Oh, The People You’ll Meet: The Drama Major

You can always tell who in your class is a Drama major. Don’t get me wrong, I’m just as much of a fan of the theatre as the next guy, but there is something very distinct about those who major in the department.

Unlike the business kids or the engineers, the Drama Major is bound to be in one or many of your classes. And he or she will be there with at least 3 of their fellow thesbians. Practicing their lines. You may not be able to recognize them by what they wear, but their overly dramatic speeches (and stage makeup) will surely tip you off.

When called on to answer a question, the Drama Major will turn the moment into a well-practiced soliloquy. They will use hand gestures, complete sentences and enunciate every last syllable. And when called on to read a passage aloud, they will take the opportunity to turn the classroom into a theater. The Drama Major will read with pauses, motions, and may even add different character voices, if the passage calls for it.

If there is a performance or show coming up, the Drama Major will be sure to take the last few moments of class time to announce it to the entire group, giving the dates and times of every single performance before putting on their iPod (that is filled with show tunes, obviously), dramatically exiting the room and running to practice.

They will not be at school sporting events (there are far more important things – like Shakespeare – to attend to), or the biggest parties on campus. Drama kids tend to stick to their own kind and often opt for a more chill evening of beers and fellow dramatics.

But just because you don’t see ‘em making out in dark corners of a frat party doesn’t mean they aren’t there. They are. And you will encounter them and their overly look-at-me-I’m-so-entertaining ways at some point during your college career.