Stages.

So I've been noticing that there are four stages whenever you open a show. Here's my theory. This is based on a four week run, but can be adapted to weekend & longer runs as well.

Week 1 - Opening weekend. This is the excited/nervous/tired week. Everyone has been working so hard, pushing their way through hell week to get to this. Where people actually get a chance to get a little bit of satisfaction as a pay off to all the work they've done. It's that exhale after a week of inhaling.

Week 2 - Silly time. Finally you've gotten some rest and this is when the focus can be a little lacking. It's fun, but the experience is unique. The energy can live backstage and die when the actor's take the stage. This week is the hardest to keep yourself connected to what you're working on. Important to know if this is true for you so you can come up with ways to combat this.

Week 3 - The real work. This tends to be the week when people make leaps and bounds in their discoveries. Each show is a little different and you really get a chance to build upon what you've done each night.

Last Week - Senioritis/Bittersweet. Now this week depends on your relationship with the show. Some shows you love doing, some you are just ready for them to be over. There tends to be a freeness to this week in the work that is done, whether that be for good or bad. If you have an attachment to the show, your work can really reach a new level, while if your waiting for the show to just end, your work can become heavy.

Now of course these aren't rules, these are just things that I have seen. What do you think?