TPi: In the live entertainment and touring industry, addiction is common. “I wanted to share my story, not for a pat on the back, but hopefully there is someone who can identify and who may be going through the same thing. It’s a tough industry with long hours, high pressure and often being away from home. Much of the time, alcohol, drugs and even over-eating is a coping mechanism. My message is that if you have a niggle in your mind that something is wrong, it’s not a niggle. Something is wrong. If I can do it, you can do it too.”
6 comments:
This article is really important, because addiction is a huge thing in the entertainment industry and people just don't really like to talk about it, or acknowledge it. I think that because touring especially is very unstable and inconsistent, people get sent down the wrong path. We all need something anchoring us, and sometimes when you're touring, you don't really get to have that anchor, which really messes with anyones head. I really think that the entertainment industry needs to do more to support it's designers, roadies, and even performers, because ultimately that's going to benefit everyone in the long run. With the amount of artists we have lost to drug abuse recently, or almost lost, it's made it clearer than ever that there is a much higher instance of drug abuse within the entertainment industry, and it's about time that finally changed. Addiction does not make better creators, it destroys them. It's time we let go of the myth that drug addicts are just a given in this industry, and instead start trying to help people.
I think this article is important because it shines a light on a very common occurrence in the live performance industry. Oftentimes I believe this industry is glorified because the general public only sees what the final product is and not everything and everyone that it takes to. I think this article sheds a light on an issue that is very rarely talked about or acknowledged. I think the honesty of this article and the willingness of him to share his story is what makes it so meaningful. He said that he wanted to write this article because he wanted someone to identify with his story and I am confident that there are people who do identify with his story and the trueness of this article helps his story seem more real and helps him to come across as a real person not just someone taking at us through the screen. I appreciate him telling his story and taking this call to action to help change this in the industry and to make sure to help the people that need help.
This is a really important article and a really important perspective. I also appreciate that it (very briefly) notes other forms of addiction besides the more commonly thought of ones. Addiction doesn't get nearly as much attention as it should, especially in the production industry, and especially with respect to non-traditional addictions. Compulsive overeating (more officially, binge-eating disorder) is a problem for thousands of Americans, and anorexia and bulimia are just as common, less talked about, and with mortality rates comparable to the most vilified drugs. Moreover, all three are addictions, just as substance addictions are. Recent research has shown that eating disorders may be a specific type of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Addiction needs to be talked about in the context of theatre, and that conversation also needs to include eating disorders and other behavioral addictions, not just chemical, substance addictions. Acknowledging these problems and seeking to combat them is the only way that they can be resolved.
This hit me right in the feels. In its early list of addictions, it mentions over eating. That sentence in the blurb on the blog made me want to read this article. I spent 6 years on the road before coming to grad school. Some of you might know that since the start of last year, my first year here, I have lost upwards of 50 pounds. A lot of the praise and comments I receive are on my diet, or how great I look, but the honest reality is that part of my success was realizing that I had become addicted to food in a terribly unhealthy way for a lot of the same reasons that Chambers became addicted to drugs and alcohol. A lot of my gigs were opera, which means I would get to a place, and within a month of arriving, I’d be feet first into tech. I wouldn’t have had any time to get used to the city. There is something incredibly comforting in finding that favorite food that’s easy to prep while walking around an unfamiliar grocery store at 11:30pm at night because you realized after rehearsal you didn’t have lunch for the next day. I would eat constantly—and not in the blood sugar management way that I do now of every four hours popping up and going “Snack! It’s time for a snack!” like a toddler, but in the way that included my hand in a chip bag constantly. Even when I got a gig close to home with a familiar grocery store, I was so in the habit of getting home from rehearsal and eating some chips at midnight, that I continued to have an unhealthy relationship with the food I was putting in my body. That’s why I’m very clear about “Not a diet! It’s a lifestyle change” because it is. It has to be. I’m not touring. I have a home, and a schedule, and I have forced myself to find time to not be at Purnell. I use what we have in Purnell to help me keep a healthier relationship with food going. Addictions to drugs, alcohol, work (yes! work!), eating disorders, and other invisible illnesses stemming from the stress of touring, or gig life, contribute to burn out. I cannot emphasize how important it is to always keep checking in with yourself. Don’t be afraid of letting your support group back home keep tabs on you. There is nothing inherently with being larger in body weight, but when you put it on the way I did by developing an addiction, there is a danger of other issues. Am I grateful that my addiction was donuts, not drugs? Heck. Yes. Much tastier. 10/10 do recommend chocolate glaze with sprinkles. Will take donations of donuts every Saturday morning, as it is decreed to be donut day. But I have watched other people go with drugs instead of donuts, and it’s not pretty. Some people are built for tour life, and if that’s you I applaud you, but keep an eye out for those who tour with you who might be struggling. It’s not an easy thing to do for everyone.
I've always known/heard that addiction was more prevalent in the touring world and live entertainment. As the article states, "It’s a tough industry with long hours, high pressure and often being away from home. Much of the time, alcohol, drugs and even over-eating is a coping mechanism." This summer I worked in live concerts, and saw first hand how tiring and high pressure these gigs were. Touring pace is often non-stop, with very high stakes especially in the financial realm. Some tours bus and truck, others fly and truck or some combo, but even still, these people are away from home for long stretches of time. Many of the crew for a stadium tour I worked first question to me was where was the closes liquor store and what were the hours. That said, a lot of the people who had been working in the concert industry for a long time remarked how the addictions have shifted in what was popular, and that they have seen a drop off of heavy drug use to some extent. Catering is important to provide food and a space to break and relax, and having greenroom/break rooms for more than just the talent is key. Having hospitality rooms that can accommodate a whole crew that have tvs and sofas are also really great additions to a space, as without the crew, the talent can't perform.
I agree with everyone in their responses about how important this topic is. The use of substance abuse in theater is very unsettling and how normalized it has become is absolutely ridiculous. A couple months ago, one of my favorite artists, Mac Miller, died of a laced cocaine overdose. This death really stuck with me for weeks because of how often I listened to his music and how young he was. Art is how people try to heal and it can become an entertainers only escape when they feel they have nothing else. Bringing the conversation to light I feel will truly help people in the business that are going through this can bring themselves to overcome it easier. When fixing the problem becomes normalized and frequently talked about, it can affect the influence in a way more positive way on younger and more naive generations of entertainers in the business.
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