PROFESSIONALISM: Absences (SM who doesn't care anymore)

[OrchDork]

I work at an opera company at an university. I don't really have support from the teachers or faculity. They cast the show, give me a crappy director and then leave. The good part is I get paid.

The actors are total divas. If I am the bad guy they go to the director of the college and complain. He then lets me know that this will work. For the show, I am doing now the lead actress only showed up to a week and a half of rehearsal. Is it bad that I am already so jaded that I don't care about absences. I tell them that it is unaceptable, but they do so anyway. I have developed an attitude of "it's there show, they can screw it up." Is that a bad attitude to have?

[Mac Calder]

You need to get out. Seriously - if things are that bad - bad to the point where you no longer care, you need to get out. Either that, your you really need to clamp down. You need to drag the faculty into a meeting room and basically rip them a new one about how their undermining of your authority within the rehearsal space, and their allowing of the diva attitude MUST stop, because all it succeeds in doing is creating second rate talent who will find themselves waiting tables, unless they get a pretty decent reality check.

[bradygonsalves]

Agreed. Either way you may end up out of a job, but with the latter approach you may find yourself reinvigorated and rededicated to your art. If the faculty cares about educating the students then they will respond in kind, if not then you can feel good about attempting to make a difference. Is this director usually associated with the college? I'm sure most directors would jump onboard with an SM who can get the performers to attend rehearsals. Good Luck.

[avkid]

Motion carried, get out whilst you still can.

“By far the most dangerous foe we have to fight is apathy - indifference from whatever cause, not from a lack of knowledge, but from carelessness, from absorption in other pursuits, from a contempt bred of self satisfaction”
-William Osler