On the stage or on the couch; on the performance of graduated actors on the Dutch labor market

The human capital theory states that the more one invests in education, the more one’s job opportunities, income potential and non‐monetary rewards will increase. When we take a look at the labour market as a whole this often proves to be true, but there are cases in which the effect of education is limited. There are flaws in the human capital theory as far as the job prospects for artists are concerned. Having a qualification in the arts does not necessarily mean a good income and job security. On the contrary, a lot of other theories involving talent and work preference often seem to apply better for the arts than the human capital theory. The human capital theory, however, does prove to be true when it comes to financial success and time spent on the arts. In this thesis I put this theoretical framework to the test for the labour market for graduated actors focusing on theatre productions. Before we can say anything about job opportunities for graduates an overview of all kinds of drama education (general vocational education, higher vocational education and private schools) has to be made, for core drama courses as well as close related courses focusing on for example musical and opera. This overview shows that the number of schools, courses, first year students and graduates have increased. In other words the Dutch education system for drama courses seems to choose equity (giving everybody a chance) over efficiency. The increase in numbers of especially graduates as such is not a problem, it only becomes a problem if job opportunities lag behind. Research into the number of theatre productions per season shows that there is a stable amount of such productions per year, as well as a stable number of visitors and subsidized companies involved in the sector. The benchmark of three theatre production per year, which is necessary in order to make a living, was not reached by the higher vocational education graduates. On the other hand, this research shows that there are factors which can have a positive influence on their careers, namely stage skills (human capital) obtained during training. Overall we can conclude that the job opportunities on stage have lagged behind compared to the growth in the numbers of graduating students. Improvements to this education system can be made by reducing class sizes and staging as many school productions as possible.