I am currently rehearsing for a musical, it’s a fabulous new
piece called “Musical of the Year” and I’m having a lot of fun. It’s my first musical for a while and
although I sing regularly in a choir and take dance classes weekly, I haven’t
had to sing and dance AT THE SAME TIME for quite a while. When learning the high octane finale number
the other day I couldn’t hear much soprano – partly I realised mid-pirouette,
because I wasn’t actually singing.
Apparently my body, much like an old PC, was struggling to run both the “remember
new choreography” and “sing correct lyrics in right key” programmes at the same
time.
Thinking about this later, it struck me that this is what
actors have to do quite a lot - multitask.
This is an overused phrase but it is quite apt. Day job: Unless you are one of
the lucky few who have a long contract or are a much sought after actor, most
actors have one or several other jobs they have to juggle around auditions and
rehearsals. CPD (Continuing
Professional Development): taking acting, singing or dance classes,
keeping fit in the gym or going for a run to make sure you are on good form for
when that audition/job comes through. Support
Group: Maintaining relationships
with friends and family and being there for them as much as they are for you. If you have children or significant family obligations
this will be an even higher priority. Daily
grind: Cooking, shopping,
cleaning… All take effort and
organisation – even the most disorganised actor is probably more on top of
things than you may think.
For me, organisation comes in the form of a yearly offering. I am pretty tech savvy, but I am old school
when it comes to my diary. When my Equity
diary arrives around September every year, I carefully fill in significant
dates and events and then usually decorate the cover (who doesn’t love
stickers?) and this little book becomes my bible for the year. I would be lost without it.
I’m not saying actors have it harder than anyone else, but
there is certainly an art to running several versions of yourself simultaneously –
the actor, the daughter, the husband, the carer, the receptionist, the front of
house manager, the promo girl with a sample of shampoo, the guy in the voice
class, the children’s Saturday morning dance coach, the girl mumbling lines on
the tube while eating a banana, the waiter…
And people have the cheek to ask if we are “resting”!
Twitter: @mirandacolmans
Website: www.mirandacolmans.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MirandaColmans
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