Put Your Friendship First

As I alluded to in my post yesterday, it is very common in theatre for the lines between friend and colleague to be incredibly blurred. Our work is so personal and built on huge amounts of trust, understanding and empathy, that it is very difficult to work with someone for any length of time and not also view them as a friend.

Most of the time, this is lovely. It means that work very often doesn’t feel like work. You are spending time with friends, people you enjoy spending time with and who you value highly. The downside of this, is that we can end up in a bit of a work bubble. Everyone we talk to and socialise with is also a colleague, so you never get away from the world of work.

This time has made me even more appreciative of the friendships that I have made through my work in theatre. Bonds of trust and mutual support which are needed now more than ever.

So, this short blog is just a reminder to put the friendships before the work relationships. Check in with the person, not the actor/director/designer. It will probably benefit your work as well.

Originally published at https://www.marcus-bazley.co.uk on December 3, 2020.