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As I finish my show on the Las Vegas strip at 11:00 pm, it’s already 4:00 pm tomorrow in Australia. My friends in Montreal and New York are probably already in bed at 2:00 am. My London people are either just getting up or just getting home at 7:00 am. The folks in Dubai have probably just started work at 10:00 am. I feel like half my time is spent staring at the World Clock app trying to work out the appropriate time to text and FaceTime my friends and family.
It’s a distance of approximately 12,800kms between my home in Vegas and my family home in Wagga Wagga, Australia. If I decided to fly there right now, it would take me almost two full days and three different flights. When you look at the world in terms of distance and time, it’s easy to see how big it is. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to realize how apart we really are. But the longer I spend working in this industry, the more I realize the world of entertainment really isn’t that big at all.
I have had the pleasure to live and work fulltime in three different countries – Australia, Macau and now the United States. I have worked with people from all over the world and learnt to say ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’ in many different languages.
I am constantly amazed by the connections I discover between the people I meet in this industry.
Too often, I will discover that my new friend has half a dozen mutual friends on Facebook – one of those people is always unexpected. Like my American friend who did a random Australian tour and knows a bunch of my Sydney theatre friends. Or my university friend working with some Macau and Vegas friends in Montreal.
I was reminded just recently how small our industry really is and how quickly information can travel. I have always lived with the belief that you should be kind and respectful to all people. Sometimes that’s easier said than put into practice, but it’s an important thing to remember and strive to achieve. In this industry, the person you treated badly might be giving you a reference for your next job. That person under you that you walked all over, could be your boss on the next gig. As a stage manager in the circus world, I am often asked about different acrobats I have worked with when they apply for new jobs. Now I am not qualified to give an opinion on their performance abilities, but I can tell you if they were courteous, punctual and whether they treated other people with respect.
Although we may live kilometres and hours apart, this really is a small industry and with technology, it’s getting smaller all the time. When I get frustrated or impatient,I remind myself to always be kind and treat all people with respect. You don’t want to be that person in the industry with the mean or cranky reputation. At the end of the day, you will probably work with some, if not all of these people again. As I have realized, it really is a small world after all.
Also by Madison Burkett:
Stage Manager: Functionary Or Creative?
Originally hailing from a small country town called Wagga Wagga in Australia, Madison Burkett now calls Las Vegas home. Her travels have taken her through 20 different countries including a 3-year stint in Macau, China. She has been fortunate enough to stage manage two of the world’s biggest water shows, "The House of Dancing Water" and "Le Reve". Now entering her 5th year of expat-ness, she hopes you enjoy some of the tidbits she has learnt along the way.
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