PROFESSIONALISM: Long Run Conundrum

[MileHighSM]

I've been running the same show since the end of October.  My first day in the office was mid-September of last year.  I have a couple of cast members that are very shall we say...challenging.  The show is new, so the playwright is constantly making changes.  There are a lot of things that have made the show very challenging.  I have learned a lot, but am also becoming exhausted and burnt out.  I had a moment last week with a cast member in which I ended up walking out of the room instead of staying and holding my ground for fear I would let loose and yell and it would turn nasty.  The producers are now concerned that the cast will start losing confidence in management if the stage manager can't even keep it together.  So they've asked me to re-evaluate and buck up or walk away, no hard feelings and no harm done.  I'm tired, but I don't want to let it beat me.  If you were me, what would you do?  Has anyone else done a run longer than 6 months and how do you keep things fresh and morale up?

[Tempest]

I did a show for two and a half years.  I came in two and a half years into the run, and after I left it ended up running almost 8 years, total.  After a little while, it really became almost like a day job: show up, do the show, go home, nothing much changes.  But we always had different actors in and out, so that's sort of how it was kept fresh. 
And trust me, I HAD challenging cast members.  "Jane*, here's your notes from last night.  Could you look over that scene with your daughter at the top of Act II?  A couple of lines got mixed up in there."
"I'VE BEEN DOING THIS SHOW FOR FOUR YEARS, I DON'T NEED TO LOOK OVER ANYTHING; I KNOW MY LINES YOU LITTLE TWIT!"
Yeah.   

With the playwright still making changes, it sounds like you've got no trouble keeping it fresh, but keeping it sane.  I was in much the same boat, as well, as the director/playwright was at most of the shows, and constantly changing things.  When other people's insantiy (truly insane, not just obnoxious) started impacting both my job and my health, I put up with it for a few months, and then realized that I didn't have to, and left.  It happens in long runs, in both the technical staff, and the actors.

If you get burnt out, it really is okay to leave a long running show.  It's not beating you; you've got a specific tolerance for this work, and you've reached it.  Acknowledging your limits is better than forcing yourself to work past them until you crack and something rather bad happens.
I've got a theory that theatre folks just aren't wired for long hauls of repetition, which is why we're so mercurial about employment.  Six months here, 10 weeks there.  Think about it; that sort of constant uncertainty would drive most people into an institution, but we take it as normal.

*Names changed to protect the guilty

[hbelden]

I have never been in anything like your situation, so please excuse my ignorance.  I don't understand how the playwright is doing re-writes six months into your run.  At some point, don't you need to call a halt to rehearsals with the main cast so you can get understudies up to speed?  Wouldn't many actors get frustrated with all the changes after opening for an audience?  (Have you actually opened the show yet?)  Shouldn't the playwright save their notes for the next production, rather than tweaking this one? 

What is the actual reason you're having trouble - is it just overwork?  How many hours a week are you working?   I assume it isn't an AEA contract - what does your contract say about rehearsal after opening?  What are you doing on your off days to recharge?  What does your support network think about the situation?

[centaura]

I've done years of 9 to 10 month long tours, but in those situations there was always an end point on the horizon, so no matter how bad the cast got I knew that it was only limited.  If you feel that you've had it with the current situation, that nothing you've tried has been able to alter your environment to something that you can deal with, then I'd say its time to move on to another show.  Not stopping when you know you should can is worse than leaving.  I had a sound tech on tour once - she didn't want to give up, quitting meant failure to her.  She got repeatedly very sick - to the point where I had to do her job as well as take care of her being sick (multiple emergency room visits, etc).  I had nothing personally against her, but she needed to go home where she could recover, and let me get a replacement so that I didn't have triple my normal workload.  If you don't think you have enough patience with your current situation that you might loose it, its better to leave when you're ahead and still have a good reputation.

-Centaura

[NomieRae]

I'm reaching this same point with a show that hasn't even opened yet! (Oh the stories..)

I agree with everyone above me, leaving while you're ahead is key. My general thought process is "did I learn everything I could from this process?" if the answer is yes, and I'm not growing as a stage manager or as a person, it's time to move on. I'm sure there is some other stage manager who hasn't had your specific experience of this show, and is eager for a new job where they can stretch their wings.

I also agree working on a show with an open ended run, or constant changes is exhausting. There is no light at the end of the tunnel (Known as closing)