Free #SOBLESSED: the Annoying Actor Friend's Guide to Werking in Show Business by Annoying Actor Friend @Actor_Friend Page B

bubble for
the duration of the job. The bubble-effect places a subconscious objective
within each company member’s mind before the first rehearsal. There is a need
to connect to each other quickly and positively, because the next several
months will be spent in close quarters together, where they will be living,
eating, shitting, and sometimes shitting where they’re eating. This means a
touring cast will immediately strive to be the poster children for best-friends-forever-and-ever-until-life-ends-and-we-die-so-let’s-go-to-a-strip-club-after-the-show-in-this-strange-town-because-I’m-totally-OK-with-that.
This behavior is indicative of a long run on the road, which we’ve already
covered. A long run on Broadway is somewhat different.
    The long run on Broadway is not guaranteed, but is
always the goal. A lot of really exciting things come with your debut, but some
of those experiences can be watered down if the majority of your cast is just
too cool for school. Like, if your cast is generally annoyed by having to
perform on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, then I’m really sorry because
your cast blows. The negatives cannot offset the positives . If
the positives balance out the negatives , you’ll be fine. But if
your positives outweigh the negatives too much, you could end up
being led blindly into a “drinking the kool-aid” situation – which will
be covered later.
    Are You a Good Debut, or a Bad Debut?
    Let’s consider that you’re making your Broadway debut
in a new show. The Production Contract is a positive , so your cast
should already be in a good emotional place walking in the door. However, this
job is in town, so there might not be an immediate necessity to connect with
each other. In theory, you could all hate one another, and it wouldn’t be a
huge loss because you already have friends. The social success of your debut
will hinge on the ratio of debuts within your cast balanced with the
circumstances in which the rest of your cast made their debut. The cast member
who made their debut in a show that flopped is probably going to be slightly
more grounded than the cast member who debuted in a hit. The flop leaves scars
that encourage idealistic behavior. The hit sets a high benchmark that breeds
jadedness. The most eager veteran in your cast is going the one who made their
debut as a replacement in a long running show where nobody could give two fucks
– so they’re super excited to be doing something fresh. Unless they
debuted in Wicked . If that is the case, find out how long they were at the
Gershwin Theatre, because I think the bitterness-by-association seeps in after
three months. If they debuted in Chicago , and are under thirty, they’ll
probably approach your show with the giddiness of a teenager. If they debuted
in Chicago , and are over thirty, forget it.
    Broadway Bonding
    One of Stephen Sondheim’s ground rules of songwriting
is, “Content dictates form.” This principle can also be applied to cast morale.
If the content being developed does not initially bond a company, the
connection between cast members will suffer, or at least take longer to mature.
We’re living in an era when it’s easier to spend a five-minute break on our
phones than by actually talking to someone. I’ll bet you’re reading this on
your phone right now. #thankyoufive. Cast members bond when they are thrust
into situations where they are forced to connect. If you’re in a production
where your job is to get thrown through the air and caught by a guy you met
three hours ago, you can bet you’re going to learn a lot more about that person
in a shorter amount of time, than if you only share a few tricky traffic
patterns together. If the content does not dictate situations where the cast
needs to form bonds in order for survival, then you’re going to end up with a
lot of phone chargers around the rehearsal studio.
    If content is not bonding your cast, it is up to a
common enemy to bring everyone