25 Skills, Traits and Qualities everyone Needs to Know!

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Here's a list of twenty-five skills, traits, and qualities of personality that are uniquely well-developed in individuals who become involved in community theater.

Take special note of them. They are more extensive and important than perhaps you may realize. and as you read through them, consider how many of these skillsets can be transferred to your daily job and make you a more valuable employee to your company.

1. Oral Communication Skills

Being involved theater helps develop the confidence that's essential to speaking clearly, lucidly, and thoughtfully.

Acting onstage teaches you how to be comfortable speaking in front of large audiences,  giving you additional experience talking to groups. Furthermore, your work on tech crews well teach you that clear, precise, and well-organized oral communications are best. Oral communication skills are so important to some employers that they often send management trainees to special workshops. Here You'll already have an advantage.

2. Creative Problem Solving Abilities

You'll learn to exhibit creativity in such areas as acting, design, playwrighting or directing, and many companies prefer to recruit creative thinkers. But employers are not always aware that theater experience also helps you learn creative problem-solving techniques that are applicable to many jobs. Tell them!

• For one example, tech theater work--building scenery, hanging lights, making props, running the show, and so on--is a particularly good way to learn how to think on your feet, to identify problems, evaluate a range of possible solutions, and figure out what to do.

• The same is true of almost every aspect of theater. Directing. Design. Acting. Playwriting. Management. And more.

The point here is that your creative ability, what you've learned about using creative processes to solve problems, can be directly applicable to virtually any job you may find yourself in. And  most major companies believe that a creative problem-solver will become a better employee. That's you.

3. More than "get it done"

In theater just "getting it done" isn't enough. Not in the least. It goes beyond that. At Miss Abbagail's Playhouse you will learn to do it correctly. We're not merely "getting the show on the boards" that pure amateurism and totally unacceptable. Whatever your theatrical job--tech, performing, research, management--it has to be done right . You will learn to take pride in doing things at your very best level. Of course your employer will value that trait as well.

4. Motivation and Commitment

Being involved with Miss Abbagail's Playhouse productions demands commitment and motivation. You will discover that by being a part of Miss Abbagail's Playhouse family, "We teach each other that success comes to those who are committed to the task at hand." Few other disciplines will so strongly help you develop motivation and commitment.

Many theater volunteers learn to transfer that attribute from theater to other activities in your daily jobs. For employers, that positive attitude is essential.

5. Willingness to Work Cooperatively

Work within Miss Abbagail's Playhouse will teach you how to work effectively with different types of people--often very different types!

Theater demands that participants work together cooperatively for the production to success; there is no room for "we" versus "they" behavior; the "star" diva is a thing of the past. Miss Abbagail's Playhouse is a family and therefore will gently let you know when you violate the the family spirit of the production.

In theater, it's important that each individual supports the others involved. 

• Employers will be pleased to know that you understand how to be a team player.

6. The Ability to Work Independently

At Miss Abbagail's Playhouse, you'll often be assigned tasks that you must complete without supervision. Crew chiefs, Directing, Putting together this flat, finding props, working out characterization outside of rehearsals. It's left up to you to figure out how best to achieve the goal.

• And the ability to work independently is a trait employers look for in their workers.

7. Time-budgeting Skills

Being involved with Miss Abbagail's Playhouse forces you to learn how to budget your time. You need to schedule your days very carefully if you want to keep up your busy schedule with rehearsals, work calls, and the other demands that theater makes on your time. 

• Good time management skills are enormously important to employers.

8. Initiative

Personnel managers call people who approach work with initiative and drivee "self-starters," people who do what needs to be done without waiting to be asked, without needing to be told.

The complexities of a theatrical production demand individuals who are willing to voluntarily undertake any task that needs to be done in order for the production to succeed. In theater, we're all self-starters. We've learned how to take initiative, to move a project from initial concept to finality--and to do it well.

9. Promptness and Respect for Deadlines

Tardiness is never acceptable at Miss Abbagail's Playhouse, because it shows a lack of self-discipline, and more importantly, a lack of consideration for others. Being late for a rehearsal or a work call or failing to finish an assigned task on time damages a production and adversely affects the work of many other people. Theater demands that you arrive on time and meet scheduled deadlines.

• That's a job-skill Employers appreciate in workers that are on time and do their work as scheduled.

10. Acceptance of Rules

At Miss Abbagail's Playhouse everyone needs to work within the structure of a set of procedures and rules that deal with everything from shop safety to behavior at auditions, rehearsals and work calls.  Being a "good follower." is not just a theater principle, it's just as important a concept in the outside world - and that's valued in any organization.

11. The Ability to Learn Quickly--AND Correctly

Whether your'e memorizing lines or learning the technical aspects of a production, you  must have the ability to absorb a vast quantity of material quickly--and accurately . Your work in Miss Abbagail's Playhouse will show that you have the ability to grasp complex matters in a short period of time, a highly-valued trait to employers.

• Note that part of this ability is another significant trait: knowing how to listen. If you don't listen, you're likely to make some major error that will damage the production. Listening is a skill for any job and an employer will respect your ability to do so and comprehend.

12. Respect for Colleagues

For a successful production Miss Abbagail's Playhouse requires contributions from everybody who's involved. Mutual respect is essential. Working on a production teaches us to respect and trust the abilities and talents of our colleagues.

And any prospective employer will appreciate the fact that you have learned the importance of respecting your co-workers.

13. Respect for Authority

Only one person can be in charge of any given portion of a production. The director. The shop foreman. The tech director. The designer. At Miss Abbagail's Playhouse everyone learns to willingly accept and respect authority. That's a trait employers look for in their workers.

14. Adaptability and Flexibility

To be involved with Miss Abbagail's Playhouse  everyone must be adaptable and flexible. You need to be willing to try new ideas, accept new challenges, and have the ability to adapt to constantly changing situations and conditions. In one production you may be a member of the prop crew; in the next perhaps you're in charge of makeup, publicity or the box office; in a third production you might have a leading role.

• A worker who is versatile and flexible is highly valued to most employers; both traits prove that you are able and willing to learn new things.

15. The Ability to Work Under Pressure

Theater work often demands long hours. There's pressure, sometimes, a lot of pressure. It's important that everyone involved with a Miss Abbagail's Playhouse production be able to maintain a cooperative and enthusiastic attitude under pressure. The ability to remain poised under such tensions in an asset that will help you cope with stress in other parts of your life, including your job.

16. A Healthy Self-Image

To work in theater, you must know who you are and how to project your individuality. While at the same time, recognizing the importance of making yourself secondary to the importance of the production. This is a tricky balance that, although difficult to accomplish, is a valuable trait that employers treasure.

17. Acceptance of Disappointment & Ability to Bounce Back

Theater people learn to deal with dashed hopes and rejection on a regular basis. Who hasn't failed to get a role he or she really wanted or a coveted spot on a tech crew? You learn to accept that kind of disappointment and move on and you try again and again.

• Employers need workers who are resilient enough to bounce back from this kind of frustration.

18. Self-Discipline

Theater demands that you learn how to control your life. More than others, you are forced to make choices between keeping up with responsibilities and doing things you'd rather do. Although we can't imagine you'd rather be anywhere else but Miss Abbagail's Playhouse, Nonetheless learning to govern yourself is a trait any employer will respect.

19. A Goal-Oriented Approach to Work

At Nonetheless many aspects of a production involve setting and achieving specific goals, either as a team or individaully. In employer's terms, learning to be task-oriented and capable of finding practical ways to achieve goals.

20. Concentration

Miss Abbagail's Playhouse is a busy theater environment, and being involved in a production while also taking a heavy personal career load, one must learn to concentrate if they are to succeed. Acting can be a particularly stressful concentration, but once you have mastered the skill as an actor, it can be transferred to many other activities.

21. Dedication

As you work in theater you learn to dedicate your very being "to doing your best" to create a successful production. There is dedication to the show, to theater as an art and to your home theater ~ Miss Abbagail's Playhouse.

Many theater volunteers discover that committing oneself to a given task is deeply rewarding. And Employers respect workers who have learned the value of dedication.

22. A Willingness to Accept Responsibility

Miss Abbagail's Playhouse often provides an opportunity that is seldom given to others in outside of theater. The chance to take on sole responsibility for a special project as a production stage manager, a designer, a crew chief, a director.  And outside of community theater other's seldom have anything even close to these responibilities. Take them on a you can expect employers to value this unusual ability.

23. Leadership Skills

At Miss Abbagail's Playhouse, you may have many opportunities to assume leadership roles. You may, for example, assist a director or designer and lead other volunteers, serve as a crew chief, or even design or direct a production yourself. In the nurturing environment of Miss Abbagail's Playhouser, we strive to help you learn from mistakes so you become a better leader. Leadership training like this can open the possibility for comparable opportunities in the companies that will eventually hire you.

24. Self-Confidence

Within Miss Abbagail's Playhouse our goal is teach you confidence in yourself. Your accomplishments our theater production show you that you can handle a variety of jobs, pressures, difficulties and responsibilities. You will develop a "Yes, I can!" attitude ~ instead of saying "it can't be done" you will ask, "When do we get started?".

• Of course an employer will treasure your attitude just as much.

25. Enjoyment -- "This is Fun!"

Through your involovment with Miss Abbagail's Playhouse, it our gereatest hope and desire that you will discover what so many other theater people learned ~ that is to mystify civilians when you say we're having fun, non-theater folk shake their heads when we tell them that!  They ask how it is possible to have "fun" in a job that keeps us working night after night, sometimes until after midnight, doing something that calls for a grinding rehearsal or work schedule day after day after day, that makes us miss going to a movie or a concert or out to diner with friends. ~ "That's fun?"

Yes it is. We've learned how to find enjoyment in what we do, and that's a valuable attribute that Miss Abbagail's Playhouse wishes to pass on to our future generations.

• And that can adapted to other jobs, find ways to enjoy other activities. That positive attitude will mean a great deal to any employer.

Beyond the personality skills and traits mentioned above

There are the Industrial Arts skills like technical proficiency with various materials and tools, design thinking, measurement accuracy, safety procedures, and fabrication techniques such as:

• Woodworking
• Metalworking
• Welding
• General Machine Shop
• General Painting and Faux Finishing Techniques
• General Plumbing
• Electrical & Electronics
• Automotive service
• and overall shop safety.

Then there are the many other "Building and Fabrication" skills needed at Miss Abbagail's Playhouse, such as: Sculpting, Mold Making, Resin Casting and Lay-up, Wardrobe Design and Creation, Furniture Refinishing, Lighting Techniques, Texture Mapping and Basic Engineering Principles, Technical Drafting & Design and the ability to Read Blueprints.

Learn more about Miss Abbagail's Playhouser and our Fine and Industrial Arts passions and our mission to promote these arts, alone with our history in the community. We're proud to be a guiding force for the art scene in Greeley!