Reviewing the Situation

Well, we’re nearly at the finish line, and it’s been a pretty smooth course so far. Touch wood. We opened just under two weeks ago and since then we’ve been lucky enough to be performing to a full house (or near enough) every night.

My nerves seem to have melted away and at the moment I’m just enjoying the fact that I’m in work, doing what I’ve always wanted to do. I flat out refuse to let ridiculous anxieties get in the way of that. However, this was a lesson I learned and applied AFTER press night!

Friday 20th November, a day that will live in infamy. Well, at the time it seemed like this huge hurdle to be negotiated but looking back on it from the safe distance of two weeks in the future, it was all very exciting. I was stressing about it all day Friday, wandering aimlessly around Newcastle City Centre with all manner of concerns flitting around my head. I eventually got back to the theatre in the evening, into the dressing room and walked into a positively jubilant atmosphere; everyone had exchanged good luck cards and wishing each other well. Some how I got swept along with it all. So I handed out my own good luck messages and had a word with myself. It went something like this, “Frances, this is a brilliant place to be right now, so bloody well get on with it!”

About two hours later, we’re in the bar being congratulated, the play went down a storm, the audience loved it and the atmosphere was electric. A truly triumphant night!

With press night conquered there was one final obstacle to overcome: reading the reviews!

I’ve heard many an actor say, “Oh I never read my reviews” and I would love to know the secret they hold to stopping themselves. I made the same promise at the beginning of the run because that way, I would be none the wiser and they wouldn’t affect my performance.

I did break that promise (several times over) analysing comments that at first seemed positive but after the sixth viewing started to appear like veiled criticisms. I drove myself up the wall and about nothing! The reviews were good and everyone liked the play, I didn’t have anything to worry about. I’d always known that, it just took a little while to sink in.

To be honest, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to not read reviews but next time, what I will bare in mind, is that you’ll never be able to stop negative criticism, however well you do by your own standards, there will be someone somewhere who won’t like what you did. I suppose the trick is to always care what other people think, but not to the point where it shapes everything you do or makes you doubt yourself.

Since that point of realisation, I’ve had the time of my life and I couldn’t have dreamt up a better first job than this. The people, the theatre, the play, being on home turf, it’s all been great but I think the most important thing I’m going to take from the experience will be the lessons I’ve learned. I was lucky enough to be trusted with a difficult role. When I left drama school I wasn’t really expecting much more than '2nd hand maiden to the right' type parts for my first few jobs and I did feel a little out of my depth at times, but I worked hard and I got through it by listening to the actors with more experience and taking on board their advice, by trusting my director and by trusting my own judgement.

It really has been an incredible 6 weeks and I’m sad to be leaving Jump! behind, but, onwards and upwards! I hope that armed with my newly learned lessons and freshly acquired self belief, my second job won’t be far behind and when the reviews for that show come out, I’ll breeze calmly through the papers and let the criticism wash over me, like a passing shower.. then I’ll bloody well get on with it.

Frances