Anyone that has done a play or musical has been there before: the show hole. It is the feeling one gets after a production they have been a part of ends. Here are the five stages of falling into a show hole.

1. Anxiety

The first stage is anxiety. This happens as the show is coming to an end. You begin to ask yourself, what will I do with my time? Is the show going to go well? what if I don't remember my line or mess up? The days leading up the end are ridden with anxiety until that final curtain call.

2. Relief

The second stage is relief. The show is over and you can finally relax. You think of all the free time you now have to do other activities that you didn't have before and you no longer have to worry about lines or cues!

3. Boredom

However, you find yourself sitting around doing nothing during the free time you were so excited to have. You begin to miss rehearsals and the other people in the cast. You even begin to miss the people you never thought you would miss. You wish you had something to fill up hours of your time.

4. Depression

While not everyone reaches this stage it is still a reality for many people who fall into the show hole. You begin to feel so down now that you no longer have somewhere to go every day and you start wondering if you'll ever find that same happiness again.

5. Recovery

Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel arrives. A new show begins or you find another activity to fill your time and suddenly the show you missed so much is just a distant memory of the past.