Context
Today's lesson consisted of an interview with a former student, who is now more heavily involved in the Performing Arts industry, and is growing very close to being able to pursue it as a fully-fledged career!
The link below shows a recent example of Des' theatrical achievements!
Interview
The session began with Des giving an insight on his recent experience working with the National Youth Music Theatre (NYMT) in the lead role of Joe Casey in the musical Our House.
Despite being with this group for several years, he explained how this show in particular (especially considering his role), required rigorous planning and orchestrating. The rehearsals were incredibly intense for every member of the cast, with sessions in the two-week final stretch being as long as 9am to 9pm with minimal breaks. Every moment of time during the show - Des' in particular - was meticulously plotted in a 'scaffolding session' so that the technically complex show ran as smoothly as possible with the copious amount of costumes, lights, sound cues and set changes.
A large piece of advice he gave us as aspiring performers on a professional level regarded health and maintenance. Similar things to what we always hear in amateur theatre applied, including eating as well as possible (''being aware of what things you're putting in your body'') and vocal steaming; his response gave us more specific tips that perhaps some of us had not heard before. I now know that shots of ginger are very beneficial for the health of the voice, and - most notably - it is crucial to plan out when eating and drinking certain things during the day so that you have the appropriate energy needed to complete all tasks, whilst preventing any 'crashing' partway through. Of course, there is also the matter of dealing with burnouts, and his main guidance was to take the moments of rest as much as possible, and use them wisely.
In regards to the audition process, Des provided us with plenty of insight on what it looks like on a more professional scale, with the various 'rounds' beginning as casual workshops and eventually ending up with a select few people. Not only this, but he emphasised heavily the importance of maintaining personal qualities, and holding true to yourself, regardless of your ability; being able to withstand the audition is fine, but casting companies are also very much looking for people with character and charm - people who will be professional and enjoyable to work with. Similarly, his main advice to us on this front was to go into each stage, ''knowing you aren't going to be the best person in the room.'' While this is often a major challenge for me especially, it was an encouragement when he reiterated the point of everyone, ''being on their own journey.''
One last notable aspect of the interview was his address of the business itself: how to manage and conduct yourself in the every day slog. What resonated with me was his insistence of finding those key moments during the process that remind you why you love the industry and hold such a passion for it. We who have worked on productions before know that the endless rehearsing can often be draining, especially in the later stage, and the exhaustion can lead to questions of whether we still are enjoying our work. Late nights and long sessions take their toll, but we all also know that the final product can be intensely rewarding; holding onto those small reminders of your drive and enjoyment will be enough to keep you going in the meantime.
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