Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week? — Page 6

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#126

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 10:35am

We have to remember, though, especially when talking about ensembles, there are tons and tons of people who would love to fill tracks and would be willing to work their butt off 8 times a week. Most people that are auditioning are either kids fresh out of college ready to work, people who have a couple of smaller credits that are itching to make it bigger, and so forth. If someone is lucky enough to get cast to fulfill the duties of the job that is being a Broadway performer, they should give 110%. Yes, everyone has off days, but if one is feeling sick or not up to doing the show, they should call out and take a personal day, not give an audience a poor performance. It isn't fair, as others have mentioned, to the vast majority of people who are only going to see the show once and that is the only snapshot of the show they will remember.

#127

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 10:55am

I think its fair to expect them to be great 8 times a week. Its their profession and people come from all over the world to see a Broadway show. They expect they get their money's worth. It doesn't matter if you are performing on opening night or performing on a wednesday matinee with a a half empty house, You should give it all you got and if you can't then maybe you need to negotiate your contract or choose a different profession.

Updated On: 5/20/13 at 10:55 AM

#128

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 11:11am

"Teachers' jobs are more demanding than Broadway performers' - the hours are longer, the work is harder, the rewards are lesser, and they are rarely applauded."

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Teachers only work 5 days a week. They get weekends off, and summer vacation (they still get paid). Broadway performers do 8 shows a week for 1-3 years, which can be very overwhelming. And if you ask me, singing/dancing/acting for long hours at rehearsals every day is much harder than educating kids about spelling/grammar.

#129

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 11:16am

You do realize that teachers do a great deal of work outside of the classroom on nights and weekends--grading, lesson planning, prepping etc? In addition to 6-8 hours a day in the classroom plus after school, service and the like. No, you probably didn't because you seem to have no idea what teachers actually
Do.

"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe." -John Guare, Landscape of the Body

#130

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 11:18am

Also teachers actually don't get paid over the summer unless they work (eg, teach summer school)

#131

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 11:28am

No actually, they DO get paid over summer vacation. They have the option of getting their salary spread over a full 12 months.

As for the grading and the planning, it depends on the teacher. They make their own hours after school and weekends. Some don't do nights. They definitely have enough time for themselves, especially when there's spring break, holidays, etc.

#132

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 11:29am

I was going to respond to this with an actual comparison of work hours - teacher vs. average B'way cast member, but then decided your whole thing is too moronic to take seriously.

#133

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 11:32am

You're right, newintown. No point in trying to respond with sense.

#134

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 11:40am

How old are you BroadwayStar4? Your posts suggest a young child, but my money is on young adult.

#135

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 11:40am

I'm just stating the facts. Saying that being a teacher is more demanding than being a Broadway performer is ABSURD. At least teachers can make their own hours when they need to plan something or grade homework papers. A Broadway performer has a much harder job in a much harder business. Clearly.

#136

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 11:43am

Clearly!

#137

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 11:44am

Like mud!

#138

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 11:59am

As performers WE expect to give performances of the same (hopefully) high standard each night. It is not really acceptable for audiences or performers to make excuses or allowances such as "but i am/they are so tired after all those shows" etc. that is part of what is, at the end of the day, a job. You do it, aim to give your best in as professional a manner as possible. As with any job. If you are not up to doing 8 shows a week, it is not the right profession.

But as with any job, occasionally we have an off day or feel genuinely unwell - that time to make a judgement as to going on and risk a below-par performance (or further risks to health ) or calling in sick can sometimes be a tough one. But even when feeling not quite 100%, although not feeling a death's door, it is not that hard to shrug that off and deliver. Something happens when it all starts that allows you to forget ailments/other unfortunate things going on.....Those of you who perform professionally or in am dram etc will know what I mean, I am sure.

Having taught for several years, with occasional teaching still, I find teaching more demanding/tiring to be honest. But both have their challenges and both are just as rewarding. And the recruitment/audition process for both are very challenging. For my last teaching post that i secured it was between me and just over 200 applicants, and I had 5 interviews over the space of 2 weeks. But they are two very different professions.....

Updated On: 5/20/13 at 11:59 AM

#139

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 12:06pm

It's funny how you so-called theatre fans think that all the long, intense rehearsals, the extreme pressure of singing/acting/dancing 8 shows a week successfully, and easily getting replaced if you mess up on stage are not nearly as demanding as teachers grading tests and giving classwork. When a student fails the class, it's not the teacher's responsibility. When a performer fails on stage, they get criticized and it could cost their job. And you still say a teacher's job is more demanding? That makes no sense to me. Key word: me. We don't have to agree with each other. You can disagree all you want, but don't get catty or sarcastic just because I have my own opinion.

#140

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 12:09pm

Good. You're starting to recognize the difference between a fact and an opinion.

#141

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 12:10pm

Just to be clear: so-called theatre fans, eh?

Practice what you preach, but don't get catty or sarcastic just because I have my own opinion.

Words don't deserve that kind of malarkey. They're innocent, neutral, precise, standing for this, describing that, meaning the other, so if you look after them you can build bridges across incomprehension and chaos. But when they get their corners knocked off, they're no good anymore…I don't think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.

#142

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 12:19pm

"You're starting to recognize the difference between a fact and an opinion."

It's a fact that Broadway performers work longer hours than a teacher. But few people may find that having a crazy/busy schedule is more convenient to them than having a somewhat easy-ish job (teaching).

"Practice what you preach"

Actually, I'm very much justified for saying that. I knew you guys weren't friendly the first time I joined here (also you guys don't seem to get a good reputation outside of this message board), still I refrained myself until now.

#143

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 12:23pm

Abby?

#144

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 12:25pm

Sue-ish

#145

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 12:44pm

I think doing 8 shows a week can be compared to top-sport.
The show takes over your whole life.

I have been in a few professional musicals and it is one of the hardest jobs there is. Mainly because of the 8 show-a-week schedule. My voice doesn't feel the same every day, and I basically have to live like a "nun". Make sure I get at least 8 hours of sleep every night, and eat healthy. I couldn't go out for a drink after a show, trying to speak in a bar with loud music would affect my voice and my performance for the next day. That's not me being paranoid, that's just a fact that I noticed at many occasions. Every birthday, visit to a bar, wedding, little cold, is a huge problem. Not sleeping 8 hours is a problem too. Even little things like hiccups or eating too fast can ruin a show. Or a tickle in your throat after kissing someone or having sex (there are thousands of innocent viruses that can affect your singing, or when you have to cough every now and then because of a little cold, etc). I can't visit my family and speak and play with my little nephews all day and then give that vocally demanding performance at night. Doing a show and doing it well takes over your whole life. Especially if it's a vocally demanding role.

We are all human. So I don't expect people to give 8 great performances a week, and nobody should expect that. It's the responsibility of the producers and the actors to be reasonable about it. I think 5 great shows a week is the maximum. If you push someone to give 8 great shows a week you have to deal with the quality loss, and the paying public deserves a great show every day. That's why I think there are certain roles that should have alternates.

Updated On: 5/20/13 at 12:44 PM

#146

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 12:55pm

Because seeing Broadway, or a play is a live performance, there will be days that the actors and actresses do not perform their best and it could be for a variety of different reasons. We have all seen a play or a Broadway show before in which you HATED, and everyone else seemed to just love it. This could either be just personal preference, or perhaps the actors just were not feeling it. This happened to me when I saw Phantom of the Opera about 10 years ago in NYC. Hated the show. Was super disappointed with all the hype going around and everyone else thought I was crazy. You win some, you lose some. I'll take their word for it though and just assume it wasn't my night. Everyone is human. It's important to remember that.

#147

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 1:15pm

To a point I agree that you can't expect someone to be at their very best every night. But you can't expect to be thought of as a good performer if you have 3 weaker shows a week, then nearly half the people seeing you perform don't see you giving a great performance, therefore I don't think that person can be considered a great performer. The thing is, they are going to have off nights, but the people who are truly are great, either have off nights very rarely indeed, or just have ways of altering their performance, to make them great in a different way.

#148

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 1:24pm

I think my dogs have tougher jobs than Broadway performers. I mean, they spend all day wondering if we're going to come back home.

When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain. -Kad

#149

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 1:25pm

You guys know this is the same OP as "Alice Ripley takes the subway," right?

#150

Do you expect performers to be great 8 shows a week?

Posted: 5/20/13 at 1:30pm

Anyone who expects perfection from every performer when they see a show is obviously unfamiliar with the concept of "live performance". You pays your money, you takes your chances. If you don't like that idea, stay at home and watch TV.

"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian

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