BWW Blog: Monica Furman - Senior Year, Week 2: The Importance of Performer Professionalism

This semester, I am enrolled in two theatre classes--Shakespeare II and Business of Acting. For the latter, we have a workshop-style class every Friday where we discuss our preparations for our BFA Showcase and post-grad plans, as well as meet with industry experts. This week, we met with a Los Angeles casting director who spoke about the importance of being professional, which is what sparked this blog post.

At Chapman University's Department of Theatre, each student is evaluated on several aspects of their dedication to their respective program. For professionalism, a "score" is determined and can be changed depending on a student's growth throughout the four years. Personally, I believe that by Chapman instilling professionalism during my undergraduate career will stick with me in the future. Talent can only do so much, but when it is coupled with hard work and dedication, it makes a performer stand out. As someone who has been an actor and a student director/leader in the department, here are my tips for being professional:

1. Respond to every single email.

I cannot convey how many times I've convinced myself that I've sent an email meant for my ensemble into the abyss of the internet because I've gotten no replies. Even a reply with a period will suffice; just let me know you've read it. It is a relief to know that I've managed to successfully contact and relay information to another living being through technology.

2. Be on time (read: be early).

If your audition or rehearsal is at 9:00, show up at 8:45. It doesn't matter if the casting director/stage manager is running behind; the fact that you showed up on time removes one less problem from the chaos. When the production or project starts on time, it can end on time or allow the ensemble room to explore their characters deeper in front of the director, whose time is very valuable. Instilling this time management skill within yourself during undergrad will translate to post-grad when you're (hopefully) doing Equity workshops, where time=money. People will want to hire actors who save them money.

3. Be nice to everyone in the room.

You never know who knows who. It is important to be courteous to everyone, from the audition monitor to the janitor. Theatre is a small world, both in undergrad and professionally, where news gets around fast. At one of my marketing internships, I heard a rumor about something a lead actor did, and I was nowhere near the rehearsal stage!

4. Say thank you.

Even though in professional productions, the creative team and crew are being paid to be there doesn't mean it hurts to be appreciative. Whether you're saying it outloud, through an email or a handwritten thank-you note, showing gratitude has never been a bad thing.

5. Do the work.

It doesn't matter if you believe you are incredibly dedicated and passionate about acting. If you don't externalize this drive by actually putting in the time to do work outside of your BFA classes and to come to rehearsal prepared, you do not look like an actor who cares to the director or professor. Getting a BFA is usually expensive, so sacrificing a little bit of social time to analyze your script is well worth it when you're paying almost a quarter of a million dollars to study theatre.

6. Own up to your mistakes.

Going back to the time=money concept of commercialized theatre--Don't apologize. Admit your mistakes and own them. If you were late or didn't come prepared, acknowledge it out loud and think on what that says about you as an artist. Take the opportunity to work on yourself (hey there, Stanislavsky) to make sure these mistakes never happen again.

I hope these tips help you out and encourage a new way of approaching how to be a great artist.

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