Theatre is one of the oldest forms of entertainment, stretching far into pre-history. It survives today as a refined and fun way to explore storytelling as well as social and political issues. However, engaging in theatre has many benefits that people don’t often consider. There are many things a person can learn from performing and engaging in a theatrical production. Here are just a few.
Fast Thinking and Improvisation
It’s rare that a theatrical production goes exactly as planned. Stumbled lines, misplaced props, mistakes in blocking and movement, all of these can skew a production and require the actors to think on their feet and come up with a solution on the fly. It’s not hard to see how improvisational skills like these can be helpful in daily situations. When you’re in the office and something doesn’t go as planned, improvisational training will enable you to think outside the box to solve tough problems fast.
Project Management
Any stage production requires a lot of planning, work and processes to get off the ground. It is, in effect, a business project. There are multiple teams working on different issues — you have set builders, the actor and directors, the music director, the producers and more trying to keep the production moving along on time and on budget. This is exactly what happens every day in the business world. Knowing how to coordinate diverse teams of workers to pull together a complex task will take you far in everyday life.
Diversity
The theatrical production, just like the workplace, is full of diverse people trying to work towards a common goal. It’s important to know how to deal with individual egos, personality quirks, and the individual talents of specific people so everyone is the most effective at what they do. People learn differently as well, and working together in this fashion teaches respect for other points of view as well as how to engage patience and understanding in the workplace.
Respect and Understanding
Somewhat tied to teamwork is the idea that performing in theatre helps you with the human condition. It enables you to understand and appreciate the struggles that other people go through in their daily lives. As you gain a stronger understanding of these issues, you can behave towards others in a more genuine and respectful way. This will make you a better staff member in just about any job you choose to pursue.
Teamwork
Finally, teamwork comes heavily into play in the theatre. Everyone needs to step up to do whatever needs to be done to shepherd the project towards its eventual end. This is vital to performance in the workplace. Teamwork means nobody gets left behind, and nobody is unwilling to help. From your experiences in the theatre, you’ll learn how to grab up on whatever task needs to be completed, and see it through!
If you’d like to witness all of these skills in action, why not stop down and check out one of our theatrical productions in the coming months? You might even be inspired to audition for a part of your own!