BWW Blog: Cast Bonding - Making Friendships Last Far Beyond Closing Night

Hi, everyone, and welcome to my first blog post! I'm Paris, and I'm a fourth-year Theatre and Advertising major at the University of Georgia. I've loved theatre since I was a young kid, but really caught the bug around 11 and haven't lost it yet!

I've done lots of shows and been a part of many casts throughout my life, and one of my favorite parts of any production process is bonding with my castmates. There's nothing like the camaraderie of working with your peers to create a piece of art that you're all proud of. However, especially in college, many shows don't have a super long production process, and this can make it hard to get close to your cast and make friends. It's not impossible, though! There are definitely some steps you can take to bond with your cast, and I wanted to share some of them that I've found useful throughout college so far:

1. Don't be shy! Make the first move!

Trust me, everyone is just as nervous as you are! Everyone wants to make friends, and it never hurts to be the one who gets things rolling. Introduce yourself, crack a joke, and get some conversation started! You'll all be discussing your favorite shows and sharing high-school-show war stories in no time.

2. Make a group chat (you'll thank me later)

One of my favorite memories I have from college theatre happened in my freshman year. It was my first college show, and I was at one of our first few rehearsals. I was sitting in the green room with the rest of the cast waiting for our break to be over; the room was awkwardly quiet, as none of us really knew each other well yet. Then, out of nowhere, someone had the idea to make a group chat. We all joined it, and within minutes, we were all laughing and cracking endless jokes and it was like-- BOOM. Instant bonding. A group chat is an awesome way to get to know your cast, and it's never a bad idea to have your cast on hand in case you forget what time rehearsal starts!

3. Go out and E A T

We've all had those long rehearsal days where you're just counting down the seconds until lunch. Instead of racing out the door to grab your food, invite some of your castmates to grab a bite! Come on--nothing brings people together like food.

It's not enough to just make an effort during rehearsals, though! Try to catch up with your castmates every once in awhile. Have a cast party! Go out and see a show together! Head to the dining hall to have dinner and just hang. You'll be happy you did! Some of my best friendships from college are the ones I made from that very first show, and I can't imagine my college experience without them!