With that last post, I got to thinking about the show, which got me to thinking of something that kinda bugs me.
*Disclaimer* - I know many of you who are reading this have very legit excuses and please don't think I am referring to you when I write what I am about to write. If you are guilty, you know who you are and you probably aren't close enough to me to be reading my blog.
We had rehearsal approximately 4 days per week for 2 hours per session for 5 weeks.
The last two weeks before the show, our rehearsal time summed about 27 hours over the span of 7 rehearsals.
The days of the performances, we spent 4 hours preparing/performing/tearing down.
These times do not include extra hours we spent rehearsing outside of practice, writing the script, preparing the musical tracks, auditioning, choreographing and arranging the technicalities of the production. This also doesn't figure in the years and years of dance and musical training many of these people have.
For those of you math defunct, that is at least 75 hours each over the span of 6 weeks.
There were more than 40 people involved in this production, at least 30 of them with those 75 hours of contribution time and the other 10 with at least 20 hours the weeks prior to the production.
We are talking 2450 hours total, at minimum, invested in this production.
That's equivelant to one individual putting in over an entire year of 47-hour work weeks.
My soap box? I am baffled, utterly baffled how someone thinks some pathetic excuse will fly like, "Oh, I'm sorry I can't make it, but it was a long day at work," or, "Yeah, um I won't get out of class until 6:30 and your show starts at 7, so I don't think I'll make it." The show is two hours long, by the way...and in place of an activity (FHE) planned for every week by these folks anyway! You know what? We had long days at work too and then went to five-hour long rehearsals and sweated our brains out. Or, how bout this one, "I procrastinated this paper I knew I had due for the past four weeks, so I can't make it because I spent all day yesterday playing video games."
How dare someone assume our hard work is worth so little. The least someone could do for a dear friend is sacrifice two hours of their time to support them! If I knew someone I loved had dedicated six weeks of their life to something, pouring in their heart & soul, I would definitely do whatever it took to support them in that endeavor...especially if that endeavor were free and involved a group of individuals I cared for. I just feel like so many are a little selfish and only see those two-hours dedicated on one night, when in reality it is so very much more.
I'm really not as bugged by this as this post would indicate, but seriously...something to think about next time you are considering not supporting someone you love in something they love.
6 comments:
Wow. That's a lot of hours. Glad I went to the show.
Do your friends get to count the time they spent not hanging out with you while you were rehearsing as part of their "support"?
I'll have to tell you my story of the crap I went through to get to your show. That will make you feel better.
Jake - that was actually something else I thought about! I was thinking of all of those times I was invited to do something and I couldn't because of rehearsal and then some of those people (no one you know) who were "so excited" to see the show didn't come for lame-sauce reasons! So sad:-(
Not to mention, I've found that when I finish a show all I care about is finding out what my friends thought of it. You did awesome, by the way!
You guys all did great, and the whole thing was very impressive and clearly a lot of work went in to. Great job!
I was just saying that you might not realize that while you've been putting in all those hours of rehearsal that a person could be supportive by letting you take that time away from your relationship with them to allow you to do something you enjoy. Even if they didn't make it to the performance.
I share your feelings. It's fun to perform to a group of people you don't know and who don't know you and hear how they liked the show, but it's so much better when you can perform for your friends and family. And it really stinks when people say they are going to be there and then aren't, though you do find out who your true friends are.
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