When I lived in Philadelphia, there were people and organizations I liked working for.  I worked for them regularly because they paid me adequately and provided a pleasant environment in which to work.  There were also people and organizations I respectfully declined.  Some I had worked for in the past and simply not enjoyed.  Others had reputations.  Regardless of the reason, when work was plentiful, it was easier to say no.

Now that I have moved to a more remote location, the rules of the game have changed a bit.  There isn’t as much work to choose from and I often wish I were working a bit more than I currently am.  It’s harder to say no, but even more necessary.  What are some reasons to turn down work?

1. Abuse- Some organizations do not understand the meaning of the words “living wage.”  A living wage is the biggest difference between a professional and a talented volunteer.  If you are not going to be paid adequately for your time investment, you shouldn’t take the gig.  Sometimes you learn the hard way.  If you find yourself in a situation where you said “Yeah, I’ll paint that show for $500,” only to discover that it is taking you 300 hours, you don’t quit.  For purposes of integrity, you need to find a way to finish your obligation.  However, you also need to let them know you are overworked and underpaid.  Give them a chance to make it right.  If they don’t, don’t work for them again and tell others who work in your field about your experience so they don’t make the same mistake.

2. Overbooking-  Every now and then this is a lesson I learn the hard way all over again.  If you book too much work for yourself, you need to find a way to get it all done or your reputation will suffer.  Not only is this a painful process, but if you are overbooked you probably are not doing your best work.  This could very well result in you not getting calls in the future from the people you are working for, which ends in you not having enough work later.  Figure out how much work you can handle and say no when more than that comes your way. 

3. Reputation-  Some organizations have reputations, both good and bad.  I once worked for an organization that had a reputation for not paying in a timely manner.  A number of months later I was paid after calling them at least once a week for a number of weeks.  The reputation was accurate.  I never worked for them again.  With the way people in theater hop around, sometimes a reputation can be outdated, however think very hard about what you’ve heard concerning the people you are thinking about working for.  While my experience concerned money, there are some reputations out there for unsafe work conditions… and in a career that depends a lot on your ability to work with your body that is a big risk.

4. Health-  If you aren’t heathy, you won’t do a good job.  Once you’re committed, you’re committed and anyone in theater knows that sometimes you work when you’re sick or in a bit of pain.  If you know you’re about to have surgery, don’t book yourself with work as a carpenter the following week. 

5. Circumstances- I just turned down a gig yesterday that killed me to turn down (which is actually why I’m writing this post on this topic).  A somewhat new local ballet company wants a Nutcracker tree that grows to over 20 feet tall.  I didn’t say no right away.  The details of the project really excited me and I soooooo wanted to figure out a way to do this.  It really could have been a nice portfolio piece.  I tried and tried to figure out a way to make it work, but the bottom line was that I couldn’t secure adequately sized shop space.  I could have broken the project up into pieces, but this process would have added significant time and labor to the project and the end result would not have been up to the level of excellence I expect from myself.  A potentially exciting project would have ended with me depressed and disappointed, and part of why I’m in this business because I get a certain amount of satisfaction from a job well-done.

I’m sure there are many other reasons to turn down gigs, but these are the ones I have experience with.  Have you ever turned down a gig?  Was there a time when you should have turned down a gig?  I invite you to share your experiences in the comments section below.