Please reflect on the challenges you are currently facing balancing your work on the show with the rest of LIFE.
THAT'S at good one! Balancing life and work? Yeah...
In all seriousness, I struggle with this A LOT. I take my responsibilities very seriously and that leaves little time for other things. I'm really starting to understand the difficulty of trying to maintain my personal relationships while doing one million other things, and this semester already seems like it is going to be a disaster. To give a little insight on what I'm battling with right now- on top of going to school full time (with a course load of 17 hours), I have been (until today when we opened Dog Sees God) rehearsing two shows back to back after a day of school. This has made the length of my day approximately 17 hours long, leaving little room for homework and NO room for socializing. Add on the responsibilities of being a president of two theatre organizations and working, it is safe to assume everything else comes second...which is why I haven't cleaned my apartment since sometime last week.
I think the reason as actors we tend (or at least in my experience) to grow close to the people we work with has a lot to do with time management. I am well aware that my personal life suffers during a show, it is a sacrifice I am willing to make. That's why my fellow actors become some of my closest friends- we spend all day rehearsing and developing a relationship on stage that it either a. causes me to pull my hair out and avoid any further contact with a person after closing or b. really draws me to a deeper and more intense friendship. The only way I can probably maintain sanity is by looking to these relationships as salvation, and hope that when everything is over that i don't lose my mind of boredom.
7 comments:
I think, as actors, we HAVE to find that balance between doing our job on stage and creating and maintaining our relationships outside of the theatre walls. Theatre, for me, has always had so much to do with relationships and how characters interact with on another. To sacrifice that aspect of our everyday lives, I think it'll eventually show up and affect the work we bring to the table. That being said, I completely understand how our relationships with our fellow performers can become so deep and profound, especially in college or in a tightknit theatre company. It's just a matter of keeping all that other drama that can crop up in theatre ON the stage as opposed to OFF.
I can't think of a single cast I've been a part of in which I haven't grown close to. Even when I was in shows that weren't very good, or that I downright hated, I managed to make some of my closest friends. For me, when a show closes, the hardest part is saying goodbye to the cast and crew (followed closely by saying goodbye to the character).
I think Addie got it 110% correct- our closest friends our are fellow actors, because we have no real free time outside of theatre, work, and school. But there's a little more too it. I'm about to be in my first show in about 9 months, and the past nine months have felt more like 9 years; it seems like I've forgotten HOW to socialize to anyone outside of the theatre world. Don't get me wrong, I've made friends through work, school, and the occasional party, but few have developed into a close friendship. But when I'm a part of a show, I bond so much easier. Something about the community of artists, striving towards a common goal, putting practically all of our time in energy into it... you can't help but make connections. Yes, conflicts will arise, but in 95% of the cases I've witnessed, there's still respect afterwards due to the passion that is shared to make an excellent show.
Oh the life of a college student/actor. It is ridiculous. We want to be "well-rounded" individuals, yet we have our passions and the things that we would like to focus on. It's interesting to me, because college and acting are both processes, and sometimes they don't always flow together as well as I would like. However you do find out a lot about yourself through both processes, and balance is definitely the keyword.
I agree with Addie on the time-management issue. Fitting 18 hours of school credit, (which means a lot more hours than 18 for a theater major) 10 hours of work, and at least 10 hours of rehearsal each week, plus homework. Well, you see how it builds up.
I used to be the person that could just take mental notes of my schedule, write a few things down, and stay organized. Now I have to take organization to a different level. I'm finding that I have to write down a lot more things and compile my thoughts a lot more. I have to write out a full days schedule so I can see where the blocks of free time are. I decided that since I have enough scripts, music, and information to memorize, maybe my schedule didn't need to be added to that list.
I guess it's all part of becoming a "grown up", (haha) and making yourself do things that seem monotonous just to prevent insanity.
I think something important that we haven’t mentioned that I need to keep sane as an actor/student is to have friends outside of the theater realm. I find that it is a breath of fresh air to step out of that world every now and then and be with people who don’t share your same passions and goals. Sometimes I think we get so caught up in what we love to do, that we forget there is a world outside of our major/performing. Now don’t get me wrong, I love my theater friends-I have found most of my deepest friendships with people in the department-however for me, I need to get away every now and then. When I do this I find it easier to truly appreciate what I have and what I'm doing!
In response to Mattie's comment: I think there has been only one cast that I was truly "close" with. I love getting to know actors/directors/crew members on a personal level. However, within the context of the word “close,” I am not saying “calling every actor, every day of the week” just to say “hi" or having a showmance with a fellow actor. The “closeness” that I am referring to is the respect, purpose, and drive for a show. The emotional, physical, and psychological effort that was invested in A Lie of the Mind by each actor/director/designer/crew member was something I had never experienced before. Everyone wanted the show to be thrilling, exciting, and edgy. We took risks not only in rehearsal and performance, but also in our personal lives. It was one of the most wonderful, horrific, and rewarding experiences in my theatrical career. A Lie of the Mind was an experience that I can only wish to be apart of again because it was truly life changing. Each member was passionate, dedicated, and vigorous to the demands of the project. This is what I hope to be apart of in the professional field. I think that if a situation were to arise where a person from that show needed me for whatever reason... wedding, funeral, or someone to talk to…. I would be there, no questions asked. I do not say this often because I am a self-proclaimed villain, however, I would be truly honored to work with any member of that company again.
In response to Kelly’s comment: YOU ARE TOTALLY RIGHT! I think everyone needs to venture out into the "real world" because it is a completely different way of thinking. Instead of being involved in the drama, I find it is always nice to take a deep breath and relax with others who are not involved in the entertainment business. It’s a nice breath of fresh air.
Hi, MIke Dailey here, Strawdog associate artistic director...
So, as an old man actor guy I have to say....get used to it. Especially as you break into the professional ranks (in whatever place that may be) be prepared to juggle work, art and friends. Your typical Chicago actor has a full time job, rehearses a show at night and also ducks out of the 'day job' to try to land some on-camera work. Sleep is a luxury and the real world slips further and further away. Your social group will most likely be other theatre folk, but my advice is to at least try to read the paper or watch the news so you have some idea of whats going on in the world.
Don't mean to be a Debbie Downer but
hey, if it was easy to be an actor, everyone would do it. Very few of your classmates will still be pursuing this profession in a few years, so you might as well know up front that its a lot of work and a test of your spirit.
Try to savor your time remaining at MSU as you will be surprised how quickly you will miss it once you leave.
I would just like to point out that Addie is also an adamant recycler and I think that is extremely important. It's a good way for us to become less involved with ourselves and give back to the environment. I think she deserves to be commended for both committing hardcore to this show and also caring about other causes. As some may know from my other comments, I am a big advocate of having a life outside of theatre, and I don't necessarily mean going out and partying but doing something simple like recycling!
Post a Comment