So it's been a busy couple of weeks for me but I feel it has also been a bit of a learning curve!
We had a cast change at 42nd Street. Half of our old cast have left and moved on to other things and we have 22 new members of the company. I have also taken on board an extra understudy responsibility but more about that later. The new cast members all seem so lovely and have fitted in to the 42nd Street family with no fuss at all. We were doubling up, doing rehearsals during the day, for the cast change and still doing the show at night, so it was a tiring time but exciting too. Not surprisingly, this hectic schedule took its toll on the existing cast members which resulted in me having to take on a role in the show, that I don't even cover, one day after the new company's first performance. I played this particular part, the role of Phyllis, for 6 shows and there was a lot of pressure on my shoulders, to do a good job at a part I wasn't supposed to know. I definitely learnt to embrace the huge change happening amongst the company whilst trying my best not to let them down. I can safely say, it went ok.
As I mentioned earlier, I have an extra responsibility this contract to understudy the role of Annie. We started understudy rehearsals last week and they are going well. Although we still had a hectic schedule, things seemed to be settling and were becoming the norm. Until, the sickness bug! Several members of the cast, including myself, caught some kind of horrible 24 hour bug and this meant I had to play the part of Annie after just 2 rehearsals. Having not yet learnt the end of the show, I watched video clips to try and piece together the bits that were missing. The new cast were amazingly supportive and I ended up having the most wonderful time. I wasn't nervous and I managed to keep my calm throughout, although on reflection, I really don't know how I didn't feel any nerves or whether it was a good thing. It went well, can you believe! The whole thing seems a bit of a blur now but I have never felt adrenaline like it and it is definitely an evening I will never forget. I, the girl who danced at her Mum's school since the age of 2 and dreamed of one day being on a West End Stage, managed to play a part on the biggest stage of all, after only 2 rehearsals!
Now its on to the next, we are performing at the Olivier Awards on Sunday, which is also very exciting, another to tick off the bucket list!
All of this whilst writing my AOL essays! A very busy time, but an exciting one filled with a lot of mixed emotions and new adventures. I think the lesson learnt is, that when put on the spot and under the pressure, we can achieve things we never thought possible. Keep testing yourselves to do the unknown and just watch what unfolds!
We had a cast change at 42nd Street. Half of our old cast have left and moved on to other things and we have 22 new members of the company. I have also taken on board an extra understudy responsibility but more about that later. The new cast members all seem so lovely and have fitted in to the 42nd Street family with no fuss at all. We were doubling up, doing rehearsals during the day, for the cast change and still doing the show at night, so it was a tiring time but exciting too. Not surprisingly, this hectic schedule took its toll on the existing cast members which resulted in me having to take on a role in the show, that I don't even cover, one day after the new company's first performance. I played this particular part, the role of Phyllis, for 6 shows and there was a lot of pressure on my shoulders, to do a good job at a part I wasn't supposed to know. I definitely learnt to embrace the huge change happening amongst the company whilst trying my best not to let them down. I can safely say, it went ok.
As I mentioned earlier, I have an extra responsibility this contract to understudy the role of Annie. We started understudy rehearsals last week and they are going well. Although we still had a hectic schedule, things seemed to be settling and were becoming the norm. Until, the sickness bug! Several members of the cast, including myself, caught some kind of horrible 24 hour bug and this meant I had to play the part of Annie after just 2 rehearsals. Having not yet learnt the end of the show, I watched video clips to try and piece together the bits that were missing. The new cast were amazingly supportive and I ended up having the most wonderful time. I wasn't nervous and I managed to keep my calm throughout, although on reflection, I really don't know how I didn't feel any nerves or whether it was a good thing. It went well, can you believe! The whole thing seems a bit of a blur now but I have never felt adrenaline like it and it is definitely an evening I will never forget. I, the girl who danced at her Mum's school since the age of 2 and dreamed of one day being on a West End Stage, managed to play a part on the biggest stage of all, after only 2 rehearsals!
Now its on to the next, we are performing at the Olivier Awards on Sunday, which is also very exciting, another to tick off the bucket list!
All of this whilst writing my AOL essays! A very busy time, but an exciting one filled with a lot of mixed emotions and new adventures. I think the lesson learnt is, that when put on the spot and under the pressure, we can achieve things we never thought possible. Keep testing yourselves to do the unknown and just watch what unfolds!
Your life sounds so exciting although very busy! I wish I felt the same about being under pressure, although I have worked on getting better at relaxing and trying not to be under too much pessure! Your post made me think about the phases that I've gone through my career and more importantly how those changes have effected my personality. I noticed about a year ago how I was always in a rush, never slowing down and doing everything at a fast speed. I never could find a way to relax, and I wondered when did that start? I never used to be like that. I now talk fast, act fast, and think fast (making me very implusive!). I'm sure as I got deeper into my career as a teacher (and with a bit of pressure from parents) that my swap-over from one class to another became faster and faster. No time to talk to pupils or parents as that was seen by certain people as a waste of time and their money. In class, I started going faster to get through the work I had allocated for that class, or just changing shoes I did super quick. I didn't though differentiate between my professional and personal life, and the two merged into one. I've been trying to work on this aspect of my life, trying to be more relaxed and not stressing so much. I don't know if under pressure I achieve good things, maybe I do. This might not be the reply you hoped for, but thank you because it's very relevant to me! Sam
ReplyDeleteI can relate to this so much right now Sam, I'm starting to feel slightly overwhelmed with the amount of work I have to do and the pressure I am putting on myself is hindering me! I wish I had the time to slow down and reflect but it seems time is running away with me and I still have so much to do! How did you find your AOLs? I am on number 3 and it has been such an interesting learning curve already, I'm so happy to learn new things and its exciting to find references that actually back up my theories but I fear I don't have enough hours in the day to get it all done and I still don't know what or how I submit in 3 weeks time.
DeleteWow, that sounds really hectic and very exciting all at once! Congrats on the new roles/opportunities!
ReplyDeleteI feel the same, Festivals, Competitions, Three kids, 9 hours of teaching daily, AOLS, R
ReplyDeletePL Reading to back everything up. I understand panic, stress, adrenaline! This is what living feels like, it I wouldn't trade it for anything. I hope you embrace it too!
It's a whirlwind of emotions right now but its nice to know we are in the same boat and we can help each other!
DeleteI really enjoyed Module One even though it was so hectic. Rememeber use that reflective journal as it will help with the next modules (mine has!). Write down every thought even if it feels daft, you will be surprised what connects! Good luck and embrace discovery!
ReplyDelete