Closing a Show

I don't think non-theatre people will ever understand the heartbreak of ending a show. Sure we may be a little eccentric and overdramatic, but we experience pain just like you. So let me explain the process of closing a show for all you normal people out there.

On one level, ending a show is like ending a vacation with your friends. Some of them you'll see at school, some you'll see in another show, but some you won't see for a long time. Over the process of rehearsal and performance, the cast forms an incredible bond, and it's suddenly broken without another thought as soon as the curtain descends. Your friends--your family is suddenly whisked away from you, and you feel terribly alone. So when you see cast members crying in the lobby after a show is over, it isn't because they thought they screwed their solo up--they don't want the show to end.

On another level, ending a show is like shutting off a part of your life. You become so invested in the story each night, and the character you create is so real that sometimes it seeps over into your real life. But when the show is closed, the character vanishes, and a part of you vanishes too. You made room for that character to live inside you, and now that it's gone, you feel empty. Empty and alone.

The solution? Immediately jumping into another show, creating another character, and forming another family. Sure you miss the other show, but if the first show was a breakup then this show is a rebound that happens before the depression can set in. You may think that this heartbreak that the actor goes through sounds too dramatic and not even worth it, but let me tell you--few things measure to the joy of stepping out from behind the curtain, into the lights, and in front of a packed audience. This is why we actors put ourselves through this depression in between shows. To put it simply, it's worth it. Just like eating an entire monster-sized Freebirds' burrito is worth it no matter how many times the stomachaches make you want to die. The joy outweighs the heartbreak. It's worth it.

Because the closing of one show means the opening of another.