(this is another post I found buried which never got published. It’s from a few months ago
“Your voice sounds tired.” it was an off hand remark after I was trying to vocally warm up at 7:45am before heading out the door to teach all day and do another performance of my show.
How am I meant to react to that statement, even if true? I have only had 6 hours sleep, I’ve taught 2 full days this week and performed a vocally demanding, sung through show every night. Plus it’s spring, the theatre is filthy and my allergies are going crazy. And let’s not forget I am commuting at least 4-5 hours a day on trains and tubes. It’s a wonder I can sing at all. A bit of wonder plus a lot of vocal technique. What’s keeping me going is a quote I read once where the great Pavarotti said he had about 5 days a year he felt he was in good voice and the rest was technique. If he can sing that well, consistently, on days he didn’t feel were his best, then I can take my best shot.
But back to the off hand comment, how do I not let that creep underneath my already thin-feeling skin? How much can you just shrug off?
If you love someone who is a performer please be sensitive to when they are feeling vulnerable. There is a time and place for the truth but there are also times when a little white lie goes a long way. People talk about ‘luvvies’, you know the theatre people where everyone is a ‘sweetie darling’ and everything is ‘fabtastic’. Well guess what? Sometimes that’s the pixie dust that allows us to fly even when our wings are feeling tired.
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