Recently some close friends teams were cut from iO. This doesn't pertain to anything other than iO so I apologize in advance for the inclusive nature of this post. Suffice it to say at iO every two months a new schedule comes out. At this time some teams are cut, the people on those teams are put on a new team created at that time, put on existing teams, or cut entirely. FireCup was cut last year around this time and I posted about the experience then. Some thoughts and advise for my friends, and people in general, who get cut.
1. Don't be bitter. It's a waste of energy. You may have been on a team you loved. You may think you're great and weren't placed. Channel that energy into being a better improviser. Take getting cut as inspiration to try things you've never done, stretch yourself, play with abandon. Don't place blame. It shouldn't effect how you see yourself or how you perform. If you want to be an actor you're going to have thousands of people tell you you're not good enough or not right for a specific project. If this is something you want to do get use to rejection.
2. New Team. If you get placed on a new team come at it with an open mind. Don't place judgement on it before you start it. You may feel raw from getting cut which is understandable. Don't bring that angst or that emotion into the new team. Come at it fresh and open, like you would to a scene, it'll pay much more dividends that way. Who knows it could be the next great team. At the very least it'll be a learning experience, as is most everything.
3. No Team. If you don't get put on a team that doesn't define you or your improv. If you love it no one can ever stop you from doing what you love other than yourself. Being on a team here or a team there doesn't define you. What defines you is what you love. If you nurture a love for this art form you should always do it, no one can stop you. Getting cut shouldn't make you 'give up.' Giving up might prove you were never meant to do it in the first place. I don't mean that to be harsh but some things are hobbies and some things are how you define yourself. I'd rather improvise with someone who loves it not someone whose hobby it is, like a fantasy football league.
4. Confidence. One of the most important traits of any actor or improviser is confidence. Live it, play with it, and let nothing shake it. I've known since I was in third grade I was a performer. Something small like getting cut doesn't change that. You're just as good and as talented as you were last month, as you will be next month. It's just a matter of what you're doing and where.
5. Don't Take It Personal. A lot of stuff goes on behind the scenes, some of it is politics, that's to be expected. Someone's attitude, judgement, or perception of you does not define you. You are great, you are interesting and important. Take a moment and do something you've wanted to do for a long time but didn't have the time to do. Go out, refuel your cruise, and come back.
With A Vengeance.
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