If you're like me, theater was your life in high school. Whenever someone asked me, "what sport do you play?" it was always theater.
I have seen the world of theater from the centerstage, backstage, and even in the booth. Even as a college student I have worked in the booth and backstage for a couple of shows.
Bottom line, even if you have only been involved with theater for a short amount of time, these ideas below are ones you probably can remember:
Avoiding dairy before a show
http://www.operapulse.com/refine-your-craft/guide-to-opera-training/the-rules-of-singing-mythbusters-edition/
Dairy is known to cause phlegm or mucus, and that can damage your singing voice if consumed right before a show. If you're in a play that has no music, then fear not! But for musicals, I highly recommend water before your show.
Yelling “GAME DAY!” on the day of a show
My high school typically had Thursday and Friday shows, and when we saw our cast mates at school, it was 100% appropriate to yell "game day" and partake in a high five. How else are we supposed to get psyched for our show?
Rehearsal taking up all of your time
https://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/MjAxMy1lY2E2YjU0NTM1MzZhMzg5/?tagSlug=music
Everybody knows that the two months before a show, you'll find yourself saying "Sorry I can't, I have rehearsal," and that's just the way it is folks. If your play or musical is during school, definitely wave goodbye to your social life for a bit. Rehearsals at my high school ran until 5:00 p.m., and after of course we got home, attempted to do our load of homework, eat dinner, and then shower. Most weekends are open, but sometimes leading up to shows, dress rehearsals may fall on a weekend, or even a holiday where you have a day off from school.
Referring to tech week as "Hell Week"
https://makeameme.org/meme/director-its-tech
Ah, tech week — our favorite time of the theater season. Finalizing our costumes, lights, finally figuring out when you get your microphone, using your props, figuring out where to pre set your props, etc. — basically adding all the finishing touches to your show. This can be a very stressful time, because for some shows it could be the very first time attempting all of the tech stuff, and things can go wrong. My advice? Be patient, because soon all of the tech stuff will just be your normal routine. Drink lots of tea, and water. I would wear leggings and a sweatshirt to school on these days. This is also typically the week where everyone gets sick, so take care of yourself!
Caking on stage makeup
With every show comes the stage makeup. It's most common for us to use "cake" a bronzer used for performances. It causes your face to look a lot tanner than it is, and off stage it can look like way too much. I promise you that under the lights of the stage, it's completely normal. Blush, mascara, and eyeliner are also common for shows.
Moping around after their show ends
The show we just worked on for 2 months is just over? Just like that? Yep. It's worse than finishing a show on Netflix. We have no idea what to do with our lives now. The time when you would've been at rehearsal will feel hopelessly empty. Although, the memory of your show will live on, and the life long friendships that have formed.
