31 Viable Alternatives

Viable Alternatives

You know, I run into a lot of general people in my line of work, a bunch of people in the audience. And often they say things like, yeah, my kid was really into theatre and then they decided that they just didn’t want it enough. And so they, you know, they went into teaching or they went to another profession and now they come and they love theatre, I think that we too often imagine that the culmination of a theatre degree is that somebody is on our stage. It’s okay to take your theatre degree and do other things with that, whether that means administration, whether that means that you go and have an incredible career in another area and you volunteer widely and you come back and join a board or a committee or a panel.  Do not let the theatre part of your degree dictate the terms of your success story, because it is a hard profession and the flameout rate is high and understandably so. And, you will be always surrounded by people who are, almost willing to work harder than you are. I sort of sometimes feel like theatre is a bit of a pie eating contest where the prize is more pie. Right? So, you really better love the pie. And if you don’t love the pie, don’t beat yourself up about it. – Camilla Holland, Executive Director, RMTC, Winnipeg, MB

There are dozens of other potential jobs one could choose in theatre, for which this book currently does not have a dedicated chapter. This is not to say they aren’t crucial, but is simply due to the current limited scope of the book. Hopefully, over time we will add more of the numerous other opportunities in addition to the ten tracks. A handful of them are outlined below. This chapter also covers theatre-related options and opportunities. Again it is good to note that many work across areas and in a multidisciplinary fashion. Most find this is a way to have ongoing work – you can move from a directing contract to an acting gig and then creating a piece to self-produce. Or many playwrights also work as dramaturgs and teach writing.

Finally, this track also covers the fact that some will use their theatre training in fields that are outside of the theatre world. The reality is that theatre equips you to work in many other areas.

Transferable Skills

RESOURCE: Samantha Enns – Acting Class Revealed – 10 Essential Skills for Thriving in Any Career

What do we learn from theatre? Just some of the transferable skills and qualities include:

  • Improvisation and thinking on your feet
  • Emotional control that can allow you to remain calm in crisis
  • Ability to find creative solutions
  • Concentration, focus and mindfulness
  • Self-awareness
  • Multi-tasking
  • Physical awareness and ability to read body language
  • Living on a tight budget
  • Advanced critical thinking skills
  • Problem-solving
  • Flexibility allowing you to work with a diverse collection of personalities
  • Being a team player
  • Understanding the value of practice and the ability to rehearse possibilities
  • An understanding of human nature that allows you to gauge how others will respond
  • Courage and risk-taking
  • Innovation and creation, which are highly valued traits in the current job market
Hugely transferable skills. Like, here’s the truth. Arts graduates might say I don’t want to work for a bank, and I don’t want to work for an insurance agency. I don’t want to be a teacher. Okay. Just to be clear, there’s an entire world of not-for-profit organizations who are looking for storytellers, because these are agencies across every not-for-profit world, right? Health, education, social services, environment, like you name it. There are agencies who are looking for people to be resourceful, to be curious, to be storytellers, to have a real ability to make something out of nothing. And your theatre skills will serve you in those areas. – Camilla Holland, Executive Director, RMTC, Winnipeg, MB

It is incredible to think about all the jobs that would benefit from theatre training!

I think it’s the adaptability. Like, even when I was doing temp jobs, you know, working on administration, etc. with government contracts and things like that. But that was all really helpful as well. So even the jobs that didn’t seem to be, you know, that seem to be the off jobs, the jobs that made me question what, how do I call myself a theatre artist when I’m doing this temp job? You know, but that as well gave me skills that I was able to take forward. I mean, I remember at one point there were a bunch of us temping and the agencies would love us because we were the most dedicated and just the most skilled because we would use our creativity in the job itself. And often, you know, I would end up finishing the tasks that were asked of me. And so I’d have time to, you know, surf the internet or do my own work. Sometimes I was, you know, writing on the side or thinking through some things or reading or whatever. So, so those opportunities sort of gave me, and I, it’s funny, I call them opportunities because it felt like purgatory sometimes. Like it was hurting my soul. But, you know, when I look back and I think about how that has helped me in the administrative roles that, or the administrative tasks that one has to do when one is running a company. Databases and all that kind of stuff. Those are all really important skills. – Diane Roberts, Director/Dramaturge/Cultural Animator, Montreal, QC

Dramaturg/Literary Director

I call myself a director, dramaturge, and a cultural animator. And I’ve been doing that for the past, I’d say maybe ten years, adding this idea of cultural animator not even really knowing fully what that was, but it just felt like another kind of potential role that now has kind of found its life force, I guess, in our current circumstances. I think my work has been often done on the fringes, working with artists and with companies that have an understanding of that sort of vision for change and for restoration of creative processes for, you know, racialized Indigenous artists. – Diane Roberts, Director/ Dramaturge/Cultural Animator, Montreal, QC

According to LMDA, “dramaturgs and literary managers provide critical, historical, and humanist insights for writers, performers, directors, and audiences alike; they strengthen the vitality of the performing arts”.

A good dramaturg can get a lot of contract work with individual playwrights, through play development centres, and even by being hired directly by theatres for both workshops and premiere productions.

Meanwhile, Literary Managers are employed by theatres and will work on multiple shows in their season, as well as reading new work for future consideration. There aren’t a lot of these positions in Canada, more so in the States.

Here is a great interview with former Literary Manager Andrea Romaldi, specifically with advice for playwrights submitting their work.

Casting Director/Agent

Many actors and directors have moved to the other side of the table into work casting for tv/film or representing talent as an agent. Some are hired by existing agencies, while others start their own firms. There is now the Casting Director Society of Canada  to help support this aspect of the industry.

In terms of being a talent agent, there are those who specialize in working with actors or directors, and there are also literary agents for playwrights. It involves a lot of networking, negotiation, and contract knowledge.

Make-up Artist

I’ve had a handful of students take our Business of Theatre course with a desire to become make-up artists. In theatre there generally is only a need for make-up artists when there are complex stage make-up components such as ageing, prosthetics, or scarring. Most make-up artists will work primarily in film and possibly also for fashion or photos shoots.

Coach

Perhaps you don’t want to be a full out teacher, but once you establish yourself as an actor or director then coaching is a great side gig and allows you to share your skills. Even right out of university many former students coach children or teach theatre classes at camps, schools, and studios. As noted in the Acting track, AACE was recently established to both support coaches/educators but also to vet them based on ethical practice.

Teaching / Education

There are many ways that theatre and education overlap, as a result there are various ways to work within this area.

Those who have both the theatrical knowledge and also the aptitude for teaching are hired at theatre schools connected to theatres, at private studios, in universities or colleges, through residencies at schools, or many decide to also get an education degree so they can teach theatre in the school system.

There are also those who work in the area of educational theatre, whereby theatrical productions are used to educate audiences. There are positions at many theatres for education coordinators. They may focus on: creating educational guides to accompany shows and outline curricular connections, engaging with schools and youth, developing additional programming to surround productions (tours, talkbacks, demonstrations), integrating art into non-arts disciplines, providing professional development for teachers to expose them to the art form, or even supporting theatre workshops that can be offered to students.

It is important to note that there has been an unfortunate reduction of arts programming and exposure in schools due to funding cuts or a lack of it being seen as a priority. This not only reduces the ability for educational overlap with theatre, but statistically exposure to the arts when young has a demonstrated link to participation as an adult.

Other places, such as the UK, have longer traditions with TIE (Theatre in Education) where theatre is used to teach other subjects.

Some recognized benefits include:

  • The use of multiple intelligences that are developed through the active learning utilized by the arts
  • Students solve problems creatively, in the same way that directors, choreographers, and designers have to find solutions for a production
  • The challenges that arise in arts-based models are comparable to real life problems in that they are complex, have no single answer, and require multiple steps to solve
  • Using the arts even when teaching non-arts subjects can open up an inquiry based method of teaching as well as learning

Resources:

 

Front of House/Box Office

I am concerned that people emerging into the theatre community, apart from the auditioning process, do not really know how to make their way through the creative world. I think in markets like Winnipeg, people are a little focused on their area of specific artistic interest. So it’s back to that generalist thing, right? Like, they’re not looking for any experience. They’re looking for experience that looks like the experience they think they should be getting. And so, I would love to see theatre students have elbows up for any opportunity to get in the door. You know what I mean? Let’s be clear, I am a 49-year-old cisgendered white woman with enormous privilege. But when I was starting out, I went to the opening of an envelope. I worked box office shifts so I could get complimentary tickets. I volunteered, I begged, borrowed and joined everything. I was endlessly curious about the work and about the companies that were doing the work. And I think that you do need to have that curiosity and you need to keep it about the whole industry. You can’t just do one thing. Successful artists today, across the country are doing more than one thing, right? They are teaching and they are mentoring and they are coaching and they are directing and they are acting and they are omnivores in theatre. And I worry that training programs are creating people who want, you know, just one thing. Like, I think you’ve got to stretch, you’ve got to take the opportunity to stretch, you’ve got to listen and be curious broadly. – Camilla Holland, Executive Director, RMTC, Winnipeg, MB

It might not be glamourous or artistic, but working in either front of house or box office is a good way to stay connected to theatre. You will not only be on the inside of a theatre organization, but you will also likely get either free or discounted show tickets. It also allows you to get to know those at the theatre company who do the hiring. Plus, there is a chance to really understand who the audiences are, what are they responding to, how do they affect the programming, and what excites them.

Development

Another area artists and production team members have crossed over into is Fundraising and Development. This work often overlaps with event planning so requires organizational and management skills. In addition, working with donors and stakeholders necessitates a passion for and understanding of the art form plus great people skills. Most mid-size and large theatres have full-time, salaried positions in this area.

Consultant

With the current change in theatre and recognition of the need to appropriately address cultural topics in the play or support artists, there has been an introduction of consultants into the rehearsal room and as part of the production team. These can include cultural consultants who are there to make sure actors are not having to do the emotional labour of sharing the cultural realities of their characters. There are also consultants who support the creation of room agreements and integration of safe space protocols. As well, there are disability consultants who are trained to both make sure a production is meeting all aspects of accessibility but also to support artist needs. In all cases, consultants should be highly trained and experienced in order to navigate the complex dynamics of a production.

Other Opportunities:

I just think that whatever you can do to make your own work and try a million different things that you may not have thought you would be interested in. Like for me, I definitely thought I wanted to be an actor, and I still do act every once in a while. I love it, but I never would have in a million years thought I would be the stage manager, and here I am loving it. So, I think that, push yourself to try new things in theatre and you’ll be surprised by the things that come out of that.

I think everyone should have a retail job at some point, a kitchen job at some point, just to make you a well-rounded person. – Ricardo Alvarado, Stage Manager, Persephone Theatre, Saskatoon, SK

I’ve seen many trained in theatre find work in unique places, for example:

  • Police and Medical Schools are often looking for actors to assist in training scenarios
  • Historical interpretation and tour guides at historical sites
  • Clowns, princesses and superheroes at children’s parties
  • Haunted House ghouls, ghosts, and other scary creatures
  • Communications and promotions for everything from cannabis stores to political campaigns (this is mostly for those who are the extroverted theatre types)
  • Administration for health clinics (arts administrators tend to bring an understanding of non-profits, but also great people skills)
  • Even bank tellers

There is nothing wrong with working side jobs, it is often necessary, or realizing your theatre skills can be put to use in a whole different way. The reality is that the more you know about the world the more you can bring that into your theatre work. I also realized long ago that if we want to open theatre up to more people, we also need to get outside of our theatre bubbles and interact with other people. I love when student productions in our Department have a bunch of staff from McDonalds or the Apple Store attend because their co-worker is in the production. This broadens our community!

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The Business of Theatre: Pathways to a Career in Theatre Copyright © 2023 by Hope McIntyre. All Rights Reserved.

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