Anyone who has ever been in a show will tell you that they learned more than they thought they would during the process. Theatre has taught me more valuable skills than I ever thought possible. Besides tackling my stage fright and learning how to build sets, I also learned life lessons that have helped immensely in college.
1. Time management skills.
Theatre takes a lot of time. If you’re an actor, you have to memorize lines, dances and vocal parts while still having to keep up with your school work, extracurricular clubs and even possibly work. If you’re a techie, your work depends on your position, but no matter what, you’re going to be working almost nonstop during rehearsals and during your free time to make sure that the show can go off without a hitch.
2. Work with difficult people without many problems.
There are dramatic people everywhere you go in life, but they don’t call plays dramas for no reason. Being primarily a techie, I am the one who gets yelled at if the actors aren't happy. Of course you have to deal with the occasional drama queen. Most of the time they are a lead in the show, but there were times that it could even be an ensemble member. However, in order to keep the show running smoothly, you have to learn to shrug things off. Most of the time when an actor, director, crew member or anyone else yells at you they are extremely stressed and do not mean what they are saying to you. But in any case, theatre helps teach you to ignore the little annoyances of others and simply move on with your day.
3. Change my clothes really fast.
This is important because there is bound to be a day that you wake up five minutes before a class where the professor factors attendance into your grade. When you perform in shows you have to be able to quick change at some point. And quick means faster than the speed of light! You could be onstage for one scene and then have to be on again in less than 30 seconds in a completely different outfit.
4. Changing in front of other girls isn’t a big deal.
This might sound silly, but I was amazed by how many people aren’t comfortable changing their shirt in front of others even in the privacy of their room. There is no time for modesty you have run into the dressing room, rip your dress off (sometimes helping others as we went), and continue to get dressed.
When going to college, chances are that you are going to have a roommate at least once. I got to college and sort of expected that being able to change in my own room wouldn’t be an issue, but it was one of the first things that my roommate brought up in conversation. She basically asked if we were in agreement to change in the bathroom when we had to get dressed. I apologized and said that I would not go to the bathroom, but I did promise to stay modest and stay as covered as possible when I changed. As time has gone on, she has become more comfortable with the both of us changing in the room. Yes, I know you still might think this is a silly lesson, but imagine going to the bathroom every single time you need to change clothes. If you can’t, trust me. It’s amazingly annoying and gets old quickly.
5. How to do my makeup in a matter of minutes.
Ever heard of the five minute face? It’s exactly what it sounds like and means you can be done your makeup in five minutes. This is an amazing skill to have especially if you have a date or are participating in Greek Life rush week. You never know when your friends are going to invite you to a last minute party or want to have a night on the town, so being able to do your makeup in five minutes could possibly be the most useful skill to have inside or outside a theatre.
6. The same goes for hair.
Going along with that, I can curl hair in about 30-45 minutes depending on how thick the hair is and how tight I want the curls. Again, this is great for dates, nights in the city, parties or Greek Life events. It will also make you the go-to friend when someone needs their hair done for any kind of event.
7. How to perform quick clothing fixes.
I think almost everyone has had at least one wardrobe malfunction in their life (and if you haven’t, you don’t understand how jealous I am of you). Having been a costume assistant, as well as performer, I’ve had to fix zipper problems, lost buttons, broken shoes, etc. My fix-it-all choice is typically safety pins although I do go for the occasional gaff tape. Whether there is an issue with a clothing piece not fitting right or it simply broke or ripped, chances are good that I can fix it relatively quickly for the time being.
8. Having awesome notes and organizational skills.
I have been a technical director, assistant director, assistant musical director, house manager and the list goes on for ages. In every position I’ve held I have had to be able to stay organized for the sake of myself and everyone else around me. This meant that I had sticky notes with reminders for myself, notes in my script of when things had to happen and color-coded systems for keeping all my thoughts from getting confused with each other. Now that I’m in college, I write all my notes for class in colors to keep them organized on paper and in my head. I also know that sticky notes, or as I refer to them “brain cells,” can be the key to remembering that you have to get that stinking paper done and to get off Facebook!
9. Taught how to breathe.
This seems absurd, I know. Breathing is natural and you don’t have to think about doing it, but when the stress is creeping into your life and you’re on your fifth cup of coffee for the day, you realize that you need to take a deep breath and try to relax. Almost all acting and singing exercise focus on how you’re breathing. Trust me, when you’re stressed breathing in for seven seconds, holding it for four and blowing it out for eight seconds is one of the most relaxing things you can do. Learning how to control your breathing also helps immensely if you are prone to anxiety attacks.
10. Memorize information quickly and retain it, too.
Memorization is a skill and just like any other skill, you have to practice to get better! Memorization is an important key to theatre seeing as how you have to know all your staging, music, lines and dances by heart to be able to do them correctly on stage. It’s also important in college because of how many classes you have at once. I know for me, I could have an anatomy exam, math exam and a chemistry exam all on one day. That’s enough information to drown in if you try to cram the night before, so you have to be able to gradually study and memorize information as you go
Theatre has always been a big part of my life and I am honored to say that the time I have put into the experiences has been educational as well as enjoyable.
