Workplace skills and abilities

Key Workplace Skills in the Performing Arts Sector

Teamwork: Essential in almost all areas of performing arts. This includes collaboration in rehearsals, sharing ideas, accepting feedback, and understanding everyone’s role in a production.
Communication: Crucial for both verbal and non-verbal form. Sharing ideas, giving and receiving feedback, liaison with other departments, or conveying a character’s feelings in a performance, all require strong communication skills.
Creativity: The essence of the performing arts. Whether it’s imagining a unique concept for a new theatrical production, creating a character from scratch, or improvising when something goes wrong mid-performance, creativity is key.
Time Management: Punctuality for rehearsals and performances, meeting production deadlines, and managing preparation time effectively.
Problem solving: Essential for overcoming challenges that arise in varied contexts, from scheduling conflicts to technical issues during a performance.
Adaptability: As the performing arts sector often demands change in response to varying scripts, venues, characters, or audience reactions, adaptability is a key workplace skill.

Essential Personal Traits in Performing Arts Sector

Resilience: Psychological strength to handle constructive criticism, rejection and long, variable working hours is required.
Passion: A love for the arts can carry individuals through challenges, motivate self-improvement and inspire others.
Discipline: The self-control to maintain a rigorous rehearsal schedule, stick to character even when not performing, and the physical discipline required for dance or stunts.
Confidence: Necessary for auditions, performances, and expressing ideas with conviction in a group environment.
Reliability: Demonstrating dependability through punctuality, meeting deadlines, and delivering consistent performances.

Importance of Workplace Skills and Abilities

Facilitate effective collaboration and communication amongst a diverse range of roles.
Drive creativity and innovation, pushing the boundaries of the performing arts sector.
Ensuring all aspects of a production are carried out within the set timeline through efficient time management.
Helping to minimise the impact of errors or problems during live performances with effective problem solving.
Allow workers to thrive in an ever-changing environment through adaptability.

The personal traits - resilience, passion, discipline, confidence and reliability - are not only valued in performing arts, but are often integral to the working process and environment within the sector.