And now, the end is here
And we have bowed our final curtain
My friend, I’ll say it clear
You’ll get through this, of this I’m certain
The show, yes it was great
We’ve battled each and every slow day
But now, the Blues it is
Deal with them My Way
… Enough of that nonsense.
I’ve now come to the end of the busiest two years of my acting career to date, which have been LOVELY but also tiring. Yes, I have a couple of projects in development, but nothing concrete in the diary… SCARY! Ten days into the void, and the dreaded Blues haven’t yet raised their miserable head to bite me on the bum, but they are something that ALL actors have to deal with at some point. It’s hardly surprising. You immerse yourself in this intense, private, creative bubble. You go “down the rabbit hole”, as a director I’ve been working with recently, puts it. It’s all you think about, talk about, dream about, stress about…. and then “Pouf!” it’s gone and your life feels completely empty.
I’m not going to share MY advice on the subject. You’re sick of my advice, I’m sure, I’m always bloody banging on about it… which would be fine, I guess, if I wasn’t such a fucked up mess who, frankly, NOBODY should be coming to for advice…
So here’s what I did… I went to Twitter and Facebook, and I asked the good people of the Cyberworld what their top tips would be for dealing with Post-Show Blues.
I’ve quoted the replies verbatim, and signed them with the initials of the lovely actors who replied to me – thank you all for your advice. (And please let me know if you’re happy with me including it – I will, of course, remove it if you ask me to!)
“For me, I like to put creative things in the diary so that there’s always something ‘coming up’ that will be inspiring – seeing a show, writing a short story or even just rehearsing a monologue on my own like a madwoman – even if they’re not acting jobs, I still feel creative which helps a lot methinks” LS
“Doing something completely different – remind yourself that life goes on – a walk in the woods does it for me…..but I’m very easily pleased!” HS
“Running… or any aerobic sport or exercise, to get the endorphins going… Spending as much time outdoors as possible. And having other work or stuff going on that’s not connected to acting helps keep things in perspective. Also, I find one of the things about being a freelance creative is that there tends not to be too much time to dwell. Pressure of finding the next bit of income tends to kick in…” JD
“Write a play.” SP
“Candy floss works. Short term of course.” DPS
“Hang out with friends and do things that make me happy.” MB
“Go on holiday” IB
“Have a little treat/get away planned for straight after. Weekend away, even just a day out. Something different/new to look forward to and remind you that the world is big.” CR
“Go on holiday/for a break; catch up with non-industry friends; write!” CB
“If I’m low I like to create a project that I have control over. Like planning a dinner party, spring cleaning the whole house, becoming a regular at a more challenging class at the gym etc etc. Something to keep me focused and active.” KC
“Write it all out – every thought that crops up, get it on paper. Better out than in. Be curious about why those thoughts are there – don’t be mad about them. And I can’t recommend meditation enough. After every show. Time, just for you, to find space and clarity for yourself.” AM
There you have it. The favourites seem to be: write, go on holiday, do some exercise.
I have been quite pleased with these responses, because the last 10 days have seen me doing quite a lot of the things people are suggesting… and so far, so good… Yes. I know. I KNOW they can suddenly smack you on the back of the head weeks and WEEKS later. But like I say – so far so good, so here’s hoping…
What are you doing still here?
Go on. Get on with it!
Oh – And apologies to the man on the tube sitting next to me as I sang “My Way” to myself repeatedly for ten tube stops to make sure my new lyrics scanned properly!
This post was originally published as ‘The Anxious Actor”
My Name is Not Debbie 