​When I do workshops all over the country, I am always encountering the same question: “My kid wants to go into theater… what do I do?!?!?!”
The look of fear and concern from the parent is evident.
I usually have to unpack the discussion to find out what exactly is their concern about a degree in the arts?
Always, the answer is: “They will never make enough money to survive….”
This has led me to talk openly about what I have learned from my training in theater. I learned:

• How to take $50 and make an amazing set that challenges and excites audiences.
• To motivate people to work for very little, or nothing, in order to accomplish a goal.
• To manage difficult personalities, and to discover ways to communicate that could bring individuals together to work in a team.
• How to engage an audience (customers) into paying money for my product, and how to make them think they can’t live without what I have to offer.

 
In short, I learned sales, fiscal responsibility, leadership, management and presentation skills.
 
Theater training is leadership training. Taking the talents of others and directing them into a cohesive project, which is inclusive of all of their abilities, is a skill that only a true leader can accomplish. Listening, responding, and motivating others to work towards a goal larger than their own individual part is the essence of leadership. Creating theater is the essence of leadership.
 
So, when a concerned parent asks me that question, I always say “Let them.” The truth is, your child will learn more about themselves (authenticity) and more about others (emotional intelligence) then they will in any MBA program. They will learn how to tell a story, motivate a team, and use whatever resources they have to make a vision come true.
 
Theater is the skill we all need and use everyday. And if you don’t have it, find an actor to teach you.

Find out what theater training can do for your team - email Andrew today!

In over twenty years of teaching, I have met many individuals who have taken a progression of classes (levels 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500) with the plan of becoming an ‘expert.’ They complete all the classes, and then feel as if they are finished. They reached the last class, and are now 'experts.'
The idea is planted in our heads by most higher education. I go to school, I learn things, I take a test, I get a degree and I am an expert.
Tests are binary. There is a right, and a wrong. You get graded. Some people pass, some fail.
This is the mindset of a ‘test taker.’ 
In acting, it doesn’t work that way. When you are an accomplished actor and getting hired everywhere, you STILL have to practice and stay active. It is a skill you NEVER WIN. You constantly work on, and you get better, and you keep learning. If you consider yourself finished learning, you stop being an actor.
Why is that? I believe it is because the arts are eternal; you can see the same Shakespeare play over and over, and hear something new each time. It can suddenly be relevant to where you are now, as opposed to where you were five years ago. It can help illuminate you current world. Just like a balance sheet is a snapshot in time for a business, the arts can be a snapshot in time for your life.

So ask yourself;

• Am I closing off new learning by considering myself an expert?
• What can I do to learn more?
• How do I get 1% better each day?

One thing I coach my clients is rather than focusing on what is the same, focus on what is different. By focussing on the new, we can explore find the creative experience in each situation.

Click here to email Andrew for information on coaching, workshops and presentations for your group.