Here are a few important truths about musicals. Now what do I mean when I say important truth. I mean that things you don't think about when trying out for a musical or something that might be harder than expected.
For the first important truth I'm gonna talk about cast. You don't know who the other people in the musical are going to be so keep an open mind. You'll be spending a lot of time with them and you might not like everyone, but they're your temporary family so treat them with respect. It can also be someones first musical so teach them somethings and make sure they wanna come back.
Next I'm gonna talk about the director. Oh boy have I had some bad directors. Just know they're in charge so don't ever talk back to them and treat them like your boss. They want the show to be the best possible more than anyone else. Some directors might take ideas from people and want people to share ideas, while others have a vision already and that's okay. They're in charge so anything they say goes. Don't backseat direct either. If they do something you don't like in terms of staging then let them know in a polite way and they might change it, they might not. At the end of the day it's their show and you're making their vision come to life.
I'm gonna talk about pay... the hard truth being you most likely won't get paid for your first musicals and you might not get paid if you're ensemble. But getting connections and experience is worth it. Also being able to put that you worked with some actors and were in shows on your resume is a big plus. It's also a lot of long hours and depending on what's happening you might be called for a certain time, but not do anything for most of the practice. You just have to respect peoples time and understand that the scene might take longer to block than expected. You can do your part by learning your songs and lines before coming in. If everyone did this then it would go by a lot faster.
Finally I'm going to talk about your mindset. Performing a ton of shows everynight can be a lot. It can be a lot mentally and a lot physically. It's not easy and you might not want to do it again after. For me being able to put on a fantastic show and seeing people smile after is worth it. You just have to remember to take care of yourself. It's draining so on days off really enjoy it and recharge whichever way you prefer. You could be making someones day, week, month, or even year just watching you perform, so just keep that in mind.
That's it, there's somethings that I struggle with sometimes and what I think people would agree with me on. Keep an open mind with everything you do and recharge when necessary. I think that's it for now, until next time.
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