Happy Spring Everyone!!
Spring is such a fun time of year, and it really does have a refreshing feel to it! It’s a perfect time to do some spring cleaning and get organized, as well as finish up the semester before summer break!
As we move into show season with tech week for the first cast being right around the corner, it
is important to note that tech week can be…well, hectic. While it’s TOTALLY worth the craziness,
you may find yourself bit overwhelmed at times without the proper tools and schedule. Here
are some tips and advice to be the most prepared you can be for tech week and have a great
time!
First and foremost: Take care of yourself!
Eat healthy— remember, you are what you eat. By eating healthy foods that give you energy, you can feel great and stay energized. This is quite possibly the most important thing you can do to ensure that you’ll feel the greatest possible.
Drink water— over half of your body is made of water (not energy drinks and soda, believe it or not... ;) so make sure you are replenishing by drinking plenty of water when your body is working so hard for you!
Take care of your voice—Be sure to rest your voice and don’t pull too much out of it until the actual show. Secondly, drink a lot of water and plenty of tea. You could drink Throat Coat tea or something of the sort, but my personal favorite is plain black tea with lemon and raw honey. Lastly, be mindful of what you’re eating/drinking when you are going to be singing. Things like dairy, soda, chocolate, caffeine, and spicy foods can have a negative effect on your voice. (Specifically dairy. It pretty much just coats your throat in a bad way and becomes a very unfortunate situation.) Lastly, always have a bag of potato chips
on hand. It’s kind of crazy but the oil in the potato chip eliminates dryness in your throat by coating your vocal cords in a good way.
Sleep- Get plenty of it. Your body is going to have to adjust to everything going on including the inevitably crazy schedule, so it’s very important that you get enough sleep! You must be intentional about the sleep you’re getting, otherwise it’ll be hard to get enough rest.
Take vitamins (with parental approval, of course) — Ok, I know there are mixed opinions about this one. But if there was ever a time to load up on these unsung heroes, it’s during tech week. It’s very handy to have these in your system while your body is working overtime doing all the things. You have a higher chance of getting sick in a crazy time where you are extra tired and just doing A LOT. By taking vitamins, you have that much more on your side to fight the cooties.
Secondly: Come prepared!
Come with everything you know you are going to need and more. The craziest things can happen at the most unexpected times, and it is always better to be safe than sorry. Things like safety pins in case of unexpected costume catastrophes, extra everything (Makeup, clothes, shoes, food etc.), as well as hygiene products and first aid supplies come in incredibly helpful in those moments of need.
Know your stuff! Make sure you know all of your lines/blocking/choreography/music etc. really well before tech week. That way it isn’t something else you have to worry about while you’re preparing to actually put on the show!
Lastly: Plan ahead.
Things go much smoother during a tech week if you intentionally plan ahead, so that you won’t have to plan at the last minute or have any unnecessary stress. You'll want to have a general idea of what you are going to bring before tech week rolls around so that you are prepared in that sense. That way, you won’t be scrambling to pack things as you are running out the door.
On that same note, make sure to purchase anything you need for costumes or makeup ahead of time so that you can make adjustments or find the right things before it becomes an emergency.
Plan out your food. You don’t have to do this, but it makes things way easier. The other thing is that by planning ahead, you can eat healthy foods that will give you energy (back to my first point about taking care of yourself) rather than eating something less healthy as your only choice in a moment of hungry
desperation.
All in all, tech week can be crazy, but it is so incredibly fun! Knowing the tricks of the trade
makes it much easier, and my hope is that this makes it easier on you for your next tech week.
I hope this is helpful! Good luck and break a leg! (Please not literally.)
