Does anyone have experience with post-production aftermath in the form of stress? Could you share your experience on how you cope and overcome the stress/trauma?

Thanks!!

I plan a long weekend away with my husband. The I start a project that has nothing to do with the theater, but keeps me busy. Right now I am redoing my girl's bedrooms. Okay, I am doing that and tech directing Cinderella, but I didn't want to be the tech director for Cinderella, so Cinderella doesn't count.

Linda

I think anyone will tell you there is often a period of funk, or even a slight depression after a show.  For me, it comes especially after a good show, where you don't want it to end.  All of a sudden the routinne is gone and all the people you have  been "Living" with the last six to eight weeks are (at least temporarily) out of your life...  My first time was when I was a freshman in college.. way back in the early 70's... I was tasked to direct our freshman class play as part of my speech class grade... I had a great time, but there was obiously a lot of stress.. The show played on the last night of school, before a big break.  Immediatly after the show, we went home for a couple weeks.  I laid in the back seat of the car and cried all the way home.. I never really knew quite why.. that is until I took up a life of CT...

On the other hand, there are those shows in which I count (often with glee) how many days till its OVER...

Our opening weekend of a show I am directing has just passed.  For the three weeks before, I barely had time to see my wife, spent every day at the theatre wrapping up loose ends, unravelling bureaucratic tangles, and pulling together technical atrocities the board had allowed to multiply since the last show (they had an "expert" "fix" some technical problems, 'nuff said). 

The show ran well, audience loved it, cast blossomed with character.

Fortunately, I have a three day break this week, in which I have taken my lovely wife out a few times to wonderful, slow-paced meals, caught two movies I'd been hoping to see, cleaned up the den after the "show hurricane" and reminded my mother what I looked like.

Post-show vacuum has been filled, actually looking forward to the second weekend of the run.  When it's all over, will do about the same thing...and the wife has made vague threats about something called "yardwork."

Life (real life) does go on.  Hope yours goes as well.

Have had a chance to rethink my prior response.  Even though that response is exactly what's happening to me now, your original post has haunted me for the last couple of hours away from my computer.

What first got me into the theatre and acting was to escape from my reality.  At that time there was no wife, no yard, little in the way of solace and a heartload full of troubles.  I decided to audition as an avenue to get away from my "real life." It worked!  It also became addictive, jumping from one show immediately into another, a continuous flow of theatrical "therapy" with no links or relationships to my previous troubles. 

That period of my life indeed caused stress when I was away from the theatre and the only way I knew to deal with it was keep busy with more shows.  After a while, I realized the therapy had worked: I had a whole new attitude, approach, and focus and the old troubles, while not being eliminated, no longer held me in their chains.

Please forgive any casualness or flippancy my previous post may have seemed to give; my heartfelt sympathy with your woes and my assurances that the stress can be dealt with, I am a perfect example.

As before, hope all goes well.

Eagle100, You sound exhausted. You said "shows". How many have you done without a break? Take some time for yourself. If you are so tired that you are not enthusiastic, step back. Miss the theater a little. It will be so much better when you go back.

I did my last 6 shows with no breaks. You said "And another one is coming up." Trust me I know that feeling, and I now about feeling 40 years older. There were days when I would stand outside the theater and not want to go in. That wasn't good, so I stopped for awhile. It was/ is the best medicine for me. Do theater for fun. Do it to complete the artistic creative side of you. Do it because it is a great place to meet nice people. But for heaven's sake don't do it because you feel like you have to.  It's too much work to not be fun.

Take care of yourself.

Linda

I usually experience the stress of having too much to catch up on in my other duties at work (I'm a teacher, and I will say that my classes are pretty much on "autopilot" during the run of a show, but there is a lot of work to do afterwards).

I try to plan a weekend (usually two after the show is over) to sleep in and hit Disneyland for a couple of hours--my relaxation place. 

Well, it helps to know that there are other people out there who have similar experiences. So it's not that I did something terrible or 'wrong' or I was 'stupid' (even though the show was a success and the students obviously benefited). It did make me wonder whether perhaps I've used the wrong approach or something.

I know it's rest and taking time off but I haven't been able to do that so well. And I'm getting impatient for 'it' to pass.

Hi,

     I filled my post-show vacumm by writing my next play. Also, formed a production team with an actor from my playthat we did in July and we have a few projects on the go.  One of which is to take a play to a Fringe Festival. It will be my first fringe experience. We just have to hope our play get chosen.  I'm also going to write a 'fringe play'.  He tells me I need to write a 'bad' character as so far all my characters are 'good guys'.

Right now I am feeling that "too much to do, not enough time" both with the show and at home.  We are heading into our final week, and it feels as though nothing is going right. I know somehow it always pulls together, I'm just feeling alittle lost...before it ends.

My time after a show ends is ususally spent recovering from a cold I inevitably catch right before the show (like right now) or right after.

With the holidays coming up, I dive right into gearing up for that at home, so I keep myself busy. Seems that is the key...stay busy.

Good luck!

Hi Aimee,

Good luck with the show. I think in the final week one is so pressed for time and there are so many loose ends but as you say it does work out in the end though it's really draining and nerve-wracking. Definitely a good idea to take time off and just lie in bed and rest.