Written by special contributor
Meet Mark, an Honours Arts and Business graduate with a Theatre and Performance major.
While he may not have known which career he wanted to pursue before starting university, Waterloo’s Honours Arts and Business program allowed him to design his future.
Studying his interests
Honours Arts and Business allows students to tailor the degree to suit their interests while also giving them a solid understanding of business, making them well-rounded and uniquely equipped graduates.
“The program starts out by giving you a thorough knowledge base in all the different areas and gives you an appreciation of where everyone is coming from in theatre but also, in your later years, it allows you to specialize in areas that you’re interested in. I’ve done a lot of costumes myself, but you can also build experience in areas like dramaturgy, lighting, and stage management.”
Mark was able to increase the value of his university degree through Waterloo's co-op program, which provided him with industry contacts and experience working in his field.
“I’ve had the opportunity to explore a few different careers with co-op. I’ve done some terms doing graphic design. For one co-op term I had the opportunity to go to a theatre in Toronto and observe how a wardrobe department operates in the professional industry, which is actually quite close to how we do it at Waterloo. It was a really great experience to explore what it is like as a business.”
Seaming together passion and experience
Mark pursued his passion both inside the classroom and out. When he wasn’t studying or on a co-op work term, he used his time to participate in school productions working in wardrobe and costume design.
Lights, camera, costumes
Each year, Theatre and Performance students produce performances to be enjoyed by the Waterloo community.
Through his Theatre and Performance connections and co-op experience, Mark landed a head role in the costume design for Waterloo’s production of Unity.
