Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Burn Out

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k8tt
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Topic: Burn Out
Posted: 7/01/06 at 2:41pm

How do other small CT volunteers deal with burn out when you have a limited number of people who do ten different jobs?

Guess I shouldn't have done so many plays back-to-back. I am tired of volunteering doing a zillion things for the CT. I usually SM most of our shows and am President of the Board of Directors.

Everyone assumes I will be SMing the fall and Xmas shows. I finally told the fall play's director I will not do it, but haven't told the AD that I don't want to SM the Xmas show either. I don't even like these two plays!

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Playwright
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Posted: 7/01/06 at 4:50pm

Stick to your guns. You need a break. If you were seriulsy ill (thankfully you're not) or if you had to move away etc. and just weren't there they'd have to find somebody to do your job. Tell them if they get pushy that if you don't take these next two shows off then you just won't be able to come back at all.

I'm wondering how am I going to handle the depression that is going to hit me when my show ends. World premiere of my second full length play is July 6th and goes until July 15th. I've developed a close bond with some of the cast members. How do I handle saying goodbye to them???????

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JoeMc
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Posted: 7/01/06 at 7:58pm

K8tt before you go around the twist, take a sickie!
You don?t have to pull the pin, just become unavailable for the next season &/or do something else, like trying to evaporate for that period.
Put your feet up, have a cup of tea & let them get on with it- by allowing them to ?use the difficulty?.
You don?t have to hibernate & cut off completely. Take a back seat, but stay on the fringe & give yourself & them a bit of space.
Offer to do FOH for the performances or even run a stagecraft workshop.
Above all keep the next production at arms length!

[western] Gondawandaland
"Hear the light & see the sound!
TOI TOI CHOOKAS
{may you always play to a full house!}

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Kathy S
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Posted: 7/02/06 at 1:32am

There are many reading this who are in the same boat, who have been "living" at their theatre. And it's because there aren't enough of us. Because we don't bring enough new people in. Because we don't meet new people. Because all the people we know are already working at the theatre. Which means that we need to get out and mix more with non-theatre people (if we can stand it) and try to turn them into theatre people too!

In our theatre and I'm sure at others, there are people who care only to be on stage and not do their share of behind the scenes stuff. We have tried in our theatre to request that cast members spend at least 16 hours on some other part of the production -- set building, costuming, painting, etc. It really helps when we have a cast that takes the request to heart.

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Posted: 7/02/06 at 10:15am

I know of one CT up in my neck of the woods who would not cast anybody unless they had first helped out in the production end of a play. Don't know how well it worked or if they still do it. Now in my area there are so many CT's that when auditons are held the groups are lucky to have a dozen people show up. And we never have enough men. Directors usually end up calling the men and begging them to audition or saying 'The part is yours if you just come out.'

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Linda S
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Posted: 7/02/06 at 10:17am

Hi K8tt,

I am exactly where your are, or I was. I direct for two theater companies and was president of one for so long I can't remember not being president. For the past 2 terms I took on the position out of a sense of obligation, not because I wanted it. I have directed back to back shows for the last six years and my last five shows have over lapped. I was toast. January this year I told both companies that I was taking a haitus. That I would meet my obligations to them for the rest of the season. Then I resigned from the board. They were shocked, but I was relieved to have my life back. I directed a show for each one of them and am now taking some time for me.

Two amazing things have happened. First, new people were sought out and added to the board. New faces were showing up, volunteering and having a great time. Second, a very well repected theater company called me. They heard I was available. Now, that was interesting.

I have no qualms now about my decision. I truely enjoyed directing my last show because I didn't have other projects to worry about. The theater will be just fine. I am just fine, and so will you be. Take the break.

Linda

Guess what? Underneath all those weeds there is a garden.

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dougb
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Posted: 7/02/06 at 11:46am

This is more of a vent than a lucid answer to the original question.

I am in the same boat - burned out without much help in sight. I started our theater in 1999 when we started a readers theater program. Readers theaters were easy - six rehearsals and two or three performances done every three or four months. We had no home and always went where the space was free to use. We have a big theater that did five or six productions a year and we filled in around the edges.

Then we found a permanent home at our local Grange that had fallen on hard times. It had a stage. I retired in 2002 and since then I spend 40 to 50 hours a week there. We added sets, curtains, light bars, a lighting system, new sound system and, in general, fixed up the interior of the building. I did about 99% of the work. My agreement with myself is that I would do everything and never bitch about not having any help. I agreed with myself that, as soon as I started to complain about the work load, I would quit. I produce everything, direct 99% of it, do all the tech design, build the sets and yes, clean the bathrooms.

Success happened. At first I was happy but now I am getting burned out. The big theater has dropped back to maybe two productions a year and we are up to overlapping productions. Since January, we have done four productions and our fifth comes up in August. Besides the show I am working on, I am at various stages of development on our next two shows. Along the way, I have picked up lots of volunteers who are always willing to help - but - I need to keep things going, have projects and materials and money for the things the volunteers are doing. 90% of the volunteers need close supervision which stretches me further.

Two weeks ago, I held auditions for our August show of Ten Minute Scenes. Actors love them - only eight rehearsals then three to six performances. They kill the director - instead of 30 to 35 rehearsals for a full production, I have 65 to 70 rehearsals (8 times 8 plus a few). Only four people came to the auditions. If I do a full production I might need six to eight actors. With scenes I need a minimum of 16 actors and more like 20 to 24. I spent several days trying to fill out the rest of the scenes then gave up.

I had promised my wife that I would cast the shows, hold a rehearsal or two then we would take a short vacation then I would come back and work with the actors after they were off book to polish the scenes. Then several people who had been cast called me to say they couldn't do the show on one night because a friend had announced they were getting married on that day. What does a day time wedding have to do with a night time performance, I ask. "Well, if we have a performance that night we can't drink at the wedding and that won't be any fun."

When I announced that I was cancelling the August show and future shows were not going to happen either unless there were actors ready to do the show the e-mails and phone calls started. "you can't quit" "what will we do?" "I want to be in a show in September" (There is no September show). The lists started coming: "did you call x and y and z? They might be interested." Why don't you call them for me? "I don't know what you want well enough."

So what happens? I cancel the planned vacation (sorry wife) and keep trying to cast the show. I will probably get it cast in two or three more days, but for the first time, the frustration of doing a show exceeds the fun I get from doing it.

Unlike Linda, I am not willing to let others just take over. I have spent years building a reputation for our theater company and I don't want that to get damaged by inept productions. If I stop, I will close our theater down and just cease business. But I will miss it. A lot.

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Linda S
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Posted: 7/02/06 at 1:31pm

Doug,

It seems that there a lot of us out there who are over-worked. I remember when I canceled my 20th anniversary trip to deal with a disaster at the theater. My husband was great about it, although I am not sure that he completely understood. He is up for sainthood for putting up with me and the theater for the last 27 years. It think the spouses of us theater junkies are the unsung heros of community theater. He just says he knew what he was getting into when he married me. Now it is time to give him some time. Best of luck with your next show.

Linda

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k8tt
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Posted: 7/02/06 at 3:28pm

I'm glad I'm not the only one with burnout, or whose family takes a backseat sometimes.

Doug, you need to take your wife on a vacation!

I'm worried that I will end up where you are since we are on the verge of getting a theatre built in an old warehouse that's being renovated. Right now I'm trying to get the Board to come up with a solid business plan. If the new theatre venue goes ahead then it's me who supervises the reno.

I really wish we could get new blood into our theatre but we have the same old members: ones who only want to come to the shows, members who only want to be on stage (and you can barely get them to help with tear-down) and SO many people who waffle: "Well, I REALLY want to audition/do sound tech/usher/etc. but...."

Maybe if we get this new theatre venue going we'll get more people on board. It's difficult when you don't have a home and go from pillar to post. One reason I don't want to be involved in the next two plays is that I CANNOT stand the owners of the two buildings we'd be using.

But, Joe, your suggestion of doing FOH is a good one. That way our FOH person can audition (which she's always wanted to do, but we keep her behind the ticket table since she's so good).
Thanks for this forum so we can all vent!

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Shatcher
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Posted: 7/03/06 at 11:12am

I think people in our business burn out all the time. I gave up production work for a while because I was just palin tired of being walked on. I was told by one CT director that he didn't care about my burn out or my life ( I have 2 small children). I have had problems with this guy before, so I told him to shove it(I did not asy Shove it but I am tring to keep it clean :) ) He was not able to get a new SM because no one wants to deal with people like that. I think the work suffers if we try to work through the burn out

Best thing I ever did was to take a break, it was hard but after a year and a half or so I was yearning for the theatre and was able to love it again. Burn out effects the work so much,it is better to take a break and come back fresh. I hate to see people drive themselves into the ground and end up hating theatre.

My husband is a theatre guy too and when our first child was born he was doing 3 shows back to back. after that we made a rule neither one of us does back to back shows and we don't do shows at the same time. Our art is very important to us but the kids come first, we want our kids to love theatre not feel like they lost their parents to it. Now that my oldest is in school she loves the theatre and will be in her first play this fall (Macbeth no less) she will get to play my hudbands son.

So take your break, take your spouse on vacation,take care of your family, or just take a little me time. It will make your work better and you will feel better. The theatre will live on...

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Author	Message
k8tt Star Joined: 4/05/05 Location: Canada Online Status: Offline Posts: 73	Topic: Burn Out Posted: 7/01/06 at 2:41pm
	How do other small CT volunteers deal with burn out when you have a limited number of people who do ten different jobs? Guess I shouldn't have done so many plays back-to-back. I am tired of volunteering doing a zillion things for the CT. I usually SM most of our shows and am President of the Board of Directors. Everyone assumes I will be SMing the fall and Xmas shows. I finally told the fall play's director I will not do it, but haven't told the AD that I don't want to SM the Xmas show either. I don't even like these two plays!

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Playwright Celebrity Joined: 4/01/06 Location: Canada Online Status: Offline Posts: 126	Posted: 7/01/06 at 4:50pm
	Stick to your guns. You need a break. If you were seriulsy ill (thankfully you're not) or if you had to move away etc. and just weren't there they'd have to find somebody to do your job. Tell them if they get pushy that if you don't take these next two shows off then you just won't be able to come back at all. I'm wondering how am I going to handle the depression that is going to hit me when my show ends. World premiere of my second full length play is July 6th and goes until July 15th. I've developed a close bond with some of the cast members. How do I handle saying goodbye to them???????
	IP Logged

JoeMc Celebrity Joined: 3/13/06 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 832	Posted: 7/01/06 at 7:58pm
	K8tt before you go around the twist, take a sickie! You don?t have to pull the pin, just become unavailable for the next season &/or do something else, like trying to evaporate for that period. Put your feet up, have a cup of tea & let them get on with it- by allowing them to ?use the difficulty?. You don?t have to hibernate & cut off completely. Take a back seat, but stay on the fringe & give yourself & them a bit of space. Offer to do FOH for the performances or even run a stagecraft workshop. Above all keep the next production at arms length!
	[western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!}
	IP Logged

Kathy S Celebrity Joined: 8/21/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 303	Posted: 7/02/06 at 1:32am
	There are many reading this who are in the same boat, who have been "living" at their theatre. And it's because there aren't enough of us. Because we don't bring enough new people in. Because we don't meet new people. Because all the people we know are already working at the theatre. Which means that we need to get out and mix more with non-theatre people (if we can stand it) and try to turn them into theatre people too! In our theatre and I'm sure at others, there are people who care only to be on stage and not do their share of behind the scenes stuff. We have tried in our theatre to request that cast members spend at least 16 hours on some other part of the production -- set building, costuming, painting, etc. It really helps when we have a cast that takes the request to heart.
	IP Logged

Playwright Celebrity Joined: 4/01/06 Location: Canada Online Status: Offline Posts: 126	Posted: 7/02/06 at 10:15am
	I know of one CT up in my neck of the woods who would not cast anybody unless they had first helped out in the production end of a play. Don't know how well it worked or if they still do it. Now in my area there are so many CT's that when auditons are held the groups are lucky to have a dozen people show up. And we never have enough men. Directors usually end up calling the men and begging them to audition or saying 'The part is yours if you just come out.'
	IP Logged

Linda S Celebrity Joined: 4/16/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 312	Posted: 7/02/06 at 10:17am
	Hi K8tt, I am exactly where your are, or I was. I direct for two theater companies and was president of one for so long I can't remember not being president. For the past 2 terms I took on the position out of a sense of obligation, not because I wanted it. I have directed back to back shows for the last six years and my last five shows have over lapped. I was toast. January this year I told both companies that I was taking a haitus. That I would meet my obligations to them for the rest of the season. Then I resigned from the board. They were shocked, but I was relieved to have my life back. I directed a show for each one of them and am now taking some time for me. Two amazing things have happened. First, new people were sought out and added to the board. New faces were showing up, volunteering and having a great time. Second, a very well repected theater company called me. They heard I was available. Now, that was interesting. I have no qualms now about my decision. I truely enjoyed directing my last show because I didn't have other projects to worry about. The theater will be just fine. I am just fine, and so will you be. Take the break. Linda Guess what? Underneath all those weeds there is a garden.
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dougb Celebrity Joined: 3/30/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 148	Posted: 7/02/06 at 11:46am
	This is more of a vent than a lucid answer to the original question. I am in the same boat - burned out without much help in sight. I started our theater in 1999 when we started a readers theater program. Readers theaters were easy - six rehearsals and two or three performances done every three or four months. We had no home and always went where the space was free to use. We have a big theater that did five or six productions a year and we filled in around the edges. Then we found a permanent home at our local Grange that had fallen on hard times. It had a stage. I retired in 2002 and since then I spend 40 to 50 hours a week there. We added sets, curtains, light bars, a lighting system, new sound system and, in general, fixed up the interior of the building. I did about 99% of the work. My agreement with myself is that I would do everything and never bitch about not having any help. I agreed with myself that, as soon as I started to complain about the work load, I would quit. I produce everything, direct 99% of it, do all the tech design, build the sets and yes, clean the bathrooms. Success happened. At first I was happy but now I am getting burned out. The big theater has dropped back to maybe two productions a year and we are up to overlapping productions. Since January, we have done four productions and our fifth comes up in August. Besides the show I am working on, I am at various stages of development on our next two shows. Along the way, I have picked up lots of volunteers who are always willing to help - but - I need to keep things going, have projects and materials and money for the things the volunteers are doing. 90% of the volunteers need close supervision which stretches me further. Two weeks ago, I held auditions for our August show of Ten Minute Scenes. Actors love them - only eight rehearsals then three to six performances. They kill the director - instead of 30 to 35 rehearsals for a full production, I have 65 to 70 rehearsals (8 times 8 plus a few). Only four people came to the auditions. If I do a full production I might need six to eight actors. With scenes I need a minimum of 16 actors and more like 20 to 24. I spent several days trying to fill out the rest of the scenes then gave up. I had promised my wife that I would cast the shows, hold a rehearsal or two then we would take a short vacation then I would come back and work with the actors after they were off book to polish the scenes. Then several people who had been cast called me to say they couldn't do the show on one night because a friend had announced they were getting married on that day. What does a day time wedding have to do with a night time performance, I ask. "Well, if we have a performance that night we can't drink at the wedding and that won't be any fun." When I announced that I was cancelling the August show and future shows were not going to happen either unless there were actors ready to do the show the e-mails and phone calls started. "you can't quit" "what will we do?" "I want to be in a show in September" (There is no September show). The lists started coming: "did you call x and y and z? They might be interested." Why don't you call them for me? "I don't know what you want well enough." So what happens? I cancel the planned vacation (sorry wife) and keep trying to cast the show. I will probably get it cast in two or three more days, but for the first time, the frustration of doing a show exceeds the fun I get from doing it. Unlike Linda, I am not willing to let others just take over. I have spent years building a reputation for our theater company and I don't want that to get damaged by inept productions. If I stop, I will close our theater down and just cease business. But I will miss it. A lot.
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Linda S Celebrity Joined: 4/16/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 312	Posted: 7/02/06 at 1:31pm
	Doug, It seems that there a lot of us out there who are over-worked. I remember when I canceled my 20th anniversary trip to deal with a disaster at the theater. My husband was great about it, although I am not sure that he completely understood. He is up for sainthood for putting up with me and the theater for the last 27 years. It think the spouses of us theater junkies are the unsung heros of community theater. He just says he knew what he was getting into when he married me. Now it is time to give him some time. Best of luck with your next show. Linda
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k8tt Star Joined: 4/05/05 Location: Canada Online Status: Offline Posts: 73	Posted: 7/02/06 at 3:28pm
	I'm glad I'm not the only one with burnout, or whose family takes a backseat sometimes. Doug, you need to take your wife on a vacation! I'm worried that I will end up where you are since we are on the verge of getting a theatre built in an old warehouse that's being renovated. Right now I'm trying to get the Board to come up with a solid business plan. If the new theatre venue goes ahead then it's me who supervises the reno. I really wish we could get new blood into our theatre but we have the same old members: ones who only want to come to the shows, members who only want to be on stage (and you can barely get them to help with tear-down) and SO many people who waffle: "Well, I REALLY want to audition/do sound tech/usher/etc. but...." Maybe if we get this new theatre venue going we'll get more people on board. It's difficult when you don't have a home and go from pillar to post. One reason I don't want to be involved in the next two plays is that I CANNOT stand the owners of the two buildings we'd be using. But, Joe, your suggestion of doing FOH is a good one. That way our FOH person can audition (which she's always wanted to do, but we keep her behind the ticket table since she's so good). Thanks for this forum so we can all vent!
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Shatcher Celebrity Joined: 2/21/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 251	Posted: 7/03/06 at 11:12am
	I think people in our business burn out all the time. I gave up production work for a while because I was just palin tired of being walked on. I was told by one CT director that he didn't care about my burn out or my life ( I have 2 small children). I have had problems with this guy before, so I told him to shove it(I did not asy Shove it but I am tring to keep it clean :) ) He was not able to get a new SM because no one wants to deal with people like that. I think the work suffers if we try to work through the burn out Best thing I ever did was to take a break, it was hard but after a year and a half or so I was yearning for the theatre and was able to love it again. Burn out effects the work so much,it is better to take a break and come back fresh. I hate to see people drive themselves into the ground and end up hating theatre. My husband is a theatre guy too and when our first child was born he was doing 3 shows back to back. after that we made a rule neither one of us does back to back shows and we don't do shows at the same time. Our art is very important to us but the kids come first, we want our kids to love theatre not feel like they lost their parents to it. Now that my oldest is in school she loves the theatre and will be in her first play this fall (Macbeth no less) she will get to play my hudbands son. So take your break, take your spouse on vacation,take care of your family, or just take a little me time. It will make your work better and you will feel better. The theatre will live on...
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Topic: Burn Out( Topic Closed)
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