{"id":2059,"date":"2021-02-23T09:38:03","date_gmt":"2021-02-23T09:38:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/?p=2059"},"modified":"2025-06-13T14:50:43","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T14:50:43","slug":"the-waiting-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-industry\/the-waiting-game\/","title":{"rendered":"The Waiting Game"},"content":{"rendered":"

Actors are used to waiting. Be it waiting to hear back from an audition or a call from your agent, but what we’re less used to is waiting to hear when we can get back to work again.<\/h3>\n
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Forget Boris, I\u2019m expecting to hear about the end of this pandemic via a statement by Lord Lloyd Webber, sung in the sweet tones of Beverley Knight.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As actors, playing the waiting game comes with the territory. In fact, I\u2019ve become pretty fond of the post-audition limbo where I\u2019m found daydreaming of a parallel universe where I nailed the audition and actually get the job. I relish the period of time between the final audition and inevitable rejection. Maybe I\u2019m a sadist addicted to the torture of it all. Or maybe it\u2019s the adrenaline spike that comes from being on the precipice of all your childhood fantasies finally coming true.<\/p>\n

The waiting game I\u2019m less fond of, however, is that of a global pandemic.<\/p>\n

As we near a year since the beginning of this colossal nightmare, much like after an audition, I\u2019m increasingly finding myself slipping into pre-COVID neurotic actor habits. Refreshing my emails and Tagmin hourly in the hope that by some bizarre miracle my agent will be the first person to announce the end of social distancing. He\u2019ll proclaim by round-robin email that theatres are back open with immediate effect. Forget Boris, I\u2019m expecting to hear about the end of this pandemic via a statement by Lord Lloyd Webber, sung in the sweet tones of Beverley Knight. Frankly, I won\u2019t accept anything less!<\/p>\n

Whilst the issue is global, it can feel like this entire pandemic revolves around me. Of course, that\u2019s the egotistical narcissist within me and I\u2019m increasingly aware of how fortunate I am that those around me are safe and well. However, it\u2019s all relative, and despite my privileges, the actor in me feels incredibly bitter and resentful. At the beginning of March 2020, I felt like all my career ducks were finally lining up in a row. But two weeks later, the rug was savagely pulled out from under me. The ducks were now stuffed and on a supermarket shelf – at best! It felt like some cruel trick. At times, forgive me, but I can\u2019t help but feel like this whole pandemic was perfectly timed to rain on my own personal parade.<\/p>\n

Like many of my pals, I burst into that first lockdown with a naivety not dissimilar from my first term at drama school. Lay low, stay positive, stay focused and this will all be over soon. I branded anyone that muttered theories of this thing lasting more than six months \u201ca delusional pessimist.\u201d Looking like a budget Joe Wicks I channelled all my anxiety into exercise and got myself into slightly better shape ready for the inevitable return to the musical theatre circuit in the next couple of weeks. But alas, weeks turned into months, my get up and go disappeared, and any motivation was quickly defeated by my all-consuming anxious thoughts. If only someone could have seen me in my peak lockdown one shape as evidence! Lockdown three has not been so kind.<\/p>\n

Anxiety and acting have always gone hand in hand for me, helping and hindering each other simultaneously. Unlike my indulgent post-audition fantasy world, it\u2019s the wait between the job offer and the actual gig that causes me night sweats. I once had a six-month gap before starting a show which resulted in a mental break that left me crying on a lilo in sunny Cyprus. I wish I was joking! This pandemic feels like an extended version of that. I didn\u2019t know that anxious feeling in the pit of your stomach could last 10 months but apparently, it can.<\/p>\n

This is an anxious time for the entire creative community. Non-actors plead their sympathy for us but I can\u2019t help feel it\u2019s with a tone that reeks of \u2018if you wanted furlough you should have followed a real career path.\u2019 So at a time when we can\u2019t mix with our fellow stageys, it can feel like you really did make a bad life choice. Why didn\u2019t I plan for a pandemic when I chose A Level Drama?!<\/p>\n

Anxiety is a funny beast. What\u2019s portrayed on the outside as apathy and moodiness, is in truth, disguising the reality of a frantic brainstorm within. When will I ever be able to make money doing what I love again? Should I be living in London if theatre is off the table? Is it even safe to be in a theatre right now? Am I selfish for wanting them to reopen tomorrow? Why don\u2019t I feature in the gazillion online concerts? Has the industry forgotten I exist?<\/p>\n

Whilst I don\u2019t claim to be wise, what I do know is that it\u2019s ok to be anxious right now. Forget being competitive, now is not the time to dim anyone\u2019s flame. Spread goodwill to all stagey folk and hold your actor friends tight.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>Glenn Adamson<\/a> is an actor and graduate of LIPA. He is best known for playing Strat in ‘Bat Out of Hell’ in the US tour and upcoming UK Tour. Glenn also played Theo in SellADoor\u2019s ‘American Idiot’ and Billy in ‘The Rise & Fall of Little Voice’. He also played Terry in the UK Tour of ‘Secret Love: The Doris Day Story’.<\/em><\/p>\n

Main image by Cinoby.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Actors are used to waiting. Be it waiting to hear back from an audition or a call from your agent, but what we’re less used to is waiting to hear when we can get back to work again. Forget Boris, I\u2019m expecting to hear about the end of this pandemic via a statement by Lord […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":3010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[144,48,79],"class_list":["post-2059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-industry","tag-glenn-adamson","tag-mental-health","tag-musical-theatre"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Waiting Game | Spotlight<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover tips and advice for coping with the waiting game in the acting industry. 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