Thursday, October 30, 2014
The Show Must Go On: Working When Sick
2AMt: The 2014-15 theatre season is underway, causing me, desperately, to try not to fret over photos of strangers in first table reads as they begin to train their instruments to say those words (repetitively) throughout the rehearsal process and within eight shows a week (plus student matinees). I see actors hunched in their seats around a table, script in front of them, and want to transport myself into the room and just “fix” things – not only because of the physical issues and their impact on vocal power and resonance I addressed in the post about The Impact of Technology on an Actor’s Body, but also because I know what happens to a body when the other shoe drops. You see, the theatre season for most companies coincides directly with cold and flu season.
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9 comments:
Having a cold and still working a show is often my least favorite thing to do in the entire world. I always know that I should just stay home and get better, but it never feels like an option. These techniques for getting better more quickly are interesting and I will most likely try them out once it gets colder. It is also nice that this article admits that we strain our bodies even when we shouldn't. Most people would say go home but that isn't always an option. When articles show off the reality of life, it makes me happy.
This is actually useful for everyone, not just onstage actors. No one in any profession works well with a cold. Everyone will be a bit more sluggish because of the lack of breath. Everyone should read this article. The technique that she uses for her actors actually seems like it might work out for just normal everyday colds for normal days, not just when you are about to perform. A lot of people do not take care of themselves, so it is great to actually have a way to make you feel better even when you are feeling the crap. This article speaks the truth of everyone!
Because actors rely so heavily on their body and voice, it's terrifying when those tools are weakened by an illness. I remember getting sick during rehearsals for shows and being so worried about the performances. It's almost a taboo to take a sick day as an actor, a sign of true weakness or lack of commitment to your profession.
It's dangerous that actors can be so focused on the job at hand that they forget to take care of themselves, especially during flu and cold season. I think it's important to know your limits and to take care of yourself so you don't further damage your body and voice.
Having colds and still going to work is the WORST no matter what your occupation is. Even going to school while your sick is bad too (but what are you going to do? Miss class? Get penalized? Not get an award for perfect attendance? But even so, I've always said that it must be even harder for actors, dancers, opera singers, and models because their physical being is their job. I have friends who are opera singers and a lot of them stopped eating certain foods to protect their throat (no more dairy protects, not tomatoes, etc.). They're job involves using their body to do something. They aren't sitting at a desk coughing, sneezing, and using the computer! They are presenting themselves in front of an audience and using their body to communicate something. If they're sick, well, it interferes with the story telling! This is very useful and I like that it gives the pros and cons to different techniques because it's more trustworthy now.
Wow! I never realized there could be such a process to making yourself feel well. It's amazing how when a person must so intensely rely on their body to work, as actors do, they discover the most bizarre ways to cure themselves and get back on their feet! I can't even imagine how scary it is to be and actor or singer whose voice was suddenly taken away. Although I imagine it might be like a designer suddenly losing mobility in their arm, becoming unable to draw or write. Next time I am sick, I just might try this process, although it does seem a little intense and strange!
Over here in Stage Management world we've been having a lot of discussion about what to do when you're sick and we've realized that the hardest thing to do is to admit that you need to take a break. The hard thing is that everyone feels irreplaceable which to a certain extent is correct. Not everyone can be Neil Patrick Harris as Hedwig. However, taking care of yourself should be your first priority in theater because if you don't, there isn't much time to take a break and really heal vs. just sustaining at 'good enough to go onstage'. This is hard for stage managers too because who else knows the show like we do? We feel like if we leave, we're jeopardizing the success of the production when, truly, we could call in backup...or go without one of the ASMs for the night. Would the world really end if that cup doesn't go onstage? Doubt it. If you're so sick that you're possibly going to make everyone else ill then it's really time to stop lying to yourself and take the time to make yourself healthy. You wouldn't want to spend more time than needed being sick, because then you're really hurting the rest of the show and not just yourself.
It's crazy to me that actors get sick and still perform. When I have a minor cold, everything is so much harder, work, breathing, existing (dramatic, but truthful). And or an actor so much of their job centralizes around their bodies, and they do some fairly extreme work which can be taxing when the body is in perfect health. Being at 10% less than optimal or less I feel can be extremely evident, and detrimental to the overall product. So I'm more than surprised that an article would give tips to cheat the illness and not take the necessary rest. Having that all said and done, I am sitting in TV project filming with a mild concussion, trying to casually support the project. The truth is that we care way to much and prioritize our craft and the art over selfceare, though logic shows that by taking better care of ourselves, and taking downtime when necessary to work at our highest capacity.
Isn't this what under-studies are for? At what point are you sick enough to bring in the under-study? I know we don't work with them here at school, but I think it's pretty standard to have an under-study for major roles in the professional world. The worst possible scenario when an actor gets sick is that they should continue to come to work and risk infecting the rest of the cast. One actor going down to the flu is one thing, the whole cast quite another. If I were a producer investing a lot of money in a show, I think I would have a "No Work When You're Sick" clause in all the contracts. In general I'd much rather an employee miss a few days of work than have the flu disrupting the capacity of the show, or office, or shop... So please, if you're feeling sick, don't come to school. You can miss a class or two.
Freshman year, I was under the mentality that it didn't matter if I was sick or not, I should go to class. This, literally, wasn't a healthy practice. When you're sick and keep working, you keep your body from being able to heal itself. At the end of the day, theater is a job. If you can't do your job, you shouldn't be a work. However, that's easier said than done. Along the same line as Abby, I firmly agree that if you're sick, it's more important for your to stay home and get better and also not to get everyone else sick. It's kind of selfish, but I hate being near people who are sick. It goes like this: if one person is sick and they need to call out, we'll fill in the gaps for them. We can do that. But if you continue working and refuse to get better, you run the risk of infecting lots of people and if there are now 7 people out sick... then you have a problem.
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