You Need These Skills to Succeed in the Performing Arts

The performing arts are a notoriously competitive industry. If you want to have any chance of succeeding, you must have the skills required to succeed in this field.

The performing arts industry is a competitive field with high stakes. It takes dedication, patience, and determination to succeed in the industry. While many aspects of it can be challenging, you’re more likely to succeed if you have these skills.

What skills are needed for drama?

When pursuing a career in the performing arts, you need to develop skills that will help advance your career and assist you throughout your life. The following are a few important skills that may help launch or enhance your performing arts career:

Public Speaking / Presentation Skills

The performance world is centered around presentations. Whether you’re rehearsing a scene for acting class, singing a solo in choir rehearsal, or auditioning for a new play – the presenter must stand up and speak clearly and confidently before their audience. Practice makes perfect. Understanding public speaking techniques can be key to reaching one’s entertainment goals.

Critical Listening

There are many different kinds of stages with different kinds of audiences. Depending on the situation, you may need to hone in and focus your listening skills at any given moment. For example, paying critical attention to other actors onstage (listening for cues) or to members of an audience (determining meaning through dialogue) can help performers fine-tune their craft.

Teamwork

You must understand that teamwork is key in the performing arts world. Teamwork creates well-oiled productions, from assembling a choir and arranging harmonies to collaborating with other actors and directors in rehearsal. However, if you’re not a team player, this might not be the industry for you!

Time Management Skills

Related closely with organization and planning skills, individuals pursuing careers in the performing arts must learn to manage their time wisely. Rehearsals, classes, practice, performances, and travel can often be demanding and leave little time for anything else. Learning to stay on top of things early on will help prevent stress down the road.

Discipline

The life of a performer is not always easy. It can be downright challenging at times. Rejection is common, as are long hours and hard work. However, those who succeed in the performing arts often have the discipline to push through these tough times and focus on their goals.

Flexibility

With the ever-changing entertainment industry, flexibility is key. New trends come and go in the blink of an eye, and those that can roll with the punches tend to stay successful throughout their careers. However, if you can’t adapt to change, this might not be the industry for you either!

Self-Awareness

Before working on your craft, it’s important to know yourself and what you bring to the table. Understanding who you are as a performer is critical when pursuing an acting career or accepting an audition. Also, make sure that your strengths match up with the parts being cast – otherwise, things may get a bit awkward down the road.

Intellectual Curiosity

In addition to knowing oneself, one must also have the intellectual curiosity to succeed in the performing arts. The best actors/entertainers enjoy learning about themselves and how they work within their chosen mediums.