Theatre Doesn't Need More Talent. It Needs More Professionals.
Hannah Crawford, OnStage Blog Columnist
Talent is an incredible thing that so many artists have both on stage and backstage. But I think one of the biggest misconceptions in the theatre world is that talent is everything. Well, I’m here to pull back the curtain and expose the truth to you.
Talent matters, yes. But your reputation is what will get you invited back.
Like any other job, the people who run it (directors, stage managers, producers, and even fellow performers and tech crew) remember those who:
Show up on time
Show up prepared
Treat people with respect
Solve problems instead of creating them
And absolutely none of that has to do with talent. It has to do with being a mature, responsible, and most importantly, professional adult who knows what it takes to survive in the theatre world.
Just know that your reputation starts long before opening night and will last much longer after the final curtain falls.
What Being “Easy to Work With” Means
Please understand that being “easy to work with” does not mean saying yes to everything. I think that is ingrained in us in the workforce. That’s why people get a bad rap for kissing someones a** at work. That’s not what I mean here.
Being easy to work with also does not mean that you let people walk all over you, or that you never speak up if you disagree. So, let’s make sure we get that all out of our minds.
Being easy to work with looks like the following:
Being prepared for rehearsals \ show nights
Communicating well
Respecting other people's time
Remaining professional even if you don’t agree with someone
Being the person that others enjoy working alongside
I’m sure that as you read through each one of those you had a thought flicker across your mind like “this stuff is so obvious.”
While it may be obvious, I’d bet you my next paycheck you already thought of at least one person you know in theatre who is never prepared, creates drama, doesn’t respect time, doesn’t know how to communicate, and just all around is not an enjoyable person to work with.
What did our parents use to say to us? Common sense isn’t so common.
At the end of the day, people won’t remember how miraculous your voice sounded at the end of the song, how helpful you were backstage, or every line that you delivered. But, they will remember how you made the rehearsal room feel and, most importantly, how you made them feel.
Your Reputation is Built on Your Reliability
I think one of the best traits in a theatre artist is their reliability. The theatre world is full of gig work, which means that, like anything, people have lives outside of the theatre. People have jobs, families, car break downs, money problems, and more.
But just like we communicate and show up for our “day” job and are reliable… we need to be reliable in our theatre jobs too.
The simple things matter, like showing up on time, being off book when told, doing your pre- and post-show duties, answering your emails, and being a dependable artist.
On a recent show that I worked on, I heard the stage manager asking the lighting director if he had read the email yesterday about the spotlight change. And he responded, “Oh yeah, I don’t read those.” To say I was floored would be putting it mildly.
Sure, talent may get you in the door. But it’s not what will keep you there.
Leave the Drama for the Stage
We are not in high school. So, for the love of God, why is there so much drama backstage?
Theatre is filled with cliques, gossiping, complaining, nepotism, favoritism, and people who just like to stir the pot. If you are one of those people…do you think for one moment that you are enjoyable to work with?
There is a performing arts center not too far from where I live that replaced its managing director. Was she not meeting the quota? Was she not talented? Did she do something illegal?
No. She was replaced because she was so negative. And I would know because they asked if I was interested in being her replacement. It wasn’t the right fit for me, but it was crazy sad to me that a fellow theatre professional was being fired from a full-time gig because of nothing more than their negativity.
People remember the professionalism you bring to the table…but people also remember the drama too.
How the Best Relationships Are Built
I am a big believer that the best way to form a professional relationship is to care about the person.
Profound right?
Do you know the fellow artists you work with? I’m not saying you have to be their best friend. But do you remember that their kid likes baseball? That their favorite coffee is an iced caramel? Did their parents come to see the show last night? None of these are deep things. But these are the little things that let people know you are listening and that you care.
That’s how the best relationships are formed.
Outside of this, do you do these things?
Thank the volunteers working house?
Say an encouraging word to your fellow performers?
Help with strike instead of sitting down watching everyone else do it?
Introduce yourself to the crew that works in the booth?
Relationships don’t just happen. They take work. They are built in dozens of little moments like the ones mentioned above.
I once worked a show where all cast and crew were required to stay to help with the strike. The lead performer was such a sweetheart. She was extremely talented and funny, too. The night of the strike, she stood around and sat down for the majority of it. For the 2 and a half hours we were all there striking, I cannot recall a single time I saw her do a thing.
I learned a lot about the fellow artists in that show that night. And I sure do remember the ones who put in the work.
I’ll leave you with this…be the person that people hope will walk in.
Have you ever auditioned for a show, and all of a sudden, you see that person walk into the auditorium, and your face lights up. You’re excited because you know that person is enjoyable to work with (not just for how talented they are). That’s who you want to be.
Be the person people are happy to see at a show.