The challenges of balancing work on the show and the rest of life. Hm, well, this is something that I didn’t think would be too hard. At first. I have since been proven wrong. I think most of the student actors are in similar situations on this one. I am a full time student, I put in my hours at rehearsal and the work outside of the theatre, I have a part time job, I’m involved in multiple campus groups AND I have friends/family. The big deal for me is that I kind of suck at time management anyway so this is quite the challenge. I tend to procrastinate a lot, which is why this post is late; seriously, I’ve sat down to write this at least 4 times. Whoops.
I’m having trouble making a balance right now. My friends and family are the ones taking the brunt of this, I feel. I agree with Addie that the people in your cast/crew become your close friends, but those outside of the experience can’t be left behind. I’m trying to find time to go home and see the folks, but when I’m not in rehearsals or work, I’m trying to spend time with some important people here. And there’s always homework of course. As far as school and work go, I’m not a huge fan right now (except voice and movement, right?). Unfortunately, both are necessary.
So, in conclusion, I’m having a hell of a time with this particular balancing act, but it’s a ton of fun and I wouldn’t trade it for an “easy” life, which sounds more than a bit dull anyway.
I’m having trouble making a balance right now. My friends and family are the ones taking the brunt of this, I feel. I agree with Addie that the people in your cast/crew become your close friends, but those outside of the experience can’t be left behind. I’m trying to find time to go home and see the folks, but when I’m not in rehearsals or work, I’m trying to spend time with some important people here. And there’s always homework of course. As far as school and work go, I’m not a huge fan right now (except voice and movement, right?). Unfortunately, both are necessary.
So, in conclusion, I’m having a hell of a time with this particular balancing act, but it’s a ton of fun and I wouldn’t trade it for an “easy” life, which sounds more than a bit dull anyway.
3 comments:
It's been really interesting to see everyone talk about their relationships with people within their cast, and yet, the relationships that exist outside of the theatre realm seem to be left out in the cold. Not that anyone does this on purpose, I'm sure, but I think we all forget how easy it is to become consumed with whatever project we're involved in. And it's so important to have friends OUTSIDE of theatre; to be able to have those connections with people who keep us grounded and a part of the "real world". Being SO absorbed in theatre isn't smart or healthy...go out, meet new people, start a new hobby, or develop an old one, but finding balance from all the crazy theatre-ness is key to not going insane.
Howdy..a strawdogger here,
I had the same trouble in college. Theatre sucks so much time and effort that it was hard to maintain other ties. But the more I became involved in the theatre, the more my non-theatre friends became essential to my personal well-being. It was such a nice break to hang out with folks that had nothing to do with the shows I was working on. I needed that mental break. That being said, these non-theatre people had to be SUPPORTIVE of my theatre efforts or the relationship was toxic. I hope that's not confusing.
I definitely agree. It has been so important to me to have people in my life outside of the theatre. They keep me sane from all the going-ons and the chitchat that I hear daily within the department. It is so nice to be able to come home to someone (my roommate) who has no idea what is going on in my academic life and we can just chill.
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