of others are auditioning for vocal performance programs, and one is applying to directing programs. Having such a large theater community [at New Trier], that number is super low” said senior, Lori Kuzatsky.
This past weekend, dance students began their auditions for dance programs at University of Illinois and University of Michigan, launching the wave of auditions into college performing arts programs. The early and regular audition sign-ups are going on now; however, the regular auditions are expected to start in early February and March. These auditions will determine the course of the students’ careers in the performing arts.
“We get a couple every year. Not being a performing arts high school, many kids are driven by their academics and are looking towards more lucrative careers,” said Christopher Rutt, Dance Coordinator.
Fewer students choose to audition and, therefore, major in the performing arts because of the lifelong commitment that it requires. Students auditioning for performing arts programs are required to also major or minor in performing arts. Unlike students involved in athletics, students auditioning for admission into arts programs are also committing to their careers in this stage of the game. Recruits for athletics are only committing their extra-curricular time to a sport and not their academic time as well.
Most colleges consider the performing arts as an academic pathway as well as a career, instead of an extra-curricular. “Most institutions require that the students are accepted into the university or college before they can be accepted for the performing arts program,” said Music Department Chair David Ladd. For this reason there are no recruiters for the performing arts and the auditions are viewed as more of a supplement to the general admissions to a university or college.
Another reason why more students do not pursue the arts in college is that the arts do not offer the same security as many other careers offer. “There’s this idea out there that a career in the arts is not stable, or that it’s a coin flip. So, even though we have a lot of talented people at New Trier, it is because of the emphasis on having a high paying, guaranteed job right out of college that people are afraid to take what they think is a chance,” said senior Peter Gabrielides. Many students at New Trier seem to want to maintain a certain status and lifestyle and the arts cannot necessarily guarantee that. This is one of the many reasons that students opt not to continue a career in the arts.
This lack of interest in college performing arts allows for numerous scholarships in the field. “Of the people that audition, usually about half receive a scholarship of some sort,” said dance teacher Lucy Riner. Many of the colleges offer scholarships for collegiate performers, who are discovered during the auditions. However, this is possible because most students opt to pursue their more pragmatic interests due to the lack of security in the performing arts.
“There’s no guarantee that you’re going to be successful or happy as a lawyer or a doctor either, but the career path is a little bit clearer,” said theatre teacher Anne James-Noonan, “You could still be a mediocre lawyer and be employed or a mediocre doctor and be employed, but you can’t be a mediocre artist and still be fully employed. And that’s what I think gets to a bunch of kids.”