Withdrawal

There's a well-known feeling that occurs amongst theatre practitioners once a production comes to an end. Some consider it a grieving process, I think of it more like going into withdrawal (mostly because I am a theatre-addict... a theaddict?). Since I hadn't been involved in a production for quite some time, I had completely forgotten the withdrawal effect. Symptoms manifest themselves in a variety of ways. In my case, I've been feeling lost, cranky, bloated (to the point where I'm almost certain I must have regained all the weight I lost throughout the festival), and incredibly sad... Actually, I guess withdrawal is a lot like PMS. Great. Like I need to go through that twice a month now.

I'm not exactly sure what happened to me over the past four days (has it really been four days?). I know it involved a pool, the mall, a social gathering or two, and my apartment is practically spotless so I guess it also included cleaning... I feel like I've been in a daze, as if the past few days happened to someone else.

It is very difficult to combat the effects of withdrawal. Many performers immediately jump into another project in order to avoid or postpone the inevitable. Since I'm not in Winnipeg until late next week, I unfortunately do not have that luxury. I also needed to distance myself a bit from the script in order to be able to tackle it with fresh eyes.

Tonight, after a great evening teaching an adult acting course, was the first time I felt the fog lift a little. I felt artistically productive and it was good. Tomorrow, I'm meeting a friend for breakfast and going to work out. I feel like my body needs to move and be active again. Resting is great every once in a while, but I was meant for the stage.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqa9V8Ox5Qo]