Author Topic: "Unprofessional"  (Read 5716 times)

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KMC

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"Unprofessional"
« on: Apr 06, 2007, 03:24 pm »
I feel like this word is tossed around a bit too much in our industry, thoughts?
Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. -T. Roosevelt

ORTaurean

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Re: "Unprofessional"
« Reply #1 on: Apr 06, 2007, 03:54 pm »
I belive it's not only in theatre, but in the business world as well ( where I have my day job...)
Acting is standing up naked and turning around very slowly.
-Rosiland Russell

Mac Calder

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Re: "Unprofessional"
« Reply #2 on: Apr 06, 2007, 09:50 pm »
It is a lot worse in the TV industry - A friend who works as a Camera Man on a couple of AU TV shows has told me that the actors there are a lot worse - some refusing to work with "Illegitimate" actors (ie not trained actors). At least "Professionalism" in the theatre world has nothing really to do with Union/Non-Union, Paid/Unpaid, Trained/Untrained but more to do with accepted methods and attitudes.

centaura

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Re: "Unprofessional"
« Reply #3 on: Apr 07, 2007, 03:10 pm »
I think its often used too much, at least around me.  I see it turned into a catch-phrase for any behavior that someone finds fault with, whether that behavior is truly out of bounds or not.  I'm ambivalent about it, there are times when its the proper terminology.

-Centaura

KMC

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Re: "Unprofessional"
« Reply #4 on: Apr 07, 2007, 06:24 pm »
I see it turned into a catch-phrase for any behavior that someone finds fault with, whether that behavior is truly out of bounds or not. 

Centura - I think that's a more articulate way to state what my thoughts were when I started this thread. 

Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. -T. Roosevelt

MatthewShiner

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Re: "Unprofessional"
« Reply #5 on: Apr 07, 2007, 06:36 pm »
Considering some of the behaviour I get from professional actors, I think it might be a bit of a compliment.

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Anything posted here as in my own personal opinion, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of my employer - whomever they be at a given moment in time.

djemily

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Re: "Unprofessional"
« Reply #6 on: Apr 08, 2007, 02:47 pm »
In my personal definition of the word "professionalism" is not whether or not you are in a union or your level of training, it is how you ACT. If you are responsible and respectful then, in my mind, you have achieved professionalism. (I know that more adjectives can go in there, but at this point in time I can't think of any others) I believe that there are a number of actions that could make a person "unprofessional"- such as yelling at cast members (losing emotional control), bringing relationships to work (or favoring people because of an outside relationship), or dodging responsibilities.

Just my two cents.

BalletPSM

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Re: "Unprofessional"
« Reply #7 on: Apr 10, 2007, 09:24 pm »
I think in a very, very, broad sense, the word professional means that you get paid to do the work you do.  When we do educational programming, we define it as such -- when we ask the kids what a being a professional means, the correct answer is "they get paid."  (this is in reference to the dancers).  I am a professional stage manager.  Joe Schmoe at my bakery is a professional barista.  I work for a professional company, where other people get paid to be dancers, marketing directors, etc. 

My behavior must be professional, because I work for a professional company.  I am expected to act in a certain manner, simply because I am getting paid to do a job. When we cast students in company productions, they are expected to act professional -- i.e., they are expected to act as if they are getting paid to be there.  Now, people don't always adhere to this, obviously! 

When I do work for community theatres, nobody is getting paid (or getting paid much), but we are all still expected to act professionally, because we are working for a company where people are paying to see the show, and where other staff members are paid to make sure that you are doing your job.

As djemily says, in the theatre world, I think of it more as an attitude and manner than anything else.  I am professional, because I do my job well and I treat people well.  Other people, even though they're getting paid, are not professional, because they are rude, use bad language in front of the little kids in Nutcracker, talk back to the directors, etc. 
Stage managing is getting to do everything your mom told you not to do - read in the dark, sit too close to the TV, and play with the light switches!

avkid

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Re: "Unprofessional"
« Reply #8 on: Apr 11, 2007, 03:30 pm »
When I do work for community theatres, nobody is getting paid (or getting paid much), but we are all still expected to act professionally, because we are working for a company where people are paying to see the show, and where other staff members are paid to make sure that you are doing your job.

My thoughts exactly.
Philip LaDue
IATSE Local #21 Newark, NJ