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www.theage.com.au: They were 30 hours that turned Matthew Henderson's life on its head. Back in March, the respected theatrical stage manager lost three friends to suicide, all of whom he had worked alongside in the entertainment industry.
This is terribly sad, and it's awful to say I'm not surprised. There are some heavy constraints put on us by the industry we work in. Low pay, long hours, and a general departure from what most Americans consider living a "normal life" all contribute to many people in our industry's depression. I think this is a topic that, for the longest time, the leaders in our industry have just swept under the rug. I am hopeful that depression will become less present amongst the people who work in entertainment now that this topic is being given a "spotlight." Depression and suicide are not only impacting the people in entertainment who are ill with depression, but it is also clearly impacting the tight knit "families" they have made in the theatre industry. I cannot imagine being in this stage manager's shoes, hearing of 3 friends who have taken their lives in under 30 hours. I think we need to focus not only on how to help those with depression, but also how to help the friends and colleagues of those people cope with this reality. While the statistics given in this article are definitely alarming, I would like to see them compared to other specific industries such as finance, engineering, fine art, etc. Maybe there are practices we can learn from other industries with low suicide rates.
"The results of that survey of 2900 people, ranging from singers and actors to roadies and riggers, found that the rate of attempted suicide in the industry is more than double the rest of the population. In the past 12 months, workers in the entertainment industry considered taking their own lives almost seven times more than the general population."
Oh my god?? I really had no idea. After reading the article, everything made sense. Friends in the theater world to me, both performers and technicians, often joke, "Theater is my whole life." For a lot of them, that's pretty true. When you spend twelve hours a day in rehearsal for months on end, the people you work with become your family. But the bad part of that is, then there is no escape from theater. How many actors have been back stabbed by someone they considered a friend? How many directors have played favorites? How do these things affect people's relationships? When bad things happen in the theater, they affect some people like how family troubles would.
And yeah, low pay, long hours, little reward doesn't exactly make for the greatest working conditions. It's not surprising that that would lead to a considerable amount of stress in someone's life. Along with the fact that the exact kind of people who usually go into theater - artistic, emotional people - are often prone to mental illness such as anxiety and depression and you have yourself a big, looming, terrible issue. It is good the community is coming together to acknowledge this issue, but how much more can be done for performers and technicians currently struggling?
In the past 12 months, workers in the entertainment industry considered taking their own lives almost seven times more than the general population.
Think about that.
I feel much the same way Cassidy does about the whole "theatre is my life" idea, but taking that to such a far-reaching extreme is a terrifying thought. No one is born into this business, everyone that is in the field has the choice to get out and make their lives better if they feel like they are missing something. If 10/12s aren't your thing, readjust your life goals! When more than 40% of Australian performers have been diagnosed with mental illness, you start to see a problem with the system at large. If half of a nation's actors can't handle acting, then why do they do it? It's not bringing them joy. The harrowing statistic for most is probably the 63% of people living under the national minimum wage. It can't be easy to live that way, especially when all you want is to be recognized for your craft. The sadness makes people turn to drugs, the drugs make you more sad, and the cycle continues. This article is one that everyone should read, if only as a cautionary tale. No job is worth losing your life over, and if you aren't happy, you've already lost.
The fact that the people who work in the theatre industry think about suicide seven times as much as any other person is pretty... scary. Yes, the industry is very demanding on everyone who is a part of it, from the long hours of concentration and high stress levels it is understandable that those aspects would have some affect on you. I think a lot of people who are in the theatre business are those who decided to follow their dreams and break the status quo, sure we have all herd 'don't do something your heart isn't in or you'll be miserable' but no one tells you exactly how hard following a dream can be too. I agree that this topic is not nearly discussed as often as it should be. Before reading this it really never occurred to me, but it now I can really see the affects. I think theatre is something that a lot of people love investing all of their time and being into but even if you love it, I can see how that can have a strain on a person. I believe more should be done about this subject, whether it be simply informing those in the industry and the general population or finding ways to stop this phenomenon.
The statistic that nearly 1 in 12 theater technicians have attempted suicide is extremely troubling-if we were to take that statistic and apply it to the DP major in the school of drama, it means that 8-10 DPs in the school of drama would have already attempted suicide at some point in their life. Other statistics, that 36% of technicians reported "suicidal ideation" and 59.5% of entertainment workers have sought help for mental health issues, are even scarier because it really illustrates how easy it is to let this industry consume you. We work in an extremely fast-paced and emotionally overwhelming environment, and often end up neglecting both our physical and mental health in order to devote ourselves to the industry, and that has serious consequences on our well-being. I know that among my friends I come across as a nag because I pester people about doing basic things like eating, sleeping, and drinking water, but I know from experience that neglecting these seemingly basic things can turn into a seriously deep rabbit hole if you're not careful. Taking care of yourself and looking out for others who may not be taking care of themselves are some of the most important things we can do to combat these troubling statistics.
Suicide is never a weak option or a form of “copping out.” Those who push themselves to such limits only do so because they feel like there is no other way out. In some ways, it’s easy to add up the factors that might lead to increased percentages of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and suicide within the entertainment industry. Like the article said, the industry is a cut-throat business. There is no room for screwing up and nearly everyone involved isn’t getting paid enough to do the work they do. Theatre and working in the entertainment industry truly has to be out of passion for the art form because otherwise, it’ll only lead you into a deep, dark abyss. It sucks to say that this is the “nature of the industry”-- that being sleep deprived and stressed is almost a prerequisite to working in the industry. I was speaking to one of my professors at CMU the other day and I asked him how much sleep he gets in comparison to how many hours he works. He told me that he worked 2 jobs- his first one in the morning from 8am to 3pm and the second one from 3pm to roughly around 11pm. He gets on average 4-5 hours of sleep a night which qualifies for being sleep deprived. The only changing factor in this case is the fact that he enjoys his work and that he’s dedicated and would rather lose sleep than not work. Sometime it scares me knowing that making it big is very slim but that’s a gamble that I’m willing to take. I didn’t go into art or theatre expecting to make millions (but if that’s a by-product, then hell, sign me up); if that were the case, I would’ve slaved myself over in medical school and ended up depressed and stressed anyway. Might as well be stressed over something you love doing than something you don’t.
We have a problem with talking about suicide, and rightfully so. It's really difficult topic to talk about considering that at this point in our lives, we've probably known someone who has attempted or gone through with the act of killing themselves. Some people might say that "depression and anxiety are becoming a more rampant aspect to our lives" but that's not true. The reason why "everyone is depressed these days" it that people are coming to terms with their depression and putting a label on it. 40 years ago, when mental illness was a lot more stigmatized, there were probably more undocumented cases of mental illness. Now, it's making its way to becoming less of a taboo subject. On the topic of theatrical technicians being mentally ill, it doesn't surprise me. We, as a breed of people, have a hard time separating work and home. On top of that, the little amounts of sleep we get turn into a competition. Who is suffering more for their art. Who is working more hours. Who hasn't slept in 4 nights because they've been cuing or what have you. Our brothers and sisters in this industry come before any show we put on, and its time we start changing the culture that we tell ourselves that we succeed in. We don't have to suffer to be successful.
In the entertainment industry, there are a lot more workers than jobs. Even when a person gets a job, there is very little to no job security. Shows close within weeks of opening, or they can stay open for ten years. There is no way to know beforehand, and you often just have to take the jobs you can get. This stress of constant anxiety and uncertainty can be detrimental to one's mental and emotional health. In addition to that, the amount of judgment that inherently goes into art adds another level of stress to performers, directors, and designers. Having your work seen and criticized by thousands of people a day is a very difficult thing to separate yourself from.
8 comments:
This is terribly sad, and it's awful to say I'm not surprised. There are some heavy constraints put on us by the industry we work in. Low pay, long hours, and a general departure from what most Americans consider living a "normal life" all contribute to many people in our industry's depression. I think this is a topic that, for the longest time, the leaders in our industry have just swept under the rug. I am hopeful that depression will become less present amongst the people who work in entertainment now that this topic is being given a "spotlight." Depression and suicide are not only impacting the people in entertainment who are ill with depression, but it is also clearly impacting the tight knit "families" they have made in the theatre industry. I cannot imagine being in this stage manager's shoes, hearing of 3 friends who have taken their lives in under 30 hours. I think we need to focus not only on how to help those with depression, but also how to help the friends and colleagues of those people cope with this reality. While the statistics given in this article are definitely alarming, I would like to see them compared to other specific industries such as finance, engineering, fine art, etc. Maybe there are practices we can learn from other industries with low suicide rates.
"The results of that survey of 2900 people, ranging from singers and actors to roadies and riggers, found that the rate of attempted suicide in the industry is more than double the rest of the population. In the past 12 months, workers in the entertainment industry considered taking their own lives almost seven times more than the general population."
Oh my god?? I really had no idea. After reading the article, everything made sense. Friends in the theater world to me, both performers and technicians, often joke, "Theater is my whole life." For a lot of them, that's pretty true. When you spend twelve hours a day in rehearsal for months on end, the people you work with become your family. But the bad part of that is, then there is no escape from theater. How many actors have been back stabbed by someone they considered a friend? How many directors have played favorites? How do these things affect people's relationships? When bad things happen in the theater, they affect some people like how family troubles would.
And yeah, low pay, long hours, little reward doesn't exactly make for the greatest working conditions. It's not surprising that that would lead to a considerable amount of stress in someone's life. Along with the fact that the exact kind of people who usually go into theater - artistic, emotional people - are often prone to mental illness such as anxiety and depression and you have yourself a big, looming, terrible issue. It is good the community is coming together to acknowledge this issue, but how much more can be done for performers and technicians currently struggling?
In the past 12 months, workers in the entertainment industry considered taking their own lives almost seven times more than the general population.
Think about that.
I feel much the same way Cassidy does about the whole "theatre is my life" idea, but taking that to such a far-reaching extreme is a terrifying thought. No one is born into this business, everyone that is in the field has the choice to get out and make their lives better if they feel like they are missing something. If 10/12s aren't your thing, readjust your life goals! When more than 40% of Australian performers have been diagnosed with mental illness, you start to see a problem with the system at large. If half of a nation's actors can't handle acting, then why do they do it? It's not bringing them joy. The harrowing statistic for most is probably the 63% of people living under the national minimum wage. It can't be easy to live that way, especially when all you want is to be recognized for your craft. The sadness makes people turn to drugs, the drugs make you more sad, and the cycle continues. This article is one that everyone should read, if only as a cautionary tale. No job is worth losing your life over, and if you aren't happy, you've already lost.
The fact that the people who work in the theatre industry think about suicide seven times as much as any other person is pretty... scary. Yes, the industry is very demanding on everyone who is a part of it, from the long hours of concentration and high stress levels it is understandable that those aspects would have some affect on you. I think a lot of people who are in the theatre business are those who decided to follow their dreams and break the status quo, sure we have all herd 'don't do something your heart isn't in or you'll be miserable' but no one tells you exactly how hard following a dream can be too. I agree that this topic is not nearly discussed as often as it should be. Before reading this it really never occurred to me, but it now I can really see the affects. I think theatre is something that a lot of people love investing all of their time and being into but even if you love it, I can see how that can have a strain on a person. I believe more should be done about this subject, whether it be simply informing those in the industry and the general population or finding ways to stop this phenomenon.
The statistic that nearly 1 in 12 theater technicians have attempted suicide is extremely troubling-if we were to take that statistic and apply it to the DP major in the school of drama, it means that 8-10 DPs in the school of drama would have already attempted suicide at some point in their life. Other statistics, that 36% of technicians reported "suicidal ideation" and 59.5% of entertainment workers have sought help for mental health issues, are even scarier because it really illustrates how easy it is to let this industry consume you. We work in an extremely fast-paced and emotionally overwhelming environment, and often end up neglecting both our physical and mental health in order to devote ourselves to the industry, and that has serious consequences on our well-being. I know that among my friends I come across as a nag because I pester people about doing basic things like eating, sleeping, and drinking water, but I know from experience that neglecting these seemingly basic things can turn into a seriously deep rabbit hole if you're not careful. Taking care of yourself and looking out for others who may not be taking care of themselves are some of the most important things we can do to combat these troubling statistics.
Suicide is never a weak option or a form of “copping out.” Those who push themselves to such limits only do so because they feel like there is no other way out. In some ways, it’s easy to add up the factors that might lead to increased percentages of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and suicide within the entertainment industry. Like the article said, the industry is a cut-throat business. There is no room for screwing up and nearly everyone involved isn’t getting paid enough to do the work they do. Theatre and working in the entertainment industry truly has to be out of passion for the art form because otherwise, it’ll only lead you into a deep, dark abyss. It sucks to say that this is the “nature of the industry”-- that being sleep deprived and stressed is almost a prerequisite to working in the industry. I was speaking to one of my professors at CMU the other day and I asked him how much sleep he gets in comparison to how many hours he works. He told me that he worked 2 jobs- his first one in the morning from 8am to 3pm and the second one from 3pm to roughly around 11pm. He gets on average 4-5 hours of sleep a night which qualifies for being sleep deprived. The only changing factor in this case is the fact that he enjoys his work and that he’s dedicated and would rather lose sleep than not work. Sometime it scares me knowing that making it big is very slim but that’s a gamble that I’m willing to take. I didn’t go into art or theatre expecting to make millions (but if that’s a by-product, then hell, sign me up); if that were the case, I would’ve slaved myself over in medical school and ended up depressed and stressed anyway. Might as well be stressed over something you love doing than something you don’t.
We have a problem with talking about suicide, and rightfully so. It's really difficult topic to talk about considering that at this point in our lives, we've probably known someone who has attempted or gone through with the act of killing themselves. Some people might say that "depression and anxiety are becoming a more rampant aspect to our lives" but that's not true. The reason why "everyone is depressed these days" it that people are coming to terms with their depression and putting a label on it. 40 years ago, when mental illness was a lot more stigmatized, there were probably more undocumented cases of mental illness. Now, it's making its way to becoming less of a taboo subject. On the topic of theatrical technicians being mentally ill, it doesn't surprise me. We, as a breed of people, have a hard time separating work and home. On top of that, the little amounts of sleep we get turn into a competition. Who is suffering more for their art. Who is working more hours. Who hasn't slept in 4 nights because they've been cuing or what have you. Our brothers and sisters in this industry come before any show we put on, and its time we start changing the culture that we tell ourselves that we succeed in. We don't have to suffer to be successful.
In the entertainment industry, there are a lot more workers than jobs. Even when a person gets a job, there is very little to no job security. Shows close within weeks of opening, or they can stay open for ten years. There is no way to know beforehand, and you often just have to take the jobs you can get. This stress of constant anxiety and uncertainty can be detrimental to one's mental and emotional health. In addition to that, the amount of judgment that inherently goes into art adds another level of stress to performers, directors, and designers. Having your work seen and criticized by thousands of people a day is a very difficult thing to separate yourself from.
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