I’ve been involved with theater since the eighth grade when I got a role as a chorus member in “Guys & Dolls Jr.” Since then I’ve been in a total of ten shows and have learned a lot of important life skills from my experiences both onstage as an actress, and backstage as a stage manager. Both jobs came with two very different skills sets, but I’ve adapted what I’ve learned from both of them into my everyday life and it is why I value the art of theater so much.
The first thing acting taught me was how to deal with rejection and criticism. Not getting roles you want and being judged on your acting ability comes with the territory of auditioning, and while it may suck in the moment, it’s a valuable skill to know how to handle it. When writing one of my college recommendation letters, my teacher noted that one of the things he talks about in the letters is how well his students can handle and adapt to criticism because in college, and in the workforce, it’s important to be able to hear critiques of your work and do your best to fix any mistakes. It makes you a better employee and individual in general. So while it may not seem like it at the time, not getting the lead role that you wanted is actually a very good and humbling experience to have.
One of the main rules of theater is that it’s not just acting, but reacting as well which is why theater has taught me so much about working with others. While a one-woman show sounds like a good idea, performances are more interesting when inhabited with a plethora of diverse and uniquely interesting characters — and that means you’re going to have to work with other people. You may even need to work with a rival actress/actor who got the part you wanted and learn how to deal with the tension between the two. Learning how to read and portray emotions is key when dealing with others because if you have a good sense of body language, you can adapt yourself to fit the mold of someone else’s emotional state.
Stage managing, on the other hand, is a whole different world that often isn’t given as much credit as acting is, but there is always someone behind the scenes managing the stressors of the theater. I stage managed shows my junior and senior years of high school, and it was an experience, to say the least.
The most important skills I acquired from stage managing are that of delegation and being able to remain calm and collected during the most stressful of situations. Actors in their nature tend to over dramatize situations. So when something goes wrong backstage, it is the sole job of the stage manager to make sure it goes as unnoticed as possible and that it is handled in a timely and efficient manner. If the stage manager were to panic, then everyone would follow suit since they are the person actors look toward for confirmation that everything is going smoothly.
Organization is also key in the job. When I stage managed, I was in charge of costumes, props, sets, blocking and making sure everything and everyone was always in place. My binder was the size of my head, but it was completely organized. Everything was labeled properly, under their specific category so I could find everything I needed quickly. I’ve adapted this skill to my studies in college. I now know how to organize notes, handouts and how to quickly skim a text and pull out the most important aspects because I know the basic organizational structure of basically anything.
Theater is such an important and helpful art form. It gives people an outlet to express their creativity and emotions in a way that they hadn’t had before, and it also teaches them valuable life skills that they can even use off stage when the curtain closes.
