To the Friends of Theatre Kids during Tech Week,
First, let me start by telling you that theatre kids call tech week “Hell Week.” Because it’s hell. We spend hours in rehearsal, stay there until 2 am, leave, wake up for our 8 AMs and do it all again. ALL week long. So here are a few tips for our non-theatre friends to survive tech week.
1.We’re Tired
Exhaustion doesn’t even begin to describe how tired we are. We stay up late running through the play over and over and over again. We’re still expected to be in all of our classes. If you see us taking a nap somewhere (the library couch, the lawn outside the student center, the middle of the floor) just leave us be. If you wake us, there will be hell to pay.
2.We Aren’t Ignoring You
I promise. We’re either in rehearsal, sleeping, or crying. We’re just really busy this week, so be understanding that we aren’t ignoring you, we’re just beyond crazy busy
3.We Are Going to Cry
It’s just part of tech week. Between the exhaustion, the director’s notes, trying to keep up with class and studying for finals, we’re just going to cry. If you see us, just give us a hug, tell us “it’ll be okay” and maybe catch our tears in your shoulder for three hours. You know, whatever. Maybe bring snacks.
4.Bring Snacks
Seriously, we are running from thing to thing. We probably didn’t eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner, so just hand us a granola bar or a bag of cheetos. You’ll be our best friend. It’ll probably make us cry because we’re emotional from the exhaustion, but it’ll be a good cry.
5.Remind Us to Slow Down
Tech week runs us ragged. If you see us running across campus or if we happen to be talking really fast, just remind us to take a deep breath and slow down. Maybe invite us to lunch. This way we take time to slow down, you know we are eating something, and you don't have the feeling that you're being ignored.
6. We're Going to Snap
It's just going to happen. We're stressed beyond belief. Our director is pushing us, there's lots of pressure on us to get EVERYTHING right.
7. Send Pictures of Baby Animals
We're an emotional wreck. Send us pictures of baby animals to cheer us
up. These will either make us ridiculously happy or bawl our eyes out.
Either way it's a good thing. The babies are just so cute.
8. Coffee is a God
Literally. Coffee is probably the only reason we are alive right now.
Don't say anything like, "Haven't you had enough coffee today?" The
answer is no. There is NO such thing as too much coffee during hell
week. Copious amounts of coffee please.
9. Just Hug Us
All we really need is a hug. No explanation needed. Just hug.
P.S. Don't be afraid for a full tackle hug. Those are a-okay!
10. We are Sick
There's a 99.99% chance that we are sick on tech week. Just to give hell
some more heat, the whole cast and half the crew will be sick this
week. It's just how it works. To add to the tired, we feel miserable.
11. We Wouldn’t Trade it for Anything
Even though this week is literal hell, we wouldn't trade it for anything. We love it. Deep down the chaos is what drives us. Just try to be understanding and everything will work out for all of us.
Just remember that this is only a week. Next week we’ll still be tired, but things will start to return to normal. Just bring snacks, hug us, and let us cry. If you follow these tips, the theatre kids will appreciate it more than you know. It’s like you understand what we’re going through without going through it yourself.Thanks for being our friends through this crazy week of hell.
