YOUR LIFE HERE AND LATER IN THE THEATRE.

 

YOUR LIFE HERE AND LATER IN THE THEATRE.

I am so excited to bring to you the list of skills, traits, and qualities of personality by Dr. Louis E. Catron that are usually well-developed in individuals who complete four years of undergraduate theatre study. Take special note of them. They are more extensive and important than perhaps you recognize. Stay close.

1.      Oral Communication Skills
Many students find that theatre helps them develop the confidence that's essential to speaking clearly, lucidly, and thoughtfully.
Acting onstage teaches you how to be comfortable speaking in front of large audiences, and some of your theatre classes will give you additional experience talking to groups. Furthermore, your work on crews has taught you that clear, precise, and well-organized oral communications are best. Oral communication skills are so important to some employers that they often send management trainees to special workshops. You already have an advantage.
 

2.      Creative Problem Solving Abilities
Most people expect theatre students to exhibit creativity in such areas as acting, design, playwriting or directing, and many companies do recruit creative thinkers. But employers are not always aware that theatre experience also helps you learn creative problem-solving techniques that are applicable to many jobs. Tell them!
For one example, tech theatre work--building scenery, hanging lights, making props, running the show, and so on--is a particularly good way to learn how to think on your feet, to identify problems, evaluate a range of possible solutions, and figure out what to do.
The same is true of almost every aspect of theatre. Directing. Design. Acting. Playwriting. Management. And more.
The point here is that your creative ability, what you've learned about using creative processes to solve problems, can be directly applicable to virtually any job you may have.
Most major companies believe that a creative problem-solver will become a good employee. That's you.
 

3.      More than "get it done"
But theatre students learn that just "getting it done" isn't enough. Not at all. It goes beyond that. You learn to do it correctly. In theatre we learn that merely "getting the show on the boards" is pure bush league and totally unacceptable. Whatever your theatrical job--tech, performing, research, management--it has to be done right. You learn to take pride in doing things at your very best level. Of course an employer will value that trait.
 

4.      Motivation and Commitment
Being involved in theatre productions and classes demands commitment and motivation. These are qualities that college theatre faculty members and, in some measure, you and your fellow students, probably already possess. By example, we teach each other that success comes to those who are committed to the task at hand. Few other disciplines you study will so strongly help you develop motivation and commitment.

Many theatre students learn to transfer that attribute from theatre to other activities such as classes and jobs. For employers, that positive attitude is essential.
 

5.      Willingness to Work Cooperatively
Your work in theatre companies teaches you how to work effectively with different types of people--often very different types!
Theatre demands that participants work together cooperatively for the production to success; there is no room for "we" versus "they" behavior; the "star" diva is a thing of the past. Your colleagues will usually let you know when you violate the team spirit of a production.

In theatre, it's important that each individual supports the others involved. Employers will be pleased to know that you understand how to be a team player.

Watch out for the other skills on this column. Till then, a sweet goodbye.

Akinola Victor