Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2007 - 72

And I hung out with my daughter. I was able
to spend more time with students. I am more
productive and happier overall. Now I have a
life-at least for half the year." (Williams 2002)
Income reduction can also be traded for career
development. Playwright Jack Heifner teaches at
Stephen F. Austin State University one semester
each year. The rest of the year, instead of a fulltime salary, Heifner has time to pursue his own
writing. Numerous theatre artists teach parttime in adjunct positions, at a lower pay scale,
affording them time to pursue professional careers.

Take Time for Yourself
Taking time for ourselves, resting mind/body/
spirit, can mitigate workaholic tendencies and
recharge our creativity for return to work. Time
off to see other people's shows, exercise, read,
go camping-letting ourselves play-can help
keep us in touch with ourselves and the reality
that there is life outside the theatre. In a column
addressed to us all, Sonnenfeld writes "My suggestion to all theatre professionals reading this
is simple: Get a life. Or, as the song says, take the
time to stop and smell the roses." After suggesting numerous attainable approaches, he concludes with this encouragement: "I believe-I
know-that you will be a better professional on
your future projects now that you have a life."
(Sonnenfeld 2006).
There is recent scientific evidence that
aerobic exercise has the potential to improve
creative productivity. In a 2005 study led by
David M. Blanchette at Rhode Island College,
participants engaged in thirty minutes of exercise before completing an instrument measuring creativity. A control group completed the
creativity instrument without prior exercise.
The results showed that "Instances of aerobic
exercise significantly impacted the creative processes of the participants, and these effects were
shown to endure over a 2-hr period." (Blanchette et.al. 2005). Given the mounting evidence
that workaholism hinders productivity, exercise
breaks from work may benefit theatre organizations as much as individuals.
In an article exploring designers' summer activities, Davi Napoleon reported on
relaxation from trekking in Nepal to playing
baseball with kids. "You clear your head,"
said projection designer Wendall Harrington, "and try not to gnash your teeth
when you read things in The New York Times

that you're missing." (Napoleon 2000). Other
theatre artists take their families and go to work
in summer stock locations like the Black Hills.
Two designers in our acquaintance return regularly to this famous playhouse as much for the
respite from workaholic environments as for
employment.

Seek Help
Inasmuch as workaholism is a psychological disorder, counseling approaches are often
recommended solutions. This can take the
form of self-help programs, group programs
such as Workaholics Anonymous (http://www.
workaholics-anonymous.org/), or professional
intervention in the form of private therapists or
company employee assistance counselors. However, Fassel cautions that the process is the goal.
"One of the main characteristics of workaholism," she writes, "is that it is a process run wild.
It's about rushing, pushing, intensity, and so on.
If we attempt the same process with recovery, it
will elude us every time." (Fassel 1990).
One recovery program developed specifically for creative artists is described in Julia
Cameron's The Artist's Way. Cameron, a writer
with credits in theatre, film and television, has
taught creative recovery workshops since 1978.
Cameron suggests many techniques for resolving various blocks to our creativity, among
which is compulsive work. Cameron's techniques for recovery include withdrawal from
enmeshed work and relationships and to yourself; recognizing, nurturing and protecting your
"inner artist," daily journaling, and "artist's
dates"-solo excursions for smelling the roses.
(Cameron 2002).
Resisting or recovering from workaholism
cannot be achieved alone. As with other addictions, a strong support group-employer,
co-workers, family, community-is needed. A
problem in theatre is that for many of us the
people in these categories are fellow theatre
artists, and many are workaholics. But not all.
However, as Spinks cautions, "It's important
to remember that no one person needs to take
on the whole responsibility for employees' balance." (Spinks 2004). Total accountability for
another's struggle with workaholism will burn
out any well-meaning individual. So choose several trusted allies who you know will support
your effort against workaholism. Fassel, Spinks
and Workaholics Anonymous provide guides for
construction of such support groups.

Balance Family and Work Time
Many theatre artists commit to balancing work
time with family time, sometimes by involving
family at work. None of this is easy. Wierzel
comments, "It's difficult to juggle the roles of
professional LD and family, but we have found
that putting work aside and spending quality
time is extremely important, as well as realizing
that with time so distilled the highs seem higher
and the lows seem lower..." (Lampert-Greaux
2002). This author [Ramirez] found that when
designing shows out of town, the family could
come along and enjoy visiting a new city; usually
there were breaks from work when we could
all spend time together; and the trip and hotel
were paid by the contract. Sometimes a change
in workplace is best. Film and television producer/director Catherine Anderson chose to
leave TV to spend more time with family by
working half-time with architect husband Matt
O'Connell. (Anderson 2006).

Partnering
Some designers have built a support group by
partnering with others in business. Lighting designers Brian Gale, Abigail Holmes and Emanuel Treeson formed NyxDesign in 2002. "Their
plan was to create a mutually supportive group
of individuals who do interesting work together-and support each other doing that work.
'We still want to be who we are and do the work
we want to do,' says Treeson. '....We all know
that we need to have a balance. It makes us better people to do the things we do for the sake of
doing them.'" (McHugh 2003).

Setting Priorities
A colleague from USITT remarked at the 2005
conference, "Theatre is about life. And if you
have no life, you have nothing to say to the theatre." If we, as theatre artists, have priorities
in addition to work, there will be times when
we must choose between our work and a life.
Evidence from our current survey of theatre students, faculty and working artists, suggests other priorities that are highly valued. When asked
what is important to their success, seventy-seven percent of respondents selected "Spending
time in fun ways away from my workplace" as
"always" or "usually" important. Eighty-four
percent selected "Spending time with people
I cherish and enjoy." Nearly sixty-five percent
selected "Paying attention to my spiritual life."
Over sixty-two percent selected "Taking good
THEATRE

SPRING

2007

DESIGN

TECHNOLOGY

http://www http://www.workaholics-anonymous.org/ http://www.et.al

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2007