Can You Write Your College Essay About Theatre?
(Hint: you can, but you shouldn’t)
As an essay coach with MCA for the last few years, this is the most common question I get. As the title suggestions, I won’t tell you that you can’t write a “theatre essay” for the Common Application; no one should tell you what you can or can’t write your college essay about!
What I will tell you is that, during my 8 years working in undergraduate admission, even as somebody who is VERY in love with theatre, I grew very tired of theatre essays very quickly – and I imagine other admission counselors do, too. There are exceptions and, in fact, some of my favorite college essays that I’ve read are “about” theatre. What is it that makes some theatre essays work so well, and others so boring, even to someone like me who can usually relate?
Here are four questions that any college applicant should ask themself about their college essay topic before committing to it; they apply to college applications in general, but I’ve also included a “theatre angle” for each of them.
1. Can I describe what happens in the essay in one sentence?
Strong college essays are generally easy to summarize. In fact, admission counselors are usually expected to describe each applicants’ essay in one or two sentences on a review form. Meanwhile, the suggested college essay length (250-650 words) is much shorter than it might sound; it’s enough time to tell one story very well, or to tell a few stories less well. For best results, choose an event with a clear beginning and ending. Or if you don’t like thinking in those terms, a before and an after. One more: how about a discovery and a decision? Your essay can still be dynamic and include multiple “scenes”, but they should feel part of a coherent, easy-to-describe sequence.
For example: an essay about one interesting day while you worked as a lifeguard is easier to digest than an essay that attempts to summarize three years of lifeguarding.
The theatre angle: A “theatre essay” often falls into the trap of trying to describe an entire production (or, more often, four years of productions). At their best, “theatre essays” are concerned with a specific and transformative event. One that worked: The writer was a student at a high school where theatre was unpopular, and learned to embrace risk-taking after nervously watching as her theatre program’s new director unveil a public mural celebrating their production of West Side Story as a way to drum up enthusiasm.
2. Can I describe what it’s About in one sentence?
Wait a second, wasn’t this the first question I posed?
Not quite: my first question was about what happens – this question asks what it’s About, and with a capital A. What’s the deal with that? (Full disclosure: I’m borrowing this framework from author Cheryl Strayed.)
I tell students that the central event, or what happens is the thing their essay is lowercase-a “about” but that the essay is uppercase-A “About” something deeper: a lesson the writer learns, or a quality that the writer demonstrates. Another way of thinking about it: what does your essay reveal about you through this story? What are the essay’s themes? What lesson does the protagonist (you) learn?
For example: an essay that discusses baking but is thematically about humility will be more memorable than an essay that simply lists your masterful uses for various kinds of baking flours without revealing or discussing any of your personal qualities.
The theatre angle: A “theatre essay” often runs the risk of feeling shallow. The production of Bye, Bye Birdie you were in might have been stunning, but we’re unlikely to care about it unless we learn something about a personal journey associated with it. One that worked: The writer was initially upset to be paired off with a less-skilled dancer her freshman year and described the rewards of guiding him with patience and helping him improve until, two years later, he was able to execute a difficult lift!
3. Does it tell the reader anything that the rest of my application won’t?
While the college essay is important, it’s one piece of a larger document: your complete college application. Make sure your college essay EITHER discusses something that isn’t covered elsewhere, or describes an idea that might come up briefly somewhere else in your application, but which your essay treats in a focused and deep way.
Remember that a list of extra-curricular activities and a course list are both included in your application.
For example: an essay that goes into detail about your hard work on your entry into the Science Fair will be more memorable than spelling out a cursory list of all the subjects that were covered in the science classes you took.
The theatre angle: The Common Application essay is not usually the best place to itemize your theatre experience, especially when so many colleges with theatre programs require you to submit a resume. One that worked: The writer elaborated that her participation in theatre program at her school also included her efforts as part of a small group of students who successfully petitioned the school district’s administration to designate funding to the school’s theatre program.
4. Will it make sense to an “outsider”?
A few months ago, I discovered a knitting trick: by purling on the wrong side of the center-double-decrease stitch, one can create a pleasing “column” of stockinette V’s on the right side.
Now, this will mean nothing to you (unless you’re proficient in knitting hacks,) so I’ll try again, and see if I can get you to care about this that line of stockinette V’s:
My great-aunt Antoinette, who used to knit blankets for each baby in the family, taught my husband and I how to knit. I had a hard time starting with knitting, and would often get frustrated, but she always encouraged us to be less afraid of failing, and to modify knitting patterns if we could think of a better method or design a better look. After Antoinette passed away, I was sad that my newborn nephew wouldn’t get a completely custom knit baby blanket* – until I realized that I was perfectly capable, and I experimented with a modification I had never seen before, which wound up making his new Knit Picks™ Hue Shift Afghan more attractive and more pleasing for him to touch as he grows up.
*Credit where it’s due: my mother is the family’s baby blanket-crocheter, so Halberstadt-related babies get at least one knitted and one crocheted blanket. Moving on…
You’re more likely to care about what that knitting modification looks and feels like now, because now you understand the role knitting plays in my family in terms that make sense to you: I’ve framed the event as being uppercase-A About legacy and courage. I know I’m giving myself too much credit here, but hopefully this helps you see how to make your own story more universal. What are the ideas in your essay that will resonate with a person who doesn’t share your investment with the essay’s subject matter?
For example: it’s sometimes more helpful to conceive an essay as centering a relationship or a personal lesson, as opposed to an interest.
The theatre angle: Even at Emerson College. where I worked in Undergraduate Admission for 8 years, I was often the only professional staff member with a background in theatre. One time, I overheard a colleague say, “I’m confused why this student wrote her college essay about getting cast as the Baker’s Wife in a professional production of a show called Into the Woods… the character doesn’t even have a name! Am I missing something?” I had to take a deep breath before beginning to explain who Stephen Sondheim is (and that there are no small parts). One that worked: The writer panicked that her extreme stage fright meant that she didn’t belong to the theatre community, but a friend steered her towards stage management, which aligned perfectly with her passion and talents.
One of the first things I do with MCA students is guide them through a series of different questions that are specifically designed to get lots of ideas flowing, which will usually include some about theatre, and some about other things. From there, we work together to identify a topic that the student is most excited to write about, and also answers “yes” to all four of these questions above. The rest is just writing and revising!
