<p>It’s not encouraging, but also not too surprising, to hear that summer stock can be party central. It’s especially too bad since this should be when young actors start establishing healthy professional habits. I wonder if there are some summer stock locations that do a better job than others in setting a good example for young performers.</p>
<p>Another thing I remember about summer stock from way back when I was doing it was that actors sometimes also worked in scene shops to help build scenery. I don’t know if this is still true, but back in the day many of the lower-budget theatre’s had scene shops that violated many OSHA requirements, including exposure to lots of nasty chemicals and allowing untrained folks to work with dangerous power tools. In combination with late night partying, the scene shops could be very unsafe… I took more than one finger to the hospital in a jar along with the person who had accidentally removed it. Plus I remember working in front of large vats of acetone and aniline dye, and welding in unventilated spaces among other unsafe practices.</p>