Performance Recovery

Performing at a Haunt is much more work than what most people would think.
I enjoy most every minute of haunting. I utilize most of my theatre skills. I project my voice over the loud ambient soundtrack.There is lots of audience participation and improvisation. I even developed a character background for myself. I'm getting a few great comments every night.

But there is a downside to haunting. I'm lucky to get a few days off each week. This allows me to recover from the performance. Each night I'm constantly on my feet. Not just standing in place, but running back and forth within an allotted area. There have been plenty of stumbled cues. Not because a cue had been missed. Sometimes a tour does not move fast enough or they take off running. This makes the cue times unpredictable. I talk and yell so much by the end of the night my jaw is ringing with pain and my voice is scratchy. Thankfully my voice recovers quickly. During the off days I discover bruises. I don't know where they are from. I think one on my arm is from when a customer unknowingly shoved a door into me.

We had to turn down or escort a few people from the haunt. One person in particular bit a couple of our actors. Apparently drunk people and fear don't always mix. It's surprising how many times someone sees me and wants to get out of there as fast as they can. That happened at most 20 times in one night. Our record keeper estimated that more than 250 people have freaked out and used one of our emergency exits. Possibly close to 100 people have had an "accident".

Now that I'm getting some R and R for this week, I'm preparing for "All Hallows Eve" weekend.

What is your favorite way to recover from your performances?