Being in theatre definitely has it's perks! You become a part of this giant family that enjoys things that you also enjoy, and you finally have someone to sing the entirety of Les Miserables with you. But you also get to go through some pretty tough things together. I mean, they call it "DRAMA" for a reason. Let's have a look at some struggles that every theatre kid knows all too well...
1) Tech Week, also known as hell week.
When you don't sleep, homework is a thing of the past, everything hurts, and you're constantly on the verge of either crying or hitting someone.
2) The director's "favorites"
There must be some kind of unspoken law in being a director that says "pick a handful of students and cater everything to them and their talents/needs". Everyone knows it, and they know who the favorites are, nobody really talks about it though.
3) THE EGOS
Being in theatre you have to expect almost everyone to have a giant ego, it's go big or go home. But it gets real old and it causes more issues than anybody needs.
4) When the director says "one more time" like 100 times
Like, I know you majored in theatre and not math but that was more than one time and everybody is just tired and angry now.
5) Mic tape. Everywhere.
It's sticky, it hurts, and it mysteriously appears everywhere, you know what it is. It's mic tape. It has been spotted in various places such as: in hair, in my car, inside my shoe, behind the mirror, on my dog, in my bed, in my dreams (nightmares)
6) Being more dedicated than other cast members
You ever have this role/show that you're so passionate about, but everyone else seems to be there just to be there? It's super heartbreaking.
7) Catching feels for people you have to be in love with on stage
Catching feels is bad enough, but being able to be with that person on stage, and then coming off having to pretend like there's nothing between you... That's rough stuff.
8) So many naked people
Need to go backstage for any reason? Prepare your eyes. Need to get something from a dressing room? Naked people. Everywhere.
9) Quick changes
The bane of our existences. Fingers are shaking, it's way too dark to see anything, lights on stage are already coming up, the anxiety of the situation is way too real. But somehow we get it done, most of the time.
10) Notes after a long rehearsal
Everyone is more than exhausted, and it feels like the director is just going on and on. But nobody is really hearing anything because they're just thinking about when they can eat and go to bed.
11) The bruises after an intense musical number
This struggle is especially real if this musical number has stunts/partner work in it. I've had so many bruises on me people started to think I was part of some underground fight club.
12) The audition process
THE NERVES ARE REAL. Even the thought of singing and dancing by myself in front of the directors makes my palms sweaty. And a monologue audition?! Where do I look? How do I stand? Do they think it's funny? Why aren't they showing any emotion?
13) PSD (Post Show Depression)
Having to actually go home after school is a bittersweet thing, what do people actually do with all this free time??
14) Revelries between schools/departments
Directors may not get along, or the students don't. But either way, there's always those schools/departments that just cannot play nice. Everything has to be a competition with them.
15) Director's rage
When notes turns into a lecture about respect and maturity and you don't know whether to cry or laugh.
16) Non-theatre friends don't understand your obsession with a show
They don't get the references or the jokes. And they definitely don't know how to react when you're sobbing because you'll never be able to see the original cast of Hamilton perform together.
17) When your blacks don't match
Whether you're sporting the all black look for a competition, or so you can go stealth mode back stage, the blacks have to match!!
18) When the stage manager shh's you and you weren't even the one talking
19) PRE-CASTING
When the director announces what show you're doing next and everybody already immediately knows what the cast is going to look like. We all know who the lead is going to be and even more annoyingly the lead knows it!
20) We're poor
I mean this both in the sense of us personally, and our department. Everyone knows that most of the school funding goes to sports, so the arts are left in the dust (music, speech, and theatre).
21) Missing one rehearsal means missing everything
If you miss one rehearsal (especially a dance rehearsal), it's almost impossible to catch up because the directors are too busy teaching the new material to review stuff with you.
22) Missing inside jokes when you come in during tech week
Being a part of tech/crew is great! But coming into the production only a couple weeks before opening night you've missed a lot. All of the cast has so many memories and jokes together already and you want so badly to be a part of it!
23) When the director is always late
Especially when they stress that it is very important to be on time and that "our time matters to them"
24) When it's summer time and you have to wait until school to be a part of a show again.
25) Getting to H.S and it's not at all like HSM
Why isn't anybody dancing on tables and singing in the hallway??
