Long Distance Relationships
That is another thing you need to know about in the business. If you are even lucky enough to be in a relationship, it will most likely be long distance. There are engaged and even married couples in the business. I don’t know how they do it. There are a few couples here who swear by ichat/skype. They are able to see each other when they talk. That makes a huge difference when they have to be apart from each other. Do these relationships last? Usually not. In this current cast, we have a married couple, a newly engaged couple, and 6 people in serious relationships. From my experience thus far, this is unusual. Naturally, some of these relationships lean towards the rocky side. I choose to be an optimist and hope for the best with all of them. But honestly, you never know the outcome. IT IS HARD. Meeting someone in the first place is the hardest part. We are always traveling from gig to gig. All these people who are with someone - it is because they were either working together, going to school together, or living in one place long enough to dedicate a strong base with their significant other. In reality, how often are we actually staying in one spot? Pretty much never, unless we choose to close out a lot of performance opportunities and stick with one theatre.
Yes, this is another downfall of the business. I’ll say it a thousand times, you have to REALLY WANT THIS.
