Cast connections

There's a special relationship between a cast that is unique to any other relationship. Personally, I find that my theater friends who I do shows with are closer to me than others. There's a level of trust I give to a cast that I don't give to anyone else. 

Making friends is the first step to becoming a united cast. Often directors are really annoying and separate friends groups at the first rehearsal to force people to make new friends. This, of course, does not work. Theater people don't do well with forced interaction. We will sit around looking at each other rolling our eyes. 

The first friends you usually make in a show are those you're in a scene with. Because you will have more rehearsal together, your desire for interaction will lead you to interact with those you see often. This is good. The better friends you are with them, the better chemistry your scene will have. 

Most of the time, I find myself making the most friends during tech week. Suddenly these people I've spoken to once or twice are all gathered in a space much too small for us and sometimes most of us are half naked. This of course is another example of desire for interaction. And you'll find yourself becoming friends. 

Beyond that, you need to trust your cast to know what they're doing onstage, to not screw up, to not distract you, to make the show as great as it can be. As actors, we make ourselves so vulnerable up onstage for anyone to see, no matter the outcome. We are forced to put so much trust in these people you may not even like. And by the end of the show, the friends you went on with are even closer to you, and the ones you didn't like you have more respect for. Maybe you'll even walk out of a show with a new best friend.