Live Design Online: T.S. Eliot wasn’t wrong when he called April the “cruelest month.” In the United States, suicide rates begin to spike during the spring, from April through June. People in the live event industry are particularly vulnerable to mental health issues as they work long hours, often during traditional family time such as weekends and holidays, and frequent travel can increase feelings of isolation.
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I think one of the hardest things for me in the pandemic as a theater artist and lover is that I struggled to remember the importance of live theater. We resort to movies and film as entertainment and forget the utter magic of being there in the room where it happens. We also lost so much security, as this article discusses, because there was no way to REALLY make our art into an online or covid-safe experience. It is wonderful that there is a community with resources and care for each other in this industry, especially in hard times such as the pandemic. But outside of the isolation and quarantine of this period, mental health is an issue for entertainment workers and everyone who relies on non-traditional employment such as night watchman, security guards, even retail workers. Some don’t get the luxuries of consistency that come with the typical 9 to 5.
I am reading this article and thinking to myself, “how can my mental health get worse between now and April.” I didn’t know that a spike like that occurred in a month such as April. The only thing that points to this for me is how draining April can be for a student. You’re pushing to get through the semester and just want a break but April is one of the only months in the school year that doesn’t have any days off. Considering how intense this program is, April will likely be rough just like this article suggests. I suppose that this can be my reminder to surround myself with the people I love and remember that it will pass. It does make sense that this industry challenges people’s mental health quite a bit, it is hard, taxing, and competitive. But with that said, one of the reasons I have found so much success in theatre is because I use it as an escape from my mental health, an opportunity to be in control and just forget about myself for a while.
It's interesting to read that suicide rates peak in the month of April. I guess I had always assumed that it took place in the winter due to seasonal affective disorder caused by the stress of the holidays and shorter days. Though I really am curious as to what the impetus is to lead to the spike of April.
For me, it's important to get away from the city now and then and just enjoy being outside, so the Springtime and Summer are probably when my mental health is best because the days are getting longer and then are at their peak. I feel that my days can be more fruitful (to me) when the sun isn't down both when I leave for work in the morning and when I get off in the evenings.
In our industry it's so important to make sure we are taking the time to just be human and enjoy life rather than working all weekend every weekend until we die.
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