Across both stage and screen, Stephen Butterworth has been a familiar sight over the decades.

With more than 30 years of working professionally as a performer, he's racked up quite the credits lists. From international productions like Spartacus, Evil Dead, Power Rangers, Cowboy Beebop and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power  to local gems such as Insider’s Guide to Happiness & Prosperity, Nothing Trivial, Fresh Eggs, The Dead Lands, and Shortland Street, Butterworth has been a mainstay for TV audiences.

He's also a regular in theatre both here and overseas, including Pop -Up Globe performances in Richard III, Twelfth Night, and Romeo & Juliet.  Butterworth's set to add to that CV this month, as a devastated husband in A Doll's House, Part 2 - put on by Plumb Theatre and Auckland Live - at Herald Theatre from 14 November – 1 December. 

Butterworth's seen and learned plenty along the way, and has the following advice for creatives looking to plan their path.

Start with Plan B! 

The best advice I ever got was from the career’s advisor at Auckland University.

When I left school at 17 years old I called the advisory centre at the university and asked them “what do you think your best advice would be for me and my future. I want to be an actor and performer so what do you think I should take at university”. 

The reply I received was to perhaps get a degree first in your favourite subject other than performing or acting which happened to be geography, so I spent three years getting my degree in geography in case acting didn’t happen. 

Plan A spanned 35 year later, which needless to say was a successful, and remains a successful, career in the performing arts. COVID hit and then necessity to diversify became apparent and unlike Norway - where if you work for a professional company in theatre for five years you automatically become a paid citizen into retirement - New Zealand actors or performing artist are not offered any kind of retainer or retirement plan, so I needed to do something.

COVID continued to severely damage any professional actor, which made it impossible to continue as before. I won a scholarship to become trained as a secondary teacher and then one year later I became a drama teacher full-time. 

The fact I got a job this year full-time was based on that degree I got 35 years ago, so that advice - in hindsight - was the best.  

Avoid being a one-trick-pony 

If you want to be successful in the performing arts - work hard, add as many strings to your bow as possible. This will increase your range of possibilities of performing employment. 

Sing, dance, play music, combat, gymnastics, ride horses or a unicycle. Have someone in mind when you are inspired or want to achieve that level of professionalism in the industry and don’t kid yourself by thinking you are anywhere near as good until you know you are. 

Understand your greatness and your inabilities without ego. 

Humility and humbleness

Always remain humble. 

Nobody likes a bragging big mouth and the industry is small in New Zealand. If you get a reputation in the industry for being a diva or an upstart or overbearingly confident the word will get out and you will find less people will want to work with you. 

Respect everyone 

Always treat everybody on-set or in a theatre production with equal respect. 

Everyone from the janitor, to the theatre managers, the ushers, the canteen workers, the cleaners, the actors, the directors, the music, the sound and lighting, the staging department, the costume department - all of them. 

People are always willing to go the extra mile for you if you do. Treat them with respect, for their profession is an important part of making you look even better.

Black dog 

Acknowledge the big black dog but don’t let it bite you. 

See Stephen Butterworth in A Doll's House, Part 2 at the Herald Theatre, on from 14 November – 1 December.