It takes more than skill to work well in the world of theatre.  Skill is important, but attitude can play an equally large factor in your hireability.

Why these tips are important: 

I once worked with a painter who was practically impossible to get along with.  She was opinionated, moody and quite willing to stomp all over those around her to get her way.  While I usually really enjoy my job, I was so grateful when that contract was over so I would never have to work with her again.  The kicker is that she was really an excellent scenic artist in terms of skill.  Her work was beautiful.  Her attitude was not.

The theatrical community is a very small one.  It was not long before this person’s difficult personality became her reputation.  It’s a shame, but her inability to play well with others destroyed her career before it really had a chance to get off the ground. 

Generally speaking, working theatre is not a path to massive wealth.  People who work this business do so because it is their passion.  There are times it is a job, just like any other career path, however the love of this art form is what keeps us all here.  This is high stress business.  “The show must go on,” takes on all new meaning when everything is behind schedule or when things are not going as planned.  In those times, the crew must pull together and act as a team.  When that happens, while it is still stressful, there is this bonding for the “suffering for one’s art” that takes place.  It is a special experience.  When the team does not pull together everyone is miserable… it only takes one person to cause such misery. 

So, the bottom line: This is a collaborative art.  You must be able to play well with others and remain upbeat under stress, or you may find yourself with more and more difficulty finding gigs.  Assuming you have some level of skill, if you prove to the world that you are a team player, or better yet, that you are one of those rare people able to ease the mood during hard times, you will begin to notice work finding you rather than you finding work.

Tips:

1. Be positively proactive.  Things will go wrong.  Sometimes you will be behind schedule.  When these things happen take the approach of “How do we fix this?” rather than playing the blame game.
2. Be honest.  When you interview for gigs, don’t exaggerate or belittle your abilities.  If you aren’t comfortable with your abilities, why should they be?  If you exaggerate, they will all know very shortly after you start working. 
3. Don’t throw in the towel.  Try your hardest.  Sometimes it gets rough, and it’s tempting to want to quit.  Quitters don’t get good references, and do get a reputation. 
4. Stay healthy.  Sometimes you can’t, however injuries and illnesses at the peak of stressful times are treated with suspicion.  They create situations where everyone else must to work more because one person has issues.  It’s one thing if the illness or injury is massive and legit.  Cutting off your hand, or having a heart attack are excusable.  Missing a load-in for something more minor will cause resent.  Doing so repeatedly is even worse.
5. Don’t yell in anger.  If you aren’t in charge, you can get fired quickly for a fit of temper.  Technical Directors often have reputations for yelling, however the ones who don’t are the ones I’m willing to give a price break when negotiating my salary.  Reserve the yelling for emergency situations, so everyone knows that yelling means pay attention, not tune out.
6. Sometimes you will have a personality conflict with someone.  Learn how to work cheerfully even with people you don’t like and don’t badmouth them.  Challenge yourself to create an upbeat work environment even while working with a difficult individual.  Everyone will appreciate the effort.
7. Always be open to knowledge.  People love to impart what they know on others.  A willingness to learn will earn the respect of those who want to teach you as well as increase your skill and knowledge level.
8. When offering advice to others, do so in a non-judgmental, non-threatening manner.  Instead of criticizing someone’s technique, offer suggestions.  For example, “I recently learned this technique for what you are doing there, and it made my life easier.  I couldn’t believe I didn’t know it before, so I’m spreading the word.”  That is much less threatening than, “You know you’re doing that the hard way, right?”
9. Analyze yourself and how you work with others, focusing on what aspect of your attitude you can improve.  A personality analysis, such as the Myers-Briggs one can help with this effort.
10. A little bribery goes a long way.  Mistakes happen.  If your mistake affects someone else, bring them coffee in the morning or something they enjoy.  If you need a favor, acknowledge that you are asking a favor.  When people feel as though you care about their extra effort, they are happier to put in that extra effort.
11. Make every effort to keep the work serious and the mood light.   Doing a great job feels great.  Having fun while doing a great job is incredible. Getting to the end of a great job, with great people who all had a blast doing the great job is a huge part of why I love this business.

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