Student Blog: Defeating the Post-Pandemic Slump

The summer can be a really tough time for college theatre students, especially those of us whose primary driving force during the year is the constant pressure of working on shows. I know I'm not the only one who finds it a struggle to turn off my constant-work-mode for the summertime, especially since this summer I'm not working in a theater. This year especially has made it difficult, but luckily things are looking up! So, how do we approach pushing through the summertime slump when this past school year has been so tough?

No doubt other students have felt the same thing this year- we've all been working hard with little visible payoff. With performances going mostly virtual, it's hard to feel accomplished without an audience full of applause. Going to school at a conservatory is a blessing in this sense, I've been able to see at least a few shows live; but the tiny audiences backed with a larger invisible online audience can still seem a bit, well, sad. I can't speak for everyone, but this experience has honestly made me a little burnt out, and I'm sure other students might relate. After all my years involved in theatre, it's been almost an introspective look on why I do my art, how it affects others, and how I can use this pandemic experience to improve my work.

Now that things are looking up for our industry, since vaccinations in the US have been rolled out for the most part, I'm trying to make strides to improve my resume and list of skills to become more marketable in the workforce. Making more personal art is something I know I have to start doing - I often spend my off time relaxing instead of focusing on other things I know will also make me productive. I have so many projects I ended up pushing away this year because I was so busy.

One thing I've been trying to work on this year as a theatre production student is increasing my skillset. This isn't exclusive to production majors either- this applies to performers as well. Focusing on things like the history of my art, learning new skills on Youtube or through posts from other artisans has helped me overcome burnout created by the past year of school. Performance major friends of mine have spent their downtime learning the basics of new dialects or studying acting theory. The possibilities can be endless.

Another thing to help figure out what might help you discover new things about yourself (as an artist, actor, builder, dancer, singer, whatever,) is to reach out to someone in your field you admire. You would seriously be surprised how many professors, performers, and other professionals are open to an email discussion or Instagram DM conversation. I mean, we've all been stuck in the same situation for the last year, and a lot of them are brimming with advice and information that they're more than willing to share. Over the pandemic, through TikTok, I've had the opportunity to engage with lots of people in the technical theatre industry who have tons of tips, tricks and wisdom. Meeting these people has not only given me a wealth of information to learn from, but it's also made me feel more engaged with the theatre community than I was before COVID-19 happened (and perhaps assuaged my fears of entering the workforce once I leave college!)

Personally, things are really looking up. I'm excited to improve my skills, excited to work on personal projects, and excited to get back to school (who would have guessed, right?). This summer I'm viewing as a little retreat to get myself back into work mode and make myself a better artist, and I hope anyone reading takes this as a chance to maybe do the same!