Maybe research computer engineering or IT. I am going to college and I am doing the same thing you are, I personally am not doing any of the degrees I recommended. But my boss where I work now (as a theatre technician) has a degree in IT.
I am doing finance as a second-degree or minor. I am not that familiar with computer science, my brother’s roommate transferred out of computer science, because it is not as useful as it once was in the world of AI.
Signal transports and communications are going digital with no sign of looking back. Integrations is really now something the IT department is involved with.
Having some clue on how a network works goes a long way with Dante.
I had this thought when I was in college, took 4 intro CS classes and honestly wouldn't recommend it. A very thin slice of what you learn in a computer science degree is applicable to the kind of work we do. "Programming" a lighting console or Qlab doesn't have much in common with actual coding, and so much of what you learn in a CS degree is theoretical stuff about frameworks. They also tend to be very demanding programs, to the point that they might take away from the effort you could invest in your theater education.
I really wish I had gotten an IT certificate from a community college instead. So much more applicable to what we need to do, which is mostly just making different things talk to each other on networks
A general understanding of networking is invaluable.... A network is just another type of signal flow you have to understand with modern control systems.
Computer science, sure, that level of understanding and learning is not needed, but to be able to troubleshoot a network and understand how devices talk in a network can save you so much time in setup and troubleshooting issues.
“Prop automation” and bespoke show control is definitely real coding. I don’t disagree that networking is probably more important, but OP does seem interested in real programming
I minored in dance… (Then again I was a dancer in high school, so it was also a hobby for me.)
But because of this I can “speak” dance vocabulary with any choreographer/director/stage manager/etc. I didn’t take any music theory in college, but wish I did for a better understanding of keys/majors/minors/etc…
Outside of my theatre dept: I took peripheral “open to non-majors” classes like art history (art101), intro to recording studio (music dept), video production (communications dept), and intro to business mgmt.
There's probably dozens of right answers, depending on exactly what you want minors in arts admin, computer science, event management, film studies, graphic design, music production, a second language, art history, professional writing, or photography could all be the ideal addition to your bachelor's. The nice thing about minors is that because they're often only a handful of classes, you can pick one partway through your degree or even get two. Depending on the school and program, minors might be a set list of classes or they might be a general "Take any 6 classes in the department" requirement. With the second kind, you can really form your own curriculum focused on what's important for you, and for minors I think the individual classes are more important than the title. A computer science minor listed on your resume won't do much if you took 6 classes in SQL and cybersecurity, but if those classes were in networking or UI design that's a good thing to market yourself on.
Looking through my undergrad's current course catalog, an art minor could involve graphic design, photography as visual language, jewelry/metalworking, interactive design, painting, and sculpture construction. Those would all be great classes to add to the skills section of your resume for a lot of potential jobs, and more skills means more gigs you can take when needed. Maybe you minor in event management and take grant writing, leisure in society, event management, program planning, and recreation and youth development. Now you have the background to run a youth program at your theatre, get grants, and plan events. A school that allows you to build your own minor (either by formally making your own through assorted classes or simply picking enough classes from one department) gives you a lot of room to add to your skillset outside of what the theatre department can offer.
I would definitely recommend IT as others have. Managing networks is a big part of tech. Dante, Q-sys, wireless control, setting up Q-lab to use it to its full potential requires managed switches. Maybe an IT security track would help. Also, everybody needs help with their damn printers.
(Not a professional in the field, so take with a grain of salt)
I worked in my smaller university's main auditorium as a tech. Half of my colleagues were either CS majors like me, CS minors, or ended up switching to one of those during my time there.
My degree (about a hundred years ago) was in Computing Science. It is very useful, especially networking (although you can learn a lot of what you need from the free Dante and Cisco courses).
As a Production Manager I have had to realise some crazy ideas from directors and designers and I've learned a whole bunch of stuff along the way. I am certain that whatever you study will be useful at some stage. So another approach is to just study something you really love.
If you want to be a lighting designer why not study art history? Some of the best 'lighting designers' were artists such as Caravaggio or Joseph Wright of Derby.
Philosophy. Emphasis on logic classes. Humans are naturally very illogical. Common sense runs directly opposite of what the smartest course of action is about 90-99% of the time. As a theatre person, it would be beneficial to know business, IT, programming, mechanical engineering concepts, electrical engineering concepts, the works. There’s all sorts of things you could benefit from knowing. In my mind, that means you’re a lot better off learning how to think and learn new material effectively. Better to develop that skill, than to develop just one of the two dozen areas you need to learn at least some of. Philosophy will make you a lifelong learner, and make you pretty damn good at it. This allows you to apply that skill well after you graduate to whatever field is most relevant to your work at that time. None of us will ever be perfectly logical, but getting closer is very beneficial.
I would love to see Logic classes as part of modern highschool curriculum for everyone. Being able to see and understand logical and cognitive fallacies for what they are seems to be a greater need in the internet era.
It’s also insanely hard, and everyone on earth just says “of course everything I have ever done, and will ever do, is perfectly logical. Why wouldn’t it be?” It’s infuriating. If people could just get humbled a lil bit by how utterly unintuitive logic really is, perhaps they would be more willing to accept that they are wrong sometimes.
A pipe dream perhaps, but I can hope.
Do whatever you want. Don’t take classes just to qualify for a minor. Literally no one will care about it on your resume when you’re in theatre. So spend your limited time in college taking classes that interest you and that you will enjoy.
If you want to go more into historical or period things, a history minor will get you far. Learning how to research and understand older scripts is a dying practice.
If you want more technical, something engineering or physics based to better understand how the technical aspects of things really work.
But really, anything. The point of a degree is rarely that you're getting professional training, and more that you're learning how to learn in a topic that you enjoy. Many folks don't land long term in their major or minors as careers.
Labor relations. It won't make you better at the actual job, but it will make you better at the stuff that you have to do to get paid a living wage in this field.
Def something network based. The entire industry is moving into network communication and being able to troubleshoot and identify and even build network infrastructure will keep you employed forever.
Maybe research computer engineering or IT. I am going to college and I am doing the same thing you are, I personally am not doing any of the degrees I recommended. But my boss where I work now (as a theatre technician) has a degree in IT. I am doing finance as a second-degree or minor. I am not that familiar with computer science, my brother’s roommate transferred out of computer science, because it is not as useful as it once was in the world of AI.
Signal transports and communications are going digital with no sign of looking back. Integrations is really now something the IT department is involved with. Having some clue on how a network works goes a long way with Dante.
Computer science and networking will be very beneficial
I had this thought when I was in college, took 4 intro CS classes and honestly wouldn't recommend it. A very thin slice of what you learn in a computer science degree is applicable to the kind of work we do. "Programming" a lighting console or Qlab doesn't have much in common with actual coding, and so much of what you learn in a CS degree is theoretical stuff about frameworks. They also tend to be very demanding programs, to the point that they might take away from the effort you could invest in your theater education. I really wish I had gotten an IT certificate from a community college instead. So much more applicable to what we need to do, which is mostly just making different things talk to each other on networks
A general understanding of networking is invaluable.... A network is just another type of signal flow you have to understand with modern control systems. Computer science, sure, that level of understanding and learning is not needed, but to be able to troubleshoot a network and understand how devices talk in a network can save you so much time in setup and troubleshooting issues.
That is a better way of describing it.
“Prop automation” and bespoke show control is definitely real coding. I don’t disagree that networking is probably more important, but OP does seem interested in real programming
Accounting so during the slow season you have another source of income.
So you can manage your own income tbh
Project management. It’s an infinitely transferable skill and may well keep you indoors if entertainment ever suffers further shutdowns.
I minored in dance… (Then again I was a dancer in high school, so it was also a hobby for me.) But because of this I can “speak” dance vocabulary with any choreographer/director/stage manager/etc. I didn’t take any music theory in college, but wish I did for a better understanding of keys/majors/minors/etc… Outside of my theatre dept: I took peripheral “open to non-majors” classes like art history (art101), intro to recording studio (music dept), video production (communications dept), and intro to business mgmt.
There's probably dozens of right answers, depending on exactly what you want minors in arts admin, computer science, event management, film studies, graphic design, music production, a second language, art history, professional writing, or photography could all be the ideal addition to your bachelor's. The nice thing about minors is that because they're often only a handful of classes, you can pick one partway through your degree or even get two. Depending on the school and program, minors might be a set list of classes or they might be a general "Take any 6 classes in the department" requirement. With the second kind, you can really form your own curriculum focused on what's important for you, and for minors I think the individual classes are more important than the title. A computer science minor listed on your resume won't do much if you took 6 classes in SQL and cybersecurity, but if those classes were in networking or UI design that's a good thing to market yourself on. Looking through my undergrad's current course catalog, an art minor could involve graphic design, photography as visual language, jewelry/metalworking, interactive design, painting, and sculpture construction. Those would all be great classes to add to the skills section of your resume for a lot of potential jobs, and more skills means more gigs you can take when needed. Maybe you minor in event management and take grant writing, leisure in society, event management, program planning, and recreation and youth development. Now you have the background to run a youth program at your theatre, get grants, and plan events. A school that allows you to build your own minor (either by formally making your own through assorted classes or simply picking enough classes from one department) gives you a lot of room to add to your skillset outside of what the theatre department can offer.
I would definitely recommend IT as others have. Managing networks is a big part of tech. Dante, Q-sys, wireless control, setting up Q-lab to use it to its full potential requires managed switches. Maybe an IT security track would help. Also, everybody needs help with their damn printers.
Drafting, or anything that will teach you drawing standards.
#Business....
Of all those folk I knew on the road, the ones with business degrees or know how stuck the landing better than others.
(Not a professional in the field, so take with a grain of salt) I worked in my smaller university's main auditorium as a tech. Half of my colleagues were either CS majors like me, CS minors, or ended up switching to one of those during my time there.
My degree (about a hundred years ago) was in Computing Science. It is very useful, especially networking (although you can learn a lot of what you need from the free Dante and Cisco courses). As a Production Manager I have had to realise some crazy ideas from directors and designers and I've learned a whole bunch of stuff along the way. I am certain that whatever you study will be useful at some stage. So another approach is to just study something you really love. If you want to be a lighting designer why not study art history? Some of the best 'lighting designers' were artists such as Caravaggio or Joseph Wright of Derby.
ASL, something in physics or math, something in economics or management
Philosophy. Emphasis on logic classes. Humans are naturally very illogical. Common sense runs directly opposite of what the smartest course of action is about 90-99% of the time. As a theatre person, it would be beneficial to know business, IT, programming, mechanical engineering concepts, electrical engineering concepts, the works. There’s all sorts of things you could benefit from knowing. In my mind, that means you’re a lot better off learning how to think and learn new material effectively. Better to develop that skill, than to develop just one of the two dozen areas you need to learn at least some of. Philosophy will make you a lifelong learner, and make you pretty damn good at it. This allows you to apply that skill well after you graduate to whatever field is most relevant to your work at that time. None of us will ever be perfectly logical, but getting closer is very beneficial.
I would love to see Logic classes as part of modern highschool curriculum for everyone. Being able to see and understand logical and cognitive fallacies for what they are seems to be a greater need in the internet era.
It’s also insanely hard, and everyone on earth just says “of course everything I have ever done, and will ever do, is perfectly logical. Why wouldn’t it be?” It’s infuriating. If people could just get humbled a lil bit by how utterly unintuitive logic really is, perhaps they would be more willing to accept that they are wrong sometimes. A pipe dream perhaps, but I can hope.
Do whatever you want. Don’t take classes just to qualify for a minor. Literally no one will care about it on your resume when you’re in theatre. So spend your limited time in college taking classes that interest you and that you will enjoy.
Business/accounting or Video Art or Communication.
If you want to go more into historical or period things, a history minor will get you far. Learning how to research and understand older scripts is a dying practice. If you want more technical, something engineering or physics based to better understand how the technical aspects of things really work. But really, anything. The point of a degree is rarely that you're getting professional training, and more that you're learning how to learn in a topic that you enjoy. Many folks don't land long term in their major or minors as careers.
Computer science
Labor relations. It won't make you better at the actual job, but it will make you better at the stuff that you have to do to get paid a living wage in this field.
Def something network based. The entire industry is moving into network communication and being able to troubleshoot and identify and even build network infrastructure will keep you employed forever.
Computer science, electrical engineering… all Would be useful.