2025 has come to an end, and the students of Ohio University have returned to campus for the spring semester, ready for whatever 2026 has in store. As Bobcats reflect on the previous year and strive to stick to their New Year's resolutions, May is quickly approaching for OU seniors.
After years of study, students pursuing degrees in performance art and musical theater are preparing to begin their exhilarating careers.
Seniors studying musical theater spent their last year putting together showcase material: a portfolio of their work and performances. They gathered scenes they performed and included clips showcasing their talent and singing abilities for potential employers.
Grayce Roderick, a senior studying musical theater, said she will use her portfolio to get summer contracts or book a national tour, a dream of hers, as she adores traveling. Roderick said some theaters provide housing during temporary contracts, which is something she would be interested in.
However, Roderick said she has a plan if those options do not play out.
“My plan is to move back into my hometown for a little bit, still sending myself out there until I get either a job, or once I save my money up, moving,” Roderick said. “My friend and I, who is also my cohort … we're thinking about living together around the New York area and then going from there.”
Roderick said the most important thing she learned while studying musical theater is how important her autonomy is, and she deserves to be comfortable while working. She said intimacy coordinators are a relatively new role in theater, and help make intimate scenes less awkward and more consensual for all parties.
“I think that's what I've learned the most at this university, is that there are various ways ... I can stand up for what I need and want in a room and not have to worry about retaliation from a person who's ahead,” Roderick said.
Julia Germer, a senior studying musical theater, said she enjoyed singing and being on stage as a kid, and believes this is what sparked her love for musical theater.
“I think singing is what started it for me,” Germer said. “And then I realized, ‘Oh, I really like having a character and understanding, doing the research and making the character my own.’ And that's when I realized that I actually really liked musical theater rather than classical singing.”
Germer said she was fascinated by the acting portion of the musical theater program, as it helped her improve her skills and discover what acting style worked for her. She said students apply what they’ve learned from their acting classes in real time, as most are in a show during the school year.
After graduation, Germer said she plans to move to New York City to jumpstart her performing career; however, she is currently auditioning for shows in the summer to help her save money before the move. She said she has a singing job in a restaurant in her hometown, which also helps her save.
Germer said people involved in the arts typically have a “survival job.” Actors and performers take jobs, including waitressing or bartending, to earn income while searching for gigs and roles to book. She said these jobs usually take place at night, as the daytime is reserved for auditioning and rehearsals.
Germer said she is not in an actors’ union, meaning she will not be first priority for roles and will have to work harder to be noticed in the competitive field. Despite this, Germer said the hard work will be worth it because her goal is to create art she can be proud of and perform professionally.
“I kind of realized, ‘You know what, Julia, as long as you're making art that you're happy about and you're enjoying, that's all that matters,’” she said. “Of course, Broadway is the goal. But I want to make art that I love doing.”
Some students will receive their degree in musical theater, but go on to pursue a different kind of career. Sylvia Witt, a senior studying musical theater, is planning to be a child life specialist in cancer wards.
“You advocate for the kids that can't advocate for themselves,” Witt said. “You could go as far as to say, you make the hospital a regular place for kids, when the hospital is not a regular place.”
Witt said she decided to pursue the career after spending time working with kids at the Athens Community Music School. Witt is currently applying to graduate schools.
Witt said she will be moving from her home in Georgia to Columbus post-graduation. She would like to become an intern in a new hospital at Ohio State University. After her lease is up, she said her plans are wide open, and she is excited to travel.
“That's what's kind of fun about this career that I'm looking into, anywhere there's a hospital, there's a job, and there's hospitals everywhere,” Witt said. “That's kind of what's also very exciting, is I can kind of work anywhere, and I really love to travel.”
Wherever a Bobcat decides to go after graduation, the education received from OU will forever connect them to opportunity and the more than 290,000 alumni scattered across the globe.
