With actors, when in a show, it is not like a person’s job that is Monday through Friday. The show involves the weekends (often a four show weekend), and often also plays on holidays (like I said, my kid’s show performed on Thanksgiving) and so there are some differences in that respect with regular types of jobs.
Actors are not alone in working weekend, evenings and holidays. The careers that my spouse and I are in also have unpredictable schedules. We have missed our children’s birthday parties, almost every Christmas of their lives, family weddings, family funerals, anniversaries, etc. My first child was a scheduled induction so my husband could be present. He went to work an hour after the birth. The second child was premature and fortunately my husband arrived about an hour before the birth, but then went to work several hours later while the baby was brought to NICU.
At least with actors they have predictable hours on their workdays (usually). With my husband’s career (and many others) we don’t know what time to expect them home, so can not even make plans on a daily basis. A 6-8 hour workday often turns into an 18 hour day, so we never make plans for work days.
We have been doing this for over 30 years and have never worked a Monday-Friday day job. Thanksgiving, New Year’s and others become just another day, and you learn to celebrate at other times. It may seem strange to some, but it is just life to us. Your kids will adjust just fine.
I totally agree that there are many jobs that involve working weekends and holidays or have even unpredictable hours. For those used to the Monday to Friday regularity, a career in performing arts doesn’t mesh with that. The main thing isn’t even really the hours but the unpredictable nature since most jobs in theater are not long lasting and so what one’s schedule may be in a few months time is hard to know. Certain other jobs (though NOT all) have a very regular schedule and so planning things is a bit easier. A job as an actor is a way of life and I am just commenting about it, and not meaning to be negative or anything.
Again, over time you can take off the Thanksgiving, Christmas, July 4th, whatever show as long as you give them enough notice. That’s what understudies are for. There are many jobs, as Dusing2 mentions and so many more, that have “off-hours” requirements. It’s a life choice!
As a beginner in this post-college world it is my impression that most young actors wouldn’t ask for holidays off from a show they were in during their first few years out of school. Am I mistaken?
Not always the case. Unless you’re in a very long-running show on Broadway and have been there for years (clearly a rarity both with shows and actors), or you are a big name, this isn’t always possible. If you’re in a tour show, it’s rare that anyone is able to take off for holidays, if a performance is scheduled.
Thanks, @alwaysamom - that was my impression as well. I don’t think D has had an MT contract to-date where she would have felt it was acceptable to ask for a holiday off. In fact as far as I know she has never missed a performance for anything.
Key words - “over time” and my daughter has friends who have had that opportunity in a variety of instances. It also depends on union vs non-union and yes, obviously a 6 week run would have more difficulty allowing someone to leave for a show, but even in summer stock there is some flexibility. Obviously, every situation is different, but it does happen more often than you think.
All of D’s contracts to-date have been with Equity theatres, so maybe that is the difference. I’d also guess that those with very long runs (I think her longest contract so far has been 4 months) and with more established “name” recognition may have increased schedule flexibility, but I’d expect that few young MTs enjoy those options the first 5 years after graduating.