Joining a theater company is a great idea for anyone who craves being on stage or breaking out of their shell. However, there may be a few things anyone would want to know before they set foot into an open audition. The following list is just a few things to keep in mind before striving to be the next Lin Manuel Miranda.
1. The amount of shows you have done doesn’t mean a thing.
In the most recent show I did, one of the female leads had no previous experience whatsoever. That did not stop her from singing her heart out in auditions and getting so much into her character that there was no question she was born to play that role, even if she didn’t know it originally.
2. The crew backstage is completely under appreciated.
I know from experience that the people on stage do not fully comprehend and appreciate what the ones backstage really do for them. I spent all of high school behind the scenes, from costumes to directing. The people backstage do ten times more than they ones on stage to prepare for a show and rarely get thanked for it. All that they will receive is their name in the program--something that everyone else will overlook.
3. During hell week, your cast and crew will become your family.
Hell week is the week leading up to the show. Within this week, you will be spending roughly four to six hours at the theater with the cast and crew everyday. Bonds are created and strengthened during this time.
4. There will be more than likely at least one relationship beginning or ending during each show.
Again, this is one I know from experience. During my first show I was acting in, I got paired up with a boy I had never spoken to before as my dance partner. Shortly after the day we got paired up, that boy became my best friend and eventually my boyfriend who I am still with to this day. Yet, some relationships do end during shows also. Whether it is due to casting or something else, it does happen more often than not.
5. Changing in front of each other is not a taboo thing.
Most cast members do wear undergarments, so this shouldn't be an issue, but many costume changes have to happen rather quickly and sometimes on the wings of the stage. This means that there is no time to be running to the bathroom to change. Changing in front of another person is a natural thing in theater. You will get used to it and soon not even realize its happening.
6. Even if the casting crew says they won’t take prior experience into consideration, they are lying.
This can either work for or against you. If you are difficult to work with, that will follow you to every audition. The casting committee is usually the same for every show if you stay within the same company, which means they know you before you even step on stage. They will tell you that your audition that day will be the only thing they will be focused on, and sometimes that will be true, but other times, your past can creep up on you. It sound be cliché, but treat others the way you wish to be treated.
7. The company you act for is your family; you can’t abandon your family.
No matter what show is being put up at your theater, it is generally believed that you should still audition for it. Not everyone thinks that way, however. Some actors choose the show over the company, even if that company has been their home. Theater hopping is not always a bad thing, especially if you are gaining experience from it, but others within your home theater will see it as a stab in the back. Watch out!
8. You may not necessarily like your costume, but it will be like a second skin to you.
As previously stated, hell week will be roughly four to six hours everyday for a whole week. You will be in your costume that whole time if you weren’t wearing it for rehearsal already. Some costumes will be lame, uncomfortable, or just down right awful. However, if you wear your costume enough, it will feel like a second skin, and you will feel naked without it. This is particularly hard when you do not get to keep your costume.
9. Caffeine will be your best friend during hell week.
Running a show over and over for multiple days straight can really burn a person out. Caffeine will be your best friend: coffee, soda, energy drinks. You will need something to keep yourself from either falling asleep or from wanting to massacre everyone in sight.
10. “There’s no crying in theater.”
No one likes a cry baby. Unless the show calls for it, do not cry! If you are a whiny person, it will follow you from casting to casting. You will become black balled in a sense throughout all of the theaters for being "that crier."
11. Stage makeup is not always kind to your skin.
Stage makeup is a necessary evil. Even if you are not playing a character that requires to be completely transformed into someone else, you will still be forced to wear some type of makeup. Unless you are applying it yourself, the makeup will be cheap because it has to be used by the masses. You may have strange allergic reactions or massive breakouts. Just be cautious.
12. Character shoes are painful and need to be broken in.
Just like high heels, character shoes are not for the weak-footed. When they are bought new, they will be tight until the leather has loosened up. Blisters are to be expected when they are worn for extended periods of time. I know it will be tempting, but do not buy a larger size than normal just so they will not hurt as much. The point of the shoes is to mold to your feet; buy the correct size.
13. You will never forget your lines or lyrics even after the show ends.
No matter how long it has been since you did a show, you will always remember every word to every song and every line that was said on stage. Even if you never knew the words during the show, they will forever be ingrained in your brain until the day you die. This is especially true if you listen to the music from a show regularly.
14. Not everyone will make it to Broadway, but that doesn’t stop them from acting like they will.
It is rare that everyone that has ever graced a stage will be able to do the same thing on a Broadway stage. The majority of the time, they will just stay in a community theater. Yet, we all have dreams, and the dream of a theater kid to make it to Broadway is hard to put a damper on. One of the worse things you can say to a theater kid with Big Apple dreams is that they will never make it. You may end up with one more injury and one less friend.
15. Theater moms are CRAZY!
It does not matter if their kid is 5 or 55; a theater mom will pounce if you mess with her child. They are so vicious that they will openly talk crap about the other kids. On occasion, they will even argue with the casting committee to change what part their child did or did not get.
