My second practicum takes a little explanation. I have a tendency to treat tech week of a theatrical production like an experience straight out of the inferno and it has subsequently been just that. This tech week was different. Andy posed the question: what if I didn’t call it hell week? What if I called it heaven week? I had no idea; I had never even considered the possibility that school year (not school show) tech could be anything but a nightmare. I don’t know how this exactly connects to my values and beliefs, but I knew I had to try it as a practicum. Tech Week equals Heaven Week? Why not?
Answer 1:
This has been, without a doubt one of the easiest tech weeks I have ever experienced. I think it was as simple as deciding not to call it hell week. The rest followed from there. There were no meltdowns, explosions, implosions or stressed out collapses. I didn’t even panic as bad as I usually do. There were other factors involved. Having no extra work besides theater stuff was nice (thanks Intensives!) And having an ensemble that was tight as a coiled spring was a big factor in the show coming off as well as it did. But I can’t help but think that simply not griping about tech week was a big help in my personal overall experience. It was great. I had a wonderful time. I would get to the theater and even if I were tired I would think, “This is fantastic!” This play was great fun, tech and all.
Answer 2:
I’m never going to call tech week hell week ever again. I don’t know if I can call it heaven week as that would be a little presumptuous, but not calling it hell week is good enough.
Answer 3:
Sure. Why not? If I can take a stressful situation like tech week and glide through it as well as I did simply by deciding not to treat it like a nightmare torn from the pages of Kafka, why not the rest of my life? Why not school? If I simply think of it as Not Hell, does it become that? Let’s find out.
Answer 4:
I’m a little afraid of the idea that how we think can shape our world because that means that you can shape your world negatively as well as positively. However, I think that the good that can come from positive thinking out ways the bad that could come from negative thinking. I’m not saying that you’re not longer entitled to your bad moods, I’m just saying that if you go into something thinking it’s going to be hell, it probably will be and if you don’t do that, then it won’t. Probably.
