Zerfas came to Purdue as an exploratory studies student. She then studied interior design and animal science before she found the major most fit for her.  

“In the spring semester of my freshman year, I was in an acting class, and last week of classes, I thought hold on, this is what I want to do,” Zerfas said. “So then the next day (my advisor and I) met, and we scheduled my classes for theater with a theatre degree and never looked back.” 

Beyond sharing that changing paths is not as fear-inducing and risky as it seems, Zerfas debunked some other “theatre major myths” that she has found to be untrue.   

“One local thing is that everyone thinks that we perform at Elliott Hall and I’m sorry to say we do not,” Zerfas   said, noting she regularly performs in Pao Hall’s Carol   and Gordon Mallett Theatre and the Nancy T. HansenTheatre.   

Another stereotype Zerfas quickly found to be untrue was the belief that there is a lack of work in theatre.  

“Specifically going to a school that you know rages about STEM a lot of people think when I say that I major in theatre, oh so you have a lot of fun,” Zerfas said. “And yeah, I do have a lot of fun, but I am putting in three extra hours every day to go to rehearsal on top of learning my lines on top of school work.” 

Purdue professors aided Zerfas in creating connections in Fort Collins, Colo., where she intends to move after graduating in the spring.  

“The hope is to get some type of job at a marketing agency right off the bat with the hopes of somehow incorporating theatre in my life in one way or another,” Zerfas said, “whether it is just working at a theater, volunteering or being in a show in a local theater.”