That Working on a Burlesque Show Taught Me How to Learn to Work
Last weekend, I helped put on a Guardians of the Galaxy burlesque show. Lacking experience in theater, and even more so in burlesque, I was barely prepared for my duties. Here’s what I learned about working under pressure when you have no idea what the hell you are doing.
My girlfriend invited me to work on a show hosted by the local burlesque band Hysteria Machines . I managed the microphones and made sure everyone had the microphones they needed when they needed them. I studied television production, so I was kind of familiar with it, but as soon as I arrived, I took on a few other responsibilities, I was completely unprepared for. Many jobs are like that. You walk into work on your first day expecting one thing and find that you have five more responsibilities that you’re not sure you’re ready for. Fortunately, if you’re willing to learn on the go, you can solve many problems even if you don’t know all the details.
Do your homework, don’t wait for someone to do it for you
When I first joined the show, the “job” I held did not exist. I got a very detailed table showing who should have a microphone and at what time. However, this document does not indicate when the microphone unit was changed. The spreadsheet was a great tool for people manipulating the sound for the show, but since my job was to manage the microphones of the actors themselves, I needed something a little different.
A week before the first presentation, I started creating my own spreadsheet. I tracked every mic change, who got the mic, who they got it from, and how much time we had backstage to do it. During the show, it was an invaluable tool. If I had waited until the show time to sort this out, something would have gone terribly wrong, and it would have been my fault.
It’s nice to think that your employer will give you step-by-step guidance for everything you need to do. In real life, this usually does not happen . Sometimes it’s your job to figure out your work. You may have to build a project from nothing, or turn the disorganized stream of chaos into an orderly process. However, you have two choices: complain or do it.
If you choose the latter, independent research becomes your best friend. In my case, I realized that I have a problem, but also that I need to solve it myself, a week before the start of the performance. Nobody told me that I needed to do this, but I took the lead. Don’t wait for someone to tell you exactly what you need to do. Ask or search for the problems you are most likely to run into, identify the tools you need to solve those problems, and then either get those tools or build them.
Get the job done now, save your feelings for later
Preparing early proved to be a great decision. As soon as the show started and had my microphone swapping blocked, I ended up as an assistant director, who is essentially the director’s gopher . I had a backstage phone booth connected to a sound booth. When I heard the command sound through this box, my task was to carry it out.
When you work in the theater, simplicity is inherent in you. It can be a very stressful environment, but everyone knows that what happens on stage matters more than anything else. If someone says to do something, you do it. If someone says to get out of the way, you get out of the way. So when the voice in the phone booth called out “Where is Deadpool ?!” or “Why is there no mark on Thanos’s throne?” I didn’t have time to get upset and claim that I was just a microphone, even if I wanted to. I relayed the message immediately or resolved the issue.
Of course, no one likes to do what is in fact someone else’s work, for which he has not prepared or even knows how to do it. It’s easy to get angry or angry when someone barks at you about something you didn’t know you had to do – or even how to do it. Your first instinct, when you’re off balance, is likely to overreact . It is useless at the moment. Instead, acknowledge these emotions and make a mental note to deal with later when the fire is out.
When you put your emotional reactions aside, you usually find that one of two things is true: either the reaction was just nervous and you really are okay, or there is a legitimate abuse problem that needs to be addressed. In my case, it was usually the first. Everyone on the show was professional and supportive, but the loud noises coming from the scream box are always annoying and the urgency usually leaves no room for delicacies. As I waited for the opportunity to indulge my reactions, I was able to separate the urgent problems (which is a great strategy for emotional disputes in general ) from the immediate reactions. This brings us to the next important step.
Ask for help as soon as possible and as clearly as possible
We put on two shows, one on Friday and one on Saturday. The first performance was fantastic, but not without sharp edges. After a short night’s sleep, we got together on Saturday afternoon. I took this opportunity to address every issue I encountered during my last talk. I worked alongside the producer, director and director to solve every problem we faced.
There was no whining, no complaints – remember, my emotional reactions were dealt with earlier – and all the participants received the tools they needed to make the show run smoother the second time around. I have coordinated with the stage workers to improve our communication when something is out of place. I spoke with a couple of actors to sort out the technical issues. Result? Saturday’s show went much smoother.
It is tempting not to mention the problems you are facing. If you need to ask for help, then you can’t hack it, right? I, too, could reasonably come to this conclusion: I have never worked in the theater, and some of the actors on stage had more experience behind the scenes than I did. When you don’t quite understand what you are doing, imposter syndrome and fear can creep in . Both make you do stupid things, like not asking for help when you need it.
But not asking for help when you need it is pretty unprofessional. If you don’t know how to do something, or if you don’t have the necessary resources, you only put everyone at risk, whether you work in a team of office workers or work behind the scenes like me. In any case, ask for what you need . I was lucky to work with a friendly team that knew what they were doing. Not every team is like that, but if you ask for help, there is a chance that someone will judge you badly. If you do not ask for help and screw up, they will realize that you can not handle. It’s better to get the resources you need than to indulge the fear that comes from not being in your element.
Get to know everyone
If I wanted to focus solely on my work on the show, I could easily wait for the last dress rehearsal before the show. I could get a rundown of what I need to do, email me the schedule, and keep my nose out of anything that wasn’t my business. Instead, I asked to come to every rehearsal I had time for.
I didn’t go because I expected everyone to drop everything to talk to me into the microphone. Instead, I just wanted to get to know the people and the show itself. I had time to learn the names, have some useful conversations, and get comfortable with everyone in the room. On a personal level, it was nice to make new friends. On a professional level, it was extremely helpful to know who is doing what and who I can turn to for answers. Whenever I needed to ask a director a question or get help from a stage operator, I didn’t need to ask who the person was or explain to them why they needed to talk to me. We already knew each other.
The people you work with are your most valuable asset in most jobs, but when pushed into a new job, it’s important to get to know everyone as soon as possible. In addition to knowing who and what to talk to, collaborating with the people you work with can fuel your passion for the job .
At the very least, give yourself time to introduce yourself to everyone . Learn the names and titles of each … Get contact information for the people you need to talk to in order to get your job done. If you can make friends, that’s even better. The more people around you want to work with you, the easier it is to get the job done. When you’re busy with work, every little friction you can reduce helps.
Flexibility helps more than anything. I had a unique experience of participating in an amazing show that I was completely unprepared to work on – all because I did not enter it, expecting to half screwed up or just stayed in my corner. Not all jobs are the same, but most can benefit from the same strategies. Who knows, you might even find that everyone is in control and you are not as lost as you thought.