Stop Saying Performing Onstage Is Easy!
Because it F**king Is Not! And, yes, I am a bit frustrated!
A few weeks ago I drove to Cork Airport early on a Sunday morning to pick up my wife who was returning from a three week work trip to Japan. The journey from my house to Cork is tourist board picturesque with miles of green punctuated by small villages and farms that make you pause for thought and wonder if you really do live here. The roads were shiny from overnight rain, virtually empty and, as is normal in this part of the world, there are unpredictable surface changes, bumps and potholes which can be a nightmare for anyone not driving a tractor!
My journey was made joyful by the Arts House which is a 2 hour long radio programme on local station Cork’s 96FM. The programme is dedicated to the local arts scene and features listings, interviews and insights all presented in an intelligent and thoughtful way by a wonderful host. I listened to news about new plays opening, interviews with artists and heard from the director of a craft fair who explained the criteria for makers and why those criteria are important in supporting both the creative and social objectives of the event. There were no phone-in quizzes or references to socials which made the programme feel grounded in its area and community - and perfectly suited to my slightly grumpy ‘getting up early on the weekend’ mood!
Towards the end of the show the presenter talked about an upcoming tribute show that was due to return to one of the area’s large theatres. I am conflicted over tribute shows because I think there are too many of them which pulls down the price for the very good ones - but that is all in another piece! (Do We Need Another Tribute Show)
The tribute show that was heading to Cork has a great reputation and sells out all over the UK and Ireland. The programme’s host interviewed the tribute performer to find out more about her upcoming show. This was not a standard PR led fluffy ‘Have you performed for anyone famous? or What’s your Insta?’ type deal. Instead, the interviewer treated the tribute show like a regular piece of theatre and asked about the show’s roots and emotional arc.
It was an intelligent look at a show that, because of its subject’s tragic life, has the potential to emotionally affect people. However, it became increasingly clear that the show’s performer was not really ready to provide any kind of insight into her art, her show or her process. When asked about how she started her tribute she just said “Oh I was always singing and I loved her songs so I went on Stars in Their Eyes (a 90s UK TV show that launched the tribute market) which helped me get bookings” To which I say ‘Wow’ because translating a couple of TV appearances into a 30 year career takes dedication, talent and some serious hard work! I was engaged with the interview at this point thinking that we were going to learn more about the heavy work it takes to succeed in light entertainment.
But the next part of the interview left me confused. The performer was asked what she does to get into character and prepare herself to walk onstage as another person. “Oh” said the performer ‘ I don’t really do any preparation - I just walk out and sing the songs’ WHAT?! The interview then descended into some chat about costuming for the show which is either simple or great depending on the moon’s phase or something and may or may not feature cardigans.
My first reaction was incredulity - why was this artist underselling her own show and, in the process, disrespecting her audience. Why was she not talking about how much she studied the singer to make her tribute the best it could possibly be.
It is actually really difficult to perform a whole show singing like somebody else especially when the audience is likely made up of fans of the person your are impersonating. The best tribute performers know this and spend serious time honing their shows, studying physical gestures and vocal inflections to ensure that they are honouring the object of their tribute. I am sure that this performer has also put in the work to get her show so universally loved and recognised.
The interview closed with the radio presenter desperately seeking some element of honesty or truth from her subject. She asked the performer if it was physically and mentally tiring to be touring so much. (Spoiler alert: we all know that touring really takes it out of a performer.) But our tribute performer came back with “I just love what I’m doing so much that it doesn’t even feel like work!”
This statement triggered a mixture of anger and despair. Anger on behalf of younger me who had to fight, sometimes literally, because he wanted to learn to dance. Despair that in our industry we are still propagating this myth that what we do is SO inconsequential that it takes no effort. I totally get that some of this is PR and there is a fear that nobody will buy a ticket to watch someone have a bad time onstage. However, if we are going to be serious about our industry then we need to get serious about our industry!
Our work is important, it is hard and it counts! This month in the UK a TV drama series, Mr Bates vs The Post Office caused a debate in Parliament. As creative professionals we have to make the case for our work every time we can. We have to be savvy when we are interviewed and learn lessons from other professions. You never hear a surgeon say that her 5 hour operation was a breeze because she loves her work so much!
Performing onstage is hard physical work. Performers from Nathan Lane to Nicole Scherzinger talk about the stresses involved in giving a show leading performance 8 times a week. Lane almost destroyed his voice working on The Producers and Scherzinger (like many leading performers) needed support from Rachel Tucker in order to maintain her incredible levels in Sunset Boulevard.
In an interview with BBC TV Scherzinger compared the endurance needed to perform her role to that required of elite sports people. At an elite level performing is the same as professional sport and if people are paying to see you then you need to continually strive to be on top of your game physically, emotionally and creatively. Rudolf Nureyev said ‘if you miss class one day, then you will notice yourself, if you miss two days then your colleagues will notice but if you miss three days then your public will notice”
Look at the bruised black toes of female ballet dancers, the actors hurrying out of the stage door to start their Uber shifts or the cabaret singers working their behinds off to get £150 a night gigs and then tell me that it is easy.
On a deeper and more personal level, it is the attitude that performing is not a proper job that is the most hurtful. I was the boy who was asked by school teachers what he really wanted to do because theatre is not a proper job. I was asked by our school careers advisor if I had considered the army (FFS!) and told by a school PE teacher during a basketball session not to jump like I was ‘in bloody Swan Lake’. But regardless I worked hard in my spare time to earn the money necessary to personally pay for the classes I needed to follow my dream because my family could not. And I am not alone. I am not the only working class kid who had to find ways to make my performing career happen. I am not the only boy told he shouldn’t dance and not the only kid told they should get a proper job.
So please, if you are interviewed about your job by all means share the joy that you feel, the sense of accomplishment and the privilege that you have in being able to perform professionally. But please don’t ever let anyone think that working in the performing arts is easy.
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Hear, hear! I once heard Antony Sher being interviewed and he said that anyone who calls actors luvvies should experience standing in the wings on an opening night waiting for curtain up before going onstage. I can't remember his exact words but I am sure it included vomiting and/or the effect it has on the bowels! Acting is a tremendously hard job and must be strenuous mentally and often physically. Hats off to actors, and congratulations to you on making it in a tough industry. I really admire your determination and you deserve every success.