emilkang.substack.com: A few nights ago I was sitting at a bar in Chelsea before a show, waiting for a colleague, when another colleague walked in. We hugged. When I mentioned I was meeting our mutual friend, she said she had been with her the night before at a different performance. We laughed about it, the way you do when the pattern is so familiar it doesn’t even register anymore. We’ve been doing this for thirty years and we still can’t stop.
8 comments:
I appreciate the sentiment. Part of the reason I like the performance and production industry is because of its all or nothing nature. We work hard for long hours to get shows up in no time at all. I like this, but the vigor we must have for the physical labor of productions doesn’t necessarily need to translate into all aspects of our world. This essay touches on the idea that we shouldn’t be pedal to the metal at all times. My mom is a high school performing arts teacher and manager from the same generation as the author of this piece. I watch her constantly work herself to exhaustion through long nights of rehearsals, fund raisers, and outreach shows, always pushing towards the next thing. Because of her efforts, she has created one of the best high school performing arts programs in Massachusetts, all within the bounds of a public school. I think what this essay gets right is that pushing ourselves to exhaustion isn’t a personal problem but a systemic one in our industry. While I’m fine working long nights getting shows set up, 50 year old ladies like my mom shouldn’t be working themselves to the bone to just stay afloat. I personally don’t know what the solution to this problem is. If you asked my mom how she felt about the work she does despite its toll, she would say she’s happy, and I would respond similarly if asked about what I’ve done in the industry, but there must be some change we can make to ensure the longevity of the health of those working in this world. Maybe I’m not the one to ask about this.
What I love about the industry that I work in is that I am able to appreciate everything that I work on. Like the concept of work having an effect on the body really doesn't apply to something you appreciate doing. I think everyone should really aspire to be having fun doing their job. I actually for the longest time was thinking about pursing an entirely different career in something like business. However, I never did because of this exact idea. That I would never actually be having fun in my career choice. My future jobs would always be "work" and not "fun" which I found rather appalling in my personal opinion. I wish it was easier for people to pursue their passions and hobbies without consequences. Theres to much emphasis in the modern world on finding a job that makes the most money possible. It's never finding something that you would be statsifed doing for the rest of your life.
This is my favorite article that I have read all year! I think that it would benefit everyone involved with CMU Drama to read this article! I often feel pressure that if I am not in “GO, GO, GO” mode, that I am slacking off, or need to be doing something. However, this article has helped me realize that those moments of rest are what enable me to do that strenuous work. I do love this sort of chaotic energy of putting shows together, that you can only really find in the entertainment industry. I think this article is really just trying to emphasize the importance of recovery, which is something that the entertainment industry must incorporate similar to the sports industry. If it is not incorporated, then we will probably start to see less and less people wanting to go into this industry. Additionally, we will see people who are in this industry exit it at faster rates.
This article brought a sentiment that’s slowly been growing within me since I started studying and fully immersing myself in the theatrical industry, that though theatre is often thought of as a fun and illustrious career, it is at the end of the day a job. Now, this comes with a lot of disclaimers: primarily the fact that due to the economic risk that comes with actively working in the theatre industry, it is a career many are privileged in pursuing. Additionally, this doesn’t mean that theatre isn’t “fun”, the idea that theatre is fun and worth pursuing is what drives people’s passion to work in it. However, that doesn’t mean that this stigma attached to working in theatre is non-existent from an outside lens, but this article made me realize that the capitalist ideals of being a competitive and strong, always passionate and striving worker, is incredibly draining and applicable to almost every modern career, even career’s in the theatre industry.
Every career or job has the ability to take its toll on is workers over time, and this is even the case in theater. I am even pushed to say that theater has an even greater ability to make an even more negative impact on its workers due to the inconsistent hours and the lack of a strict rule book on how to create a show each time. In fact thinking that there is a strict rule book on how to create theater is one of the problems that his article is talking about. The world of theater creation is full of people who think that there is only one way to to something, and this may be true at time but most of the time there is always more than one way to do something. I do also appreciate that his article ends with a statement that says that the older generations of theater should let the new ones do things in the way that they see fit.
I do think that the sentiments that are said in this article is something that a lot of people need to hear, there has been this notion made by decades of laborers that you should push your self to the limit and then only after retirement can you relax and live your life, I think a lot of corporations and people in high positions of power have this mindset in terms of their employees ( never themselves though) and I think that is completely unethical no one should be forced to push their body to its breaking point and it especially should not be done consistently, stuff like that happening is usually due to poor leadership, if time was organized correctly then no one would be forced to work more then they need to. I do think that with gen z coming into the workforce things have changed a bit, gen z as a generation is more likely to advocate for their time off and strictly sticking to their assigned hours instead of being pressured to do more which I think is a good thing
I think this is article holds incredibly true sentiment and perspective about theater and work in general. People and especially older generations have a feeling that their work defines them and that is what they are supposed to do in life. It is their driving purpose and while they have families and lives, they are still so devoted to the work that they are doing that they start to forget about everything else including their own health. This is similar to where I am right now, working constantly and wanting to put my all into the work that I’m doing at all times. However, as this article mentioned, younger generations are starting to lose this sense of complete devotion to work. We have a stronger sense of boundaries and saying now allows us to take back some of the time in our life. I have noticed that in general, my generation is a lot better and prioritizes their own well being as well as the work they do for a living. The understanding that rest is just as important as work has shifted the work environment considerably. I hope that I can continue to build my work life balance and practice good work while still taking care of myself.
There is such a necessity in our field to work and work and work until you cannot anymore. Illness, Injury, or just an inability to do it anymore is the only thing that stops people, a lot of the time. The art word, the theatre world, the film world, are all known for being filled with people who work themselves to the bone and burn out easily. I read the article the author mentioned, “should you just give up?” Before this, and also today again, I think this is a beautiful take and critique on the lifestyle of the worker bee. It makes me think about myself: I’ve always been the type to go and go until my body physically cannot move anymore, and the body keeps the score. But we all march on, even though we know what we’re doing is not a long-term solution. I really hope that we, the new generation, will change the ways in which we set boundaries a little bit, like the article mentions briefly.
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