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Juliette M. Cross Math 1030 Final Project

For my Final Project I have chosen to research the success rate of actors who have a theatre/acting degree. In many quick Google checks, theatre/acting degrees are often listed as worthless, it is my intention during this report to either acknowledge this statement or to disapprove it. From my own personal experience, every class that I have walked into has had at least one student that claims that they want to be an actor. I must admit that for quite some time, I was that student, but now my attention is turned more to the production aspect of theatre and show business. However, the amount of actors and actresses wanting to get into the business is still an important factor for me to learn. Using research found from official acting sites such as: Screen Actors Guild (SAG), Actors Equity, Actors Federal Credit Union, and various colleges I will compile the research to discover whether or not a degree in theatre will help an actor/actress come out on top in the Acting World.

Now, when someone says that they want to be an actor/actress, that is a very vague statement. First you must organize all the different types of acting jobs there are: movies, television, commercials, voice acting, theatre, internet media. There are many different types of acting, all with their own sub-categories. Most are divided by gender, age, race and, of course, talent. There is a relatable part to the common real-estate mantra location, location, location, because location plays a huge part in whether or

not you will be hired. According to actress and theatre teacher at Salt Lake Community College, Julie Heaton states that it is important to get your degree if you want to become a Union actor. However, she goes on to say that becoming a Union actor does not necessarily guarantee you roles. In some states it can actually hinder your chances of getting roles. In Chart A (see page 5), you will see that in cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas the number of paying jobs available primarily go to Union workers. Whereas in cities like Chicago and Salt Lake City, there are more acting jobs available to non-Union workers.

This brings us back to the important point of a college education, because that means that only those with a degree can have a good chance at getting a Union card. However, to graduate from college that also means that you have to have gotten into college. In Chart B (see page 5) there are four colleges from the cities mentioned earlier that are Union related. All colleges differ, but these specific colleges all have their own acceptance rates. That isnt to say that no other colleges with higher acceptance rates would not be accepted by the Union for a card, but these just happen to be some of the more prestigious schools in these cities. That means that if you are an actor living in New York City and looking for employment, you need to calculate the chances of getting into a good college + the chances of getting into the Union + the probability of getting a role amongst the many others vying for the exact same thing.

For example, lets say that there are 1000 people in New York City who wants to be an actor/actress from Julliard. If they start from college applications, with an average

of 7.07% chance of getting into Julliard, approximately 71 people would have gotten accepted. If all of those 71 people became Union then that would mean that amongst all of those actors that is 71 605 = 11.735. Which would give 71 actors a chance at about 11 roles each. However, there are definitely going to be actors and actresses from other schools wanting a chance to get said role as well, so the numbers are not as clean as they seem. In New York City alone, there are 34 competing colleges. Now if it were as hard to get into these schools as it was Julliard that would mean multiplying those 71 actors by 34, which gives us 2414. By using the same logic before and assuming that there are still 605 roles available, the equation becomes this: 2414 605 = 3.990. And unless the role is being double cast, you cannot squeeze 4 actors into one role. Which means 3 are out of the job.

Now if 1000 people apply to each of these colleges and only 71 get accepted, that means that 929 were not accepted. If all of these actors were rejected and gave up after applying to the one school the number adds up to 31586. Since these actors did not get through college, the chances that they will get a Union card are slim to none. So they would most likely need to audition for non-Union roles only. That means there are 31586 actors trying to get 490 roles. And just like it is unlikely for 4 actors to share a role, it is even more unlikely for 64 actors to share a role. Therefore, 63 actors/actresses are out of the job.

Now of course, there are always the lucky ones, the ones who didnt get a degree in acting or theatre who have come out one top. You have your Bradley Cooper, Nathan Lane, Jennifer Lawrence! And people should not look at these famous actors as the rule, but as the exception. Because for the most part today, many successful actors and actresses got their degrees first. But by using this logic a college education does seem very important to an actor who wants a successful career. Because then they at least have the window open for becoming a Union actor. This method only works depending on what type of actor they wish to be. If they want to work for big major companies and win an Oscar or a Tony, then yes, a college education would benefit them immensely when it comes to the job market. However, if someone wants to be a casual actor, where they take on jobs as a side gig and work on short films, a college degree in acting may not be the biggest help. If anything it may throw you into a debilitating debt. I wish I could say that there was a perfect mathematical formula or algorithm that could tell someone whether or not they will make it as an actor or actress for sure, but for the time being I can conclude that despite being mocked as one of the most unnecessary degrees a degree in acting/theatre should benefit you as an actor or actress.

Chart A

Chart B
College Acceptance Rates
2008 Julliard UCLA Columbia UNLV 7.58 18.2 15.9 51.8 8.0 20.4 18.31 48.1 2009 5.5 22.0 20.2 49.0 2010 7.2 25.5 19.7 46.2 2012 AVERAGE 7.07 21.53 18.53 48.78

WORKS CITED

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/entertainment-and-sports/actors.htm

http://www.sagaftra.org/content/getting-started-actor-faq

http://www.actorsequity.org

http://www.juilliard.edu/apply-audition/application-audition-requirements/drama-divisionactor-training-program-application

http://www.collegedata.com/

http://www.backstage.com/casting/open-casting-calls/acting-auditions

http://www.colum.edu/Academics/Theater/new-and-transfer-students.php

http://www.ny.com/academia/colleges.html

http://www.tft.ucla.edu/students-admissions/admissions/

http://www.unlv.edu/theatre/undergraduate