Family is the most important thing in the world. In the early 2000s, the word fam was claimed to be introduced into the grudge scene in the UK, while it's argued it started in U.S. in Harlem. However, in 2016 fam became a popular word to search on Google, so now it has become normal slang in millennial speech. It can be a synonymous term for squad, in reference to a group of people that you've known for awhile, that you trust and usually hang out with all the time.
For those in the theatre world, the cast is your family.
And it's the best second family you could ever have even if it is for a short time. The reason being is because this is a group of people that have the same weird passion that you do. They won't judge you for your strange rituals you do to ensure a good performance.
For the few months that you are rehearsing, these people become your world. You see them more than your actual friends because after spending about 6 days together for a few hours, it's hard to keep ignoring people especially when you need chemistry.
Relationships in the theatre world can get complicated real quick, especially if you try explaining it to non-theatre people. For example, during a production of "These Shining Lives" my best friend at the time, Angela, was playing the titular character, who was married to a character played by Fred, a guy I was talking to at the time. I was the assistant stage manager and it's awkward trying to watch your crush and friend make out on stage and then have to give feedback on whether it was convincing or not (and it wasn't, feelings set aside, it was more awkward to watch them try to convince the audience they were in love).
Flash forward a few productions to an adaption of Jane Austen's "Emma" where Fred is playing the typical man candy Austen throws in to confuse her major characters, Angela is playing the comical old lady and I'm playing stage manager/producer to the show. Trying to tell the guy you like and your friend to shut up on stage is frustrating. It's important to find the right words and presentation when dealing with friends, otherwise it can turn your friendship sour. Angela and I stopped being friends- we now just tolerate each other.
On to the next production, a year later, "The Merchant of Venice." This time Fred was assistant director, Angela in a small part, and I was playing one of the major characters, "Nerissa," who is married to a man, played by a friend who was dating Angela. Fred and Angela finally ended up watching me make out with someone. And at the end of every practice, there were no jealous looks, no little quips under breaths here or there.
Here's the weirder part: it's technically not cheating when you are encouraged to go work on chemistry with the person you're supposed to be in love with on stage. It's normal to see a person flirting with their SO but holding hands with their stage partner. It's only becomes weird when they've never heard of deodorant.
So we all support each other. We don't judge. However, just like actual families, we still fight, we have spats and apologize and continue on. Sometimes it becomes too much and two people have to be separate off-stage, but on-stage they could have the best chemistry.
We all know that in a few months, we'll go our separate ways, but it's never like the last day of summer camp. You may see them for the next production or in the next few years. Regardless of how much time goes by, you'll still be able to pick up from where you last left the relationship.
Theatre life is the best life. For awhile you'll have a group to go to the bar with, they have the same struggles you do, you'll have inside jokes running for days and essentially a support group for a few months until you start your next production.
