Today marks the beginning of the first week in the past five months that I will not have a show to rehearse/perform/prep for, and actually after the past five months I am OK with that.
Normally at this time I'd be freaking out, "when will I ever get cast again", but thankfully this time those thoughts have stayed away. (Ok, not completely away but much quieter than normal). It could be that I'm growing up and becoming more mature and more comfortable with this business and the ebb and flow of the tide of shows. It also could be the fact that working a full time job and doing two consecutive shows with no break in Berwyn is exhausting. I like to think it's a nice combination of both.
I do know that I am worried, worried about being left out, being left behind, or worse...being forgotten. The truth is that any and all of those things are possible depending on how the time between shows is handled.
It's not to say that breaks from shows aren't needed or valuable, I am definitely in need of some time off and I'll be getting it. A summer vacation this June takes me out of the running for a few shows/classes and so the next prospect is a few months off if not more.
This is a bit scary, fear of falling out of practice is most prominent in my mind as possible consequences of a long break from performing. But there are ways around that. Reading and writing are of course two of the most common, the best way to keep up creative insight is to keep your mind working. Watching TV and playing video games won't help when you have to get back into the swing of things.
But probably the most interesting thing a good friend advised me to do when dealing with a "dry spell" is to simply experience life. Seems simple enough, but the reality of the situation is that as an actor it's easy to base your life around your shows, and spend the time in between "waiting" rather than "living".
Gathering stories and life experiences allows you to not only pass the time but to grow as a performer. The more you've experienced the more you'll be able to express on stage or in your art or your writing.
So for the time being I will write, and read, and take classes when I can but most importantly I plan to live.
