Andy Crouch
Education Director
The Hideout Theatre
“I felt so much discomfort any time I pursued something that I wasn't passionate about or interested in, that I opted to trust my gut and follow my interests, and it paid off.”
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
I graduated high school not knowing what I wanted to do in life, but getting into a cool program at UT that I was excited about.
I had a great time in college, but I never really learned how to do anything especially useful or practical, but I did a comic strip for the daily paper at my school, and I took that pretty seriously.
I was looking for meaning and a path, so I threw myself into a couple of intense courses at my school: a hardcore expository writing class and a summer Shakespeare program.
I stumbled into improv my last year of college and fell in love with how fascinating and scary it was. I felt like if I learned to do this, it would make me a stronger person.
I graduated college without a plan and ended up getting a series of really boring office jobs. I temped for a while, which was the worst.
The theater that I was doing improv at every weekend needed someone to help out with stuff, so I started working there for VERY LITTLE money.
Over time I moved into different jobs at the theater and slowly made more and more, always just enough to pay rent and keep my head above water.
The theater has flourished over time and I have settled into my current position of Education Director, which is really what I love most about improv, sharing it with other people.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
William P. Clements
William P. Clements
Bachelor
Plan II and Philosophy
The University of Texas at Austin
Plan II and Philosophy
The University of Texas at Austin
Career
Education Director
I manage the adult classes program at an improv comedy theater
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Acting & Theatre
Education
Upholding a Cause and Belief
Day to Day
I work at a theater downtown, so instead of trying to park and work there, I'm usually planting myself at a coffeeshop for several hours each day to do the boring work of arts administration. I answer emails, schedule classes and teachers and make sure the big picture of our theater's classes program are on target. I have a lot of flexibility in how I schedule my work days, which is both a blessing and a curse.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
Look for every opportunity. Show up for everything. Be friendly, humble and eager to learn. Make enough money to survive, but don't let money make your decisions. Follow your passion and interest and you'll get better at your craft and make more money over time.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Bachelor
Plan II and Philosophy
Plan II and Philosophy
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"You need to make more money. You need to pursue a more legitimate career path. What you do isn't a real job. You need to get a higher level of education based on your socioeconomic background and what your parents do for a living."
Challenges I Overcame
Financial
