If you're involved in theatre, whether it be onstage or off, chances are you've experienced what we know as tech week or its scarier and sometimes more applicable name hell week. This grueling week is the necessary evil that comes before any production. Rehearsal every night leading up to the show on the weekend. Re-running scene after scene and cringing over every mistake you make and dreading what would have happened were an audience there to see. Going through a week like this can really do a number on a person and affect their life outside of the theatre building. Here are 6 symptoms of tech week.
1. Tech Week is an Emotion
When people ask how you are or how your day/week/month/life has been, you normally answer with an emotion or state of mind. Tech week is an explanation in itself. If people ask how you are, you're allowed to just say tech week. They may not understand, but the words you can utter are probably better.
2. Every Word is a Trigger
You may be having a conversation with a friend, or more likely you are sitting with a friend while they talk to someone else because you are basically an empty husk barely hanging on. 50% of the words said are going to remind you of the show. You'll find yourself muttering the lines or a lyric from one of the songs and this will happen constantly. You are consumed by this show, you breathe it now.
3. Your Threshold for Caring About Stuff Breaks.
You have values and a code, there are things you do and you don't do based simply on what is important and not of help for you. THROW IT ALL OUT THE WINDOW THIS IS TECH WEEK! "I don't usually drink energy drinks, eh. whatever I might as well" "It might be super rude to sleep in class, but I deserve it" "I'm super tired but I've got to leave for work" - your conscience after OD'ing on tech week.
4. You Will Wear Some Form of Makeup Every Day
Just face the facts, your character's face and your face are now one in the same. You have to put on the same thing every night and no matter how hard you try, there will always be a piece of them on you.
5. You Adopt the Vocabulary of Your Character
You will use words and phrases they use... it will never stop.
6. You Suffer Eternally Until the Show is Over.
Both on and off the stage, but that will happen to everyone in the show
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
