morale in Broadway company

I think you'll find that most Broadway actors are real troopers, and tweeting about a two show day is really quite a tame way to deal with the exhaustion that often comes from doing eight shows a week for months and months. Many performers don't read reviews of their shows, but when unavoidable, one good thing they can do is to just make a joke out of it. For an example, just look at those Jackie Hoffman broadway.com vlogs and count how many times she talks about the bad reviews the show received. A lot of performers can become discouraged by poor reception, but as I said before, most of them are real troopers and just get through it and put their energy into making a good performance.

Interesting. A friend of mine (only person I know personally on the bway joined the ensemble of a very long running show two years ago and said in the beginning she hoped she never became as disillusioned as some of the people who had been in the show for like ten yrs... I asked her recently how it was and she said it's starting to wear her down a little but it's such a good steady job. I just love hearing the insider perspective on this stuff- thanks guys!

Ghostlight raises a great point. Think about your own job? In what ways is it repetitive, challenging and think how often the staff challenges and are things happen in the work place that either boost or lower morale. I'm sure working on a show has similarities.

At the end of the day what makes or breaks a workplace is the people. There are days I don't like my job but some of my co-workers make it bearable. Then there's the vice versa-the days where I find my job inspiring. I'm sure its similar for actors. They do what they need to do and probably rely on friends in the cast to keep fresh.

I agree with the ghostlight that audiences most likely do impact actors since it is an energy exchange. I had a friend who went into WIcked and he loved always having a responsive full house and hearing people go nuts on "Defying Gravity." He said it is the best thing in the world to see full, responsive audiences.

On the other hand, one of my friends was a local wig master for a touring house and she said some casts, like the one for Titanic were pretty run down and sad after months on the road with bad reviews and less than enthusiastic audiences.

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Oh, how I hate that book, Lizzy. The authors for some bizarre reason wrote an extremely skewed and negative view of an actor's life on Broadway, and there's a disproportionate amount of stories from Martin Guerre and I think Le Mis because one of the authors was in those shows.

I know several Broadway performers who had interviewed for the book, who were later not pleased at all to discover that out of all the stories they told, good and bad, the stories that ended up in the book were the most negative ones.

Weird. That said, if you go into it with that knowledge beforehand, it can be worth turning the pages.

Let me preface this by saying I have never been on Broadway. I am a regional actor, but hope I can shed just a bit of light on this topic.

I've found that the morale in a company is very rarely changed by reviews. Typically, the chemistry "behind the scenes" is built during the rehearsal process. By the time you're opened, you've found who you click with in the cast/crew and who you don't. There are certainly days where the energy changes; people go through real life stuff, it's just how it is. But at the end of the day, most company members know they are there to do a JOB. As much fun as it can be, it's employment. There are people who are investing a lot of money in you to do your best, and if you're not up for it, there are a million other actors who are.

By the time that eighth show of the week comes around, sure people are tired. But you keep going because it's what you love to do, and you love that paycheck even more. Two show days at the beginning of a run can be tough, but it gets easier as time goes on. Eventually your body just gets into the swing of it. It helps if you do all the necessary stuff to stay healthy.

I'm sure good reviews/hits help boost morale, but at the end of the day, it's a job. It's paying your rent, bills, and if you make some good friends in the process, it's the icing on the cake. This is just MY opinion, please keep in mind.

Welcome to Broadway World...Jay! from RC in Austin, Texas

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^ Okay, boss, fess up, what's it from?

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Oh and sometimes people in a Broadway company all start banging each other. That keeps things interesting too.

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"sometimes people in a Broadway company all start banging each other."

Just a little bit of an overstatement, Bettyboy, but nothing wrong with a shomance to pass the time.

PattiLuPoneFAN, I remember when Urban Cowboy posted its closing notice, a large amount of the cast came out, mostly naked, onto the fire escapes outside their dressing rooms, dancing and calling out to people in the street to buy tickets.

They were?

Lol, Bettyboy! She is a piece of work, that woman. Can't wait til her memoirs come out. I've sat in on some of her classes at Tulane.
Older, Wiser, and Loving it

I am sure that she would have plenty to say about raising ...um, morale.