Dressing Room 6 - Half a Sixpence Dinner Time Discussion 25th October 2016

Reflective Journal

Dressing Room  6 - Half a Sixpence

Dinner Time Discussion

25th October 2016

I am now within the tech period/rehearsals of Half a Sixpence at The Noel Coward Theatre in Leicester Square, in preparation for opening night on Saturday 29th October! The cast have moved into the theatre this week as rehearsals commence. I am very lucky to be sharing Dressing 6 with three very close cast members and have already made ourselves at home.

Within our dinner break during rehearsals we were all relaxing in our dressing and had a big discussion/informal 'question and answer' session regarding certain questions within my Inquiry topic and subheadings. Due to being surrounded by fellow performers varying in age and training I felt this conversation was incredibly resourceful as I have gained new opinions and perspectives that I can collate and compare with the rest of my findings. 

This specific discussion logged within my Reflective Journal will prove interesting when compared with results from my 4 organised interviews.

Assuring that I am accurate with my cast member's responses I gained consent to record the conversation and only use it to analyse my findings. 

HOW DOES YOUR DIET IMPROVE YOUR WELLBEING? HOW HAS IT CHANGED?

One of the girls, Kim is now a vegan so her diet has changed dramatically over the years. It makes her 'feel healthy for the inside out'. Within our industry we need to have allot of energy and the right nutritional foods thus making a difference regarding how you feel on stage.

Jenny added to this response that the way in which she eats and looks have stemmed from her industry. She is still in that 'middle ground of finding a balance of eating the right amount of good food that fuels me but doesn't hinder me'.

DO YOU FIND THAT LIFESTYLE HABITS CHANGE SEASONALLY OR IN ACCORDANCE TO THE WORK?

Kim: Yes. In summer you want to be outside with fresh air eating salads however in the winter you want to be sat cosy with films, eating chocolate and warmer stodgier foods. You wear different clothes therefore act differently.

Jen: Winter is allot harder if your actively loosing weight or aware of what your eating as you want big, hearty food but you feel you cannot have it. 

WHAT DOES THE WORD WELLBEING MEAN TO YOU?

Kim: 'Wellbeing to me means being well on the inside out', for example your physical & mental wellbeing and health. 

Jen: Being well in your mind, body and outlook on life.

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR WELLBEING HAS CHANGES OVER THE PAST 5 YEARS?

Kim: Yes, 'I feel like my career has affected my wellbeing'.If she is involved in a positive job or atmosphere her whole perspective alters. For example mental health improves, less stressed.

Jen: 'Most definitely'. Jen attended college within the past 5 years and expresses that its 'not necessarily a healthy place'. Before she commenced training she wasn't healthy with her wellbeing, therefore indulged allot as she didn't understand the term, however Jenny's understanding developed at college. She stated that this new knowledge was 'dangerous, because my understanding hurt me. I knew that I was hurting myself with food but I wasn't stopping myself'.  However Jenny now believes that she has found a good balance upon graduation.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO MAINTAIN A GOOD SENSE OF WORK LIFE BALANCE?

Kim: 'To maintain a good sense work life balance try not to put too much energy into the job'. Kim explains further that it’s vital that you need to have a life outside of your job, therefore not making the job become your life. 

We are very passionate about our profession so we put our job in front of everyone else. Due to experience within the industry Kim identified that finance is a constant challenge that can completely impact healthy eating, living well etc.

'As an actor having a cold could mean the difference between performing and not performing'


-Have a great unit of friends around you that can support you.

Jen: 'Put yourself first but not in a selfish ways. You cannot go on that stage if you have run yourself into the ground so you have to associate your wellbeing to your ability to perform'

ARE YOU AWARE OF THE CONCEPT WORK LIFE BALANCE?

Kim: Yes

Jen: No

IS IT EVER CHALLENGING MAINTAINING AN EVEN DISTRIBUTION OF WORK AND FAMILY/SOCIAL TIME?

Kim: 'Difficult', Kim uses our 'Tech week' as a prime example as we cannot plan anything or see anybody due to not knowing our call times for rehearsals the next day. 

'Eradicate weeks of your life for your career'

However when the show is up and running you have full day free to work, rest and play. 

Jen: 'I am in a position where I don't know what a work life balance even is. Work is my life at the moment and has completely taken over'

Within performance contracts the only way Jen can see her family is if they come to watch the show. Her relationship has been affected due to work as 'work is everything', however only because she has just graduated from college.

Kim replied to Jenny to say that our work life balance changes throughout our career. As we get older we aim towards different goals such as to settle down, have a family.

WHAT SPECIFIC ELEMENTS OF YOUR JOB MAY PREVENT YOU FROM HAVING A GOOD SENSE OF WORK LIFE BALANCE?

Kim:

·      The hours

·      The strain on your body

·      The strain on your mental health

‘Most of the people within the rehearsal process have colds possibly due to rehearsing for a week in a studio that was either hot or cold’

·      Brutality of the job

‘As an actor you put yourself out there, you are your product’

‘Your made to stand in a line and your told sorry you look this and we need something else’

‘You’ve got a great voice and you’re a really nice person but your slightly too old’

These scenarios can have an affect on our mental health as a performers.

HOW IMPORTANT IS SLEEP, REST AND LIESURE TIME TO YOU?

(Devon enters the discussion)

Jen: ‘It is extremely important. If you can’t sleep you cant do your job. If you don’t treat yourself well you can’t do your job’ In order to get that rest you have to find the specific balance between work and lifestyle. ‘Try and make it part of your routine and your job’

Kim: ‘Leisure time is very important but the reason we find it difficult within a show is because the people who you are working with become your life’. That is the reason why it is vital to have friends outside of our industry that you can have that leisure time with. ‘They force you to be away from that environment that we are in at the moment’

HOW DO YOU PRIORITISE YOUR WORKING DAY?

Jen: ‘I’m at the point now in my career that if it’s a two show day that is my day. I’ve been told by allot of people to have a life outside of this and not become consumed but right now I am really have with it consuming me’

She assures to get an early nights sleep and the most she will do in the morning is go to the gym.

Kim: Kim’s response differed as she has another job as she lives with a family that she Nannys for, therefore that pays her rent resulting in her saving money as she would not be able to job work within the industry we are in.

She has a diary which she will always use and try to plan ahead as much as possible. Mostly working before shows on a Monday and Tuesday and Friday to pay for her rent. Time management plays a huge role within Kim’s work life balance.

Devon: Devon agrees with Jen, that she makes sure she gets an early night. ‘I find that when I am doing a show I can’t eat too much before going on stage as nerves get the better of me, so on a two-show day I prioritise being confident in the show over eating’

‘My nerves are being fed’

Kim responds to Devon by agreeing that this is a big obstacle especially with wearing a corset throughout the shows. Due to wearing these it is challenging to eat a proper meal before a show therefore we have to ‘Plan what you eat, when you eat, how you eat’

DO YOU FEEL LIKE OUR WELLBEING IS BEING COMPROMISED WITHIN THE 21^st CENTURY?

Jen: '100% I think that social media has really been a massive help and detriment to our wellbeing. Help in the fact that your aloud to be more sociable, your aloud to have a ridiculous amount of friend all over the world and keep in touch with everyone.'

'However it stop people living in the absolute now. So you don't appreciate that amazing meal as much because you took a photo of it to put on Instagram first'

Kim adds that social media can also be detrimental to people's confidence

'All your doing is constantly comparing yourself to other people.'

'You've got inspiration right at your fingertips viewing pictures of performers and their lifestyle, however if your not in a position to have those things they have it makes you feel worse about yourself'

'People instantly become consumed by social media. For example 20 years ago the iPhone didn't exist, now all of us in this dressing room have one which we are constantly scrolling on and looking on.' In a way this technology prevents conversation and verbal communication to happen.

Dev: 'People only put online what they want you to see'

Devon has previously followed fitness trainers and personalities and have caught them out. For example 'she didn't do a work out, she put a sports bra and her sweat pants on, tipped water on her face and posted ''what an amazing workout this morning''

Some people would look at a blog/status like this and feel bad about their eating habits and health. All they are doing is taking that photo or writing that post to create the impression to the world of the things that they are doing but in reality they're not.

ARE YOU INFLUENCED BY ADVERTISEMENTS/POP-UPS ON SOCIAL MEDIA?

Kim: 'I wouldn't say I'm influenced by them because allot of the time I just close pop-ups'

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR EMPLOYER HAVING A DUTY OF CARE REGARDING OUR WELLBEING?

Kim: 'From having a good company manager is the route of all happy companies'
We need that mother hen figure within the company and middle man between us and the producers as they are thinking about the money and in some cases the cast are not their priority. They should support our mental wellbeing as well are physical.

All girls gave the example of the flu jab that our company offered us as a brilliant way companies can look after our wellbeing, however some companies and producers are not as providing.