With a big announcement coming up later this week, I decided to limit myself to one blog post this week to make sure I could focus on making it the upcoming project the best it can be.
I wasn’t going to post at all, but this topic has been something I have been thinking about for a long time now: predicting the future.
You are not Raven, you cannot predict the future.
So don’t try to.
This is true in all aspects of your life, but especially true when you have a career in theatre.
Having a career in theatre is beyond unpredictable. We hear all the time how actors won't book for something as simple as their shoe size. But the same can be said when it comes to the technical side of theatre. Ok maybe not shoe size specifically.
Each season, production managers have the extremely difficult task of trying to figure out the massive puzzle that is their staff.
Sometimes directors have a certain PSM they want to work with. Seniority. Someone might have a wedding to attend and can only work in a certain time frame. A technician might be multi-talented and could be either an electrician or a carpenter. This intern may work better with this management team.
There are a million factors that goes in to hiring a staff for a theatre.
And chances are, they are just as small as a performer’s shoe size.
Even if you have worked at a theatre for YEARS, each season it’s a new puzzle.
Your career might depend on what your friend decides to do with their career.
And yes, it’s stressful and frustrating and anxiety-inducing.
But here’s the thing: theorizing about how it all might play out is not going to help.
I’m beyond guilty of doing this. I have spent the past two-ish years looking at each theatre I’ve worked at and looking at every possible way a production manager could shape the staffing that season. I’ve made charts, talked to anyone who would listen, and lost hours of sleep.
And despite the charts and lost sleep, every time I have been wrong.
But every time, it has worked out.
I have been employed.
And all of the prior stress was not worth it.
I know planning out the possibilities is necessary to some extent. But don’t lose sleep over it.
You are not Raven, you cannot predict the future.
Trust that everything happens for a reason. Trust that the production managers are working their butts off to make the best decisions for the theatre as efficiently as they can. They are not out to hurt your feelings or torture you by making you wait for a decision.
Sitting and venting (or frankly, gossiping) with friends about this that or the other when it comes to employment is not worth it. It puts you in a negative head space and distracts you from the actual goal: to get hired.
So keep applying and be patient. Don’t focus on the what-if’s because it will eat you alive and you won’t make it in the long run. Accept things as they come and keep yourself focused.
The job will come.
Just keep swimming,
Chels💜
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