Want to be a successful actor? Performers who know success follow a set of guidelines that help them maintain their integrity but also keep the peace in the theatre community. Below are the top 10 rules every actor lives by.

Be on time.

You’re choreographing a production of A Chorus Line, but three of your actors are late. You can’t continue without them, and they didn’t even call to let you know they were going to be late. Frustrating right? A scene may rest on you being there. Be respectful of everyone’s time and arrive on time.

Don’t be like Don Draper from Mad Men.

No phones!

Picture this: you’re directing the nation’s first high school production of Hamilton, but one of your actors keeps taking selfies while you’re giving blocking notes. NOT COOL. Most of the time, if there’s an emergency, director’s will allow actors to answer calls. In any other case, when you’re in rehearsals, put your phone away.

Don’t be like this kid.

Be nice during your costume fitting.

I know you hate wearing those pants. You’re like, “My butt does not look that flat in real life.” It’s okay to think that, but when you’re in the presence of your costume designer, remember that they have a creative vision for their costumes just like you do for your character. Cut the designer some slack and be nice.

Don’t be like Marcus Anthony Copeland II from White Chicks.

Write down your blocking and your notes.

Ever fall off a stage? Yeah. It’s awful. When you take blocking and notes from your director, make sure to write them down so that, when you’re playing Hellen Keller, you remember that there’s only 1 inch between you and a stage dive.

Don’t be like this girl.

Don’t gossip!

You know what feels worse than falling off a stage? Having your reputation soiled by gossip. You know it hurts, so don’t hurt others by doing the same. Be nice to everyone, and try your best to work through issues or problems you have with a director, an actor, or a technician instead of spreading gossip.

Don’t be like Regina George from Mean Girls.

Be quiet during rehearsals.

You’re playing Ophelia and you’re rehearsing your big pre-drowning scene in front of everyone. All of a sudden, another cast member starts talking about the most recent season of Pretty Little Liars. You lose focus and you forget your line. Sucks, right? Be respectful of everyone’s needs during the rehearsal period.

Don’t be like Lucille Ball.

Listen to your technicians during cue to cue.

If you were trying to act and somebody kept interrupting you, you’d be pretty mad, right? That’s how technicians feel when they try to work on something, but they’re constantly interrupted: an actor walks out of their light, a singer won’t stop riffing long enough for the audio technician to restart the song, a dancer won’t stop pulling on their costume’s feathers. Pay attention to your technicians during tech week. Or a light may accidentally fall on you.

Don’t be like this kid.

Don’t ad lib or change lines in the script.

If you were a playwright, you’d want the performers acting your material to adhere to the words you wrote, right? Make sure you stick to the script, and unless your director tells you to ad lib, say the lines on the page.

Don’t be Barbara Maitland from Beetlejuice. (Your mouth will hurt.)

Don’t touch other people’s props.

You put your handkerchief right there and now it’s gone. GONE. You’ve only got thirty seconds before your entrance, and the handkerchief is THE WHOLE SCENE. You know it sucks to lose your props, so don’t touch anybody else’s.

Don’t end up like Luke Skywalker.

Don’t phone-in a performance.

You’ve never seen Wicked on Broadway before, and tonight’s your first night…but the girl playing Elphaba thought it was okay to be stay at 4 instead of rising to a 10. Sustain your energy and effort for all performances. Because if you do phone-in a performance, there are always understudies that would gladly take your place.

Don’t be like Ed from Parks and Rec.

But for real — all professional actors live by a code. A few of them are listed below. On this site you can find a comprehensive list of guidelines Actors Equity Association expects their performers to live by when working in theatre. Do yourself (and your cast and crew) a favor:

• Don’t be late.
• Put your cell phone away during rehearsals.
• Write your blocking down. When you’re given notes, write them down too.
• Be respectful of your costume designer and their time during your fitting.
• Don’t gossip. It’s rude. Respect your fellow artists.
• Be quiet backstage.
• Don’t touch props that aren’t yours.
• Pay attention to technicians during tech week.
• Don’t ad lib or make line changes to the script unless you’re told by the director.
• Never “phone in” a performance. Give it your all.