Jack of All Trades
**Originally posted 5 JUL 2016
There's the old adage: "Jack of all trades, master of none." Except, it's not true. Not for everyone. The problem with this quote is it makes it sound like it's not possible to be a master of multiple trades. If you're involved in any aspect of the performing arts, you hopefully know just how untrue this statement really is.
When I was in college and debating between the BFA and BA degrees, I opted for the BA. Some people have called me lazy for that choice. I think they're just being narrow-minded. They don't understand why I made my choice. You see, when I was studying theatre, there was no way to get a BFA with a focus on performance and a focus on tech theatre. We were forced to choose. I wanted to do both. In fact, I even took a couple of business classes because I also wanted to learn arts management. I was one of those.
I made my own path.
You see, for me, it wasn't enough to just be an actor on stage, or someone working the fly rails. I didn't want to just design costumes or be a box office agent. I wanted to know and understand how to do it all. So, I basically wrote my own BA path. I wasn't lazy (I probably worked twice as hard as my classmates because I was 'learning it all') and I didn't slack on seeking out and learning the things I wanted to know. (I attended a lot of seminars and one-day offerings.) Now, less than twenty years later, I look back on that decision and I realise it was the best decision I could have ever made. And, I would encourage anyone else to make it - as long as you understand just how much work is involved.
In April, The Chronicle of Higher Education posted an article about why Theater majors are vital. (I had to get past the fact that they spell "theatre" wrong every time. "Theater" in the US is a space/building; "Theatre" is the discipline. Bygones.) Perhaps there was a word-limit, perhaps I'm always seeking for someone to write about my experiences, but it felt incomplete when it came to talking about the importance of theatre.
Does theatre matter? YES! That's why I've worked, played, and experienced theatre since I was too young to remember exactly when I started. (Though, it should be noted that to me the television and film industries have always been theatre, just in a different medium. Like drawing and ceramics are both studio/fine arts with different media.)
But the article was missing something. Something that has become vital to me as I've worked on all sides of theatre over the course of my life. It seemed to focus on acting and called that "theatre". Which is unfortunate, because I learned some of my most important life-skills through the technical and design aspects of theatre. Through theatre (the full discipline with acting, designing and working crews), I learned to be a "Jack of all trades."
Jack of all trades. Full stop.
Period. I can't tell you the number of people who've said to me: "You've only been doing this for two weeks, but it feels like you've been doing it for years."
Adaptation. A skill I learned in theatre. Less from acting and more from my tech and back-stage work. I know that probably surprises a lot of folks who've focused just on performing. Actors go out on stage and do their thing. And if you're not self-aware, you force everything around you to conform to your idea. When actors do that, it's the tech crew that has to adapt and change.
Because I stayed with the BA and forced myself to learn everything that wasn't 'in the box', I also never got into the infighting that often happens with productions. "Without actors, there wouldn't be a show" / "Without lighting designers, you wouldn't see the actors" / etc. Personally, I always like to add: "Without the production managers, no bills would be paid." and "Without writers the actors wouldn't have anything to say".
And to me, this is the most important thing about theatre. It is one of the very few disciplines that if you don't have all one-hundred people working towards the same end on a production, then the whole thing turns to utter crap.
When I was hired at a children's theatre, I was introduced to the primary stage managers, the directors, education managers, etc. I said, "Well, this is great, when do I get to meet the people who design the posters and programs? When do I get to meet the people who manage the budget and payroll?"
The people taking me on the tour asked me why I wanted to meet them. I explained: "Well, the graphics designers are the ones who catch the public's eye to get them to come to the productions. And do I really have to explain the importance of the person managing payroll?"
To me, those folks are all involved with the production as well. They are no less important than anyone else on the production. To that end, have you ever watched all of the credits at the end of your favourite television program or film? All those people get listed there, even down to 'cheque writers'. So many people forget about those individuals: the "paper pusher" side of theatre. But, to me they are vitally important and without them, any production would be a hot mess.
Theatre is an all-inclusive (and encompassing) discipline, all parts of it inform all other parts of it.
Today, I work for a university fine/performing arts department as the program manager for the entire department. (So I'm part arts manager, part production manager, part receptionist, part human resources, part course manager, etc.) And that has taught me a lot about theatre as well. Especially now, as I'm writing a play. This is because theatre is an all-inclusive (and encompassing) discipline, all parts of it inform all other parts of it.
Let me offer an example. Back in the day at my uni, anyone who even gave a hint of an interest in Tech Theatre, would rarely be cast in a production because we were needed to work the tech aspects. (It had nothing to do with talent or ability, it was all about needing warm bodies to run the production.) So, my senior year when I was 'finally' cast in a major role, all the actors were shocked that I was such a good actor. (That's opinion, so neither here nor there. Ask me, and I would say, 'I did okay.') But, all the techies commented on how I was clearly a 'techie' and how that made me a better actor in the production.
They said that with good reason. My Character had this hat. (Really, why give actors hats on stage??? It screws up all the lighting.) And the hat was intentionally too big for me. This meant the hat constantly fell across my face. A person who just does 'acting' would be annoyed that the hat was always falling into their eyes and how stupid are the costume designers? (Really one of the acting majors told me that after one of the performances.) But, that wasn't my approach, nor my concern. I was worried, because the hat kept causing very strange shadows to be cast across my face. (Thus screwing up the lighting design.) So what did I do? I created a 'nervous tick' for my character (she had many anyway) where she would move the hat's position every now and then. That way, no weird shadow on my face and it added another dimension to my character's physicality. (Because that's always fun!)
I didn't complain about the costume design. I didn't complain that the lighting design didn't incorporate the issues with the hat. I adapted and just made it part of my character. Easy peasy. But, not something all actors do. I did because I understood costume and lighting designs. And I respected the work of those individuals enough to know that all those elements had to work together. I also knew that it wasn't their job to make it work for me. It was my job as an actor to find a way to make all those elements work together with my character.
What I'm trying to say is that my experiences of working backstage, sewing costumes, and learning design aspects informed the various 'actor choices' I made throughout the production. (Adaptability.)
My knowledge and experiences of tech, design, as well as acting, play a large part in my work as program manager. Because I know what the production team is looking for, I know what is expected of me and how best to bring everything together in a way that makes sense to the broader university. (What other department buys MIG Welders for "Educational purposes"? No one. It's important that I know and understand these things so I can justify such purchases to the university.)
Such knowledge helps playwrights too!
Most importantly, all of these come together as I write my play. Okay, so there are a lot of playwrights out there who say they don't need to know anything about theatre to write the play. To an extent, that's true. But have you ever tried to take such a writing and turn it into a production? Some of the expectations from the directions of the playwright simply could never work on stage. In film or television, maybe, but not on stage.
As a playwright, I'm making very specific decisions about the set, sound design, and cast for my play. I'm not making these decisions because it's an historically based play. No. I'm making these decisions thinking about the different stages where this play might be produced. I want a small high school to be able to produce this play and I don't want it to feel too differently than if a professional company were to stage it. I don't want different productions of the play to feel overly different just because they have different budgets.
Basically, as a production, I want the play I'm writing to be accessible to anyone who wants to produce it. Mostly, that's because I find this topic to be so important. I feel like everyone should see and experience it. (If I ever finish writing it!) I can do that because of all of my experiences; because I understand how all the different parts work together; because I have that level of awareness.
I realise I haven't even talked about the 'other ways' that theatre has helped me in life: I can do a bit of electric wiring, I can do a bit of plumbing, I can do a bit of painting, I can do a bit of construction. I can do all of these things because of what I learned through theatre. (And most importantly, I know when I'm in over my head and have to call for help!)
The article in the Chronicle wasn't bad, in fact it made some very important points when it comes to the benefits of acting. (Especially that we can literally walk in someone else's shoes.) It was just incomplete. If you're going to talk about theatre, you can't stop with acting, or you're missing quite a lot of ways in which theatre is vital to our lives.
After all, it is through theatre that we all have the chance to become a "Jack of all trades."