More about work/life balance

Writing that last post, it occurs to me that something rather significant happened recently regarding work/life. Or, rather, work/work.

For those who don't know, I have a day job in downtown Ann Arbor with a media research firm. For the most part, I write newsletters for corporate clients telling them what the news thinks of them. My hours tend to be theatre-friendly (but not sleep-friendly), as I begin super-early in the morning and usually leave in the early afternoon.

I had been at Prime for about two months when I was cast in Sonia Flew. I didn't tell anyone at work for a while, except my close friends. I was afraid that they would see it as conflicting with or distracting from my work, and I wondered what I'd do if they tried to make me choose.

As it happened, the show didn't really impact the job, even when it meant I only got a few hours of sleep before work. During Sonia Flew's run at Performance Network, I caught naps at home between the two (ah, the joys of living, working, and acting in downtown A2); when it moved to the JET in West Bloomfield, I, uh, didn't get as much sleep. But no major conflicts arose, and I thought, if the work folks ever get huffy about me taking an acting gig, I can say hey, I worked on a show for five months and everything was fine.

Fate then forced my hand: the JET invited me to join their yearly production of The Diary of Anne Frank, which it performs for school groups over a short run. (They really pack 'em in - 1000+ kids a show!) I laid my cards on the table: the JET was asking for two weeks of early afternoon rehearsals and four morning shows, the latter of which directly conflict with my daily deadlines. I expected to get shut down, but my boss and the newsletter team found a way to make it work, though I've promised some extra hours (and, in one case, probably a guilt/gratitude-driven dinner or gift).

So, I suppose I lucked out this time. And my office is now fully aware of my double life. Think it was vain (or, perhaps, paranoid) of me to assume they'd, y'know, mind?