Entertainer or Variety Performer
What the work is
Entertains by performing a variety of acts using a mix of acting, singing, dance and movement skills.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Creates and performs individual performance routines that can include acting, singing, dancing and speaking
- Collaborates with other entertainers and artists to create joint performances
- Creates and maintains costumes, props and sets for performances
- Adapts performances to suit different venues and audiences
- Promotes performances through marketing and advertising efforts
- Attends auditions and casting calls to secure performance opportunities
- Manages and maintains personal brand and image
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a small theatre company in the last week of rehearsals before opening night. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A scene that never worked in rehearsal suddenly lands, and you feel the room go quiet
- A school group stays behind after the show to ask how you do it
- A cast that has become a family by the end of a long run
Hard days
- An audition where you give your best and never hear back
- Work between jobs that has nothing to do with acting, to pay the rent
- A note from the director that changes everything you had rehearsed for weeks
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 231135, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.