Patreon Sneak Preview: "Why Actors Bully Other Actors"

Summary

Stage Combat The Podcast: Patreon Sneak Preview - "Why Actors Bully Other Actors"

Overview

In the Patreon-exclusive episode titled "Why Actors Bully Other Actors," hosted by Sean Hayden of Stage Combat The Podcast, the conversation delves deep into the pervasive issue of bullying within the entertainment industry. Joined by Broadway actor and psychology master's graduate Michael McGurk, the episode explores the roots, manifestations, and impacts of bullying among actors, offering both personal anecdotes and academic insights.

Introduction to the Topic

Sean Hayden opens the episode by introducing the focus on bullying in the entertainment sector, a pervasive issue that many actors encounter yet often hesitate to discuss openly. He sets the stage for an in-depth exploration by bringing in Michael McGurk, whose academic background in psychology and personal experiences with bullying make him an ideal guest.

Guest Introduction and Background

Timestamp [01:14]

Sean: "Today I want to have a conversation about bullying in the entertainment industry... Michael has completed his master's degree in psychology and he's pursuing a post master's degree in clinical mental health counseling. He did his capstone research on bullying..."

Michael McGurk shares his journey in the theater world, highlighting his experiences working on Broadway and his academic pursuits to understand bullying's psychological underpinnings.

Personal Experiences with Bullying

Timestamp [03:53]

Michael discusses his role in a Broadway production of "The Wedding Singer" where he felt out of place due to differing dance styles and perceived favoritism from a choreographer. This environment fostered feelings of being an outcast and targeted, leading him to question his place in the production.

Timestamp [06:15]

Michael elaborates on the toxic dynamics within certain casts, mentioning how the departure of the creative team and negative reviews intensified bullying behaviors. He reflects on how the lack of leadership and support exacerbates the hostile environment.

Psychological Insights into Bullying

Timestamp [09:12]

Michael delves into his research, explaining that both bullies and victims often exhibit high levels of neuroticism—characterized by negative emotionality, anxiety, and depression. He notes that bullies may replicate aggressive behaviors they experienced at home, perpetuating a cycle of hostility.

Timestamp [10:30]

Discussion revolves around why some individuals become bullies while others become victims, despite similar underlying traits like neuroticism. Michael suggests that bullies often have a history of experiencing violence or aggression, which they internalize and externalize in their interactions.

The Role of Bystanders

Timestamp [15:07]

Sean asks about the influence of bystanders in bullying scenarios. Michael emphasizes that bystanders play a crucial role in either enabling or mitigating bullying. They determine whether the hostile behavior continues by choosing to either support the bully or stand up against the mistreatment.

Impact on Mental Health

Timestamp [09:21]

The conversation highlights the severe mental health repercussions of bullying, including suicidal thoughts and long-term psychological trauma. Michael stresses that bullying is not merely uncomfortable but causes significant emotional harm that can extend into adulthood.

Cultural and Structural Factors in Theater

Timestamp [12:02]

Michael discusses how the theater environment, characterized by intense competition and the blending of personal and professional identities, creates fertile ground for bullying. The lack of clear policies and leadership exacerbates these issues, making it difficult to address and prevent mistreatment.

Timestamp [19:34]

He criticizes the prevalent attitude in theater that one must simply "put up with" bullying, arguing that this mentality is unacceptable and harmful. Michael advocates for establishing clear anti-bullying policies and fostering a culture of respect and support within theatrical communities.

Strategies for Addressing Bullying

Timestamp [22:52]

Michael and Sean discuss actionable steps to combat bullying, emphasizing the importance of standing up for oneself and others. They advocate for creating awareness, implementing strict policies, and fostering a supportive environment where bullying is not tolerated.

Conclusion and Call to Action

Timestamp [23:31]

Michael urges listeners experiencing bullying to seek support and reminds them that they are not alone. He underscores the importance of community and shared stories in overcoming bullying and fostering a healthier industry.

Sean wraps up by providing resources for those affected by bullying, including contacting Actors Equity and accessing mental health support through the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (988).

Notable Quotes

• Michael McGurk [04:48]: "I probably wasn't the best fit for that track in hindsight, but I auditioned fair and square and got the job... I felt like I had a target on me."

• Michael McGurk [09:21]: "Bullying really does have terrible negative effects... up to and including thoughts of suicide and aggression."

• Michael McGurk [19:37]: "It is bullshit. Why should you have to be strong enough to put up with it?"

• Michael McGurk [22:52]: "That's not acceptable. And it's not acceptable to be a bystander to it."

Key Takeaways

1. Prevalence of Bullying in Theater: The competitive and high-stress nature of the entertainment industry, particularly theater, fosters environments where bullying can thrive.

2. Psychological Roots: Both bullies and victims often share traits such as high neuroticism, but their backgrounds and personal histories influence whether they perpetuate or succumb to bullying behaviors.

3. Role of Leadership and Policies: Effective leadership and clear anti-bullying policies are essential in creating a respectful and supportive work environment.

4. Importance of Bystanders: The actions of bystanders can either sustain or dismantle bullying dynamics, highlighting the need for collective responsibility in addressing mistreatment.

5. Mental Health Implications: Bullying has profound and lasting impacts on mental health, necessitating proactive support systems and resources for those affected.

Conclusion

This episode of Stage Combat The Podcast sheds light on the intricate and often concealed issue of bullying within the acting community. Through personal narratives and psychological analysis, Sean Hayden and Michael McGurk underscore the urgent need for cultural and structural changes to foster a healthier, more respectful environment for all performers.

For listeners seeking support or more information, resources are provided, encouraging open dialogue and collective action against bullying in the entertainment industry.

Transcript

[Michael McGurk]

Foreign.

[Sean Hayden]

Combat listeners.

Sean Hayden here.

So how was your summer here at Stage Combat? The team is not quite ready to say goodbye to summer, so we're enjoying.

This Labor Day week.

But we'll be back next week with an all new episode of Stage Combat, the podcast. In the meantime, we thought this be a really great time to share with you one of our Stage Combat at Patreon series, the Mental Health Pod. Our Patreon is pretty amazing. If you follow the link in the show notes, you can get your backstage pass that will give you exclusive access to bonus interviews from stagecombat the podcast episodes, along with my own personal post show wrap up. Plus there's our original companion series such as our acting podcast Just Acting and our mental health podcast, the Mental Health Podcast. This episode is called why Actors Bully Other Actors. Let's dive right into this episode of the Mental Health Pod, available exclusively at Stage Combat and Patreon.

Hi everyone, it's Sean Hayden. Welcome to the Mental Health Pod. Today I want to have a conversation about bullying in the entertainment industry. I'm sure that's something that many of you have encountered and often thought about. I want to ask the question, why do actors bully each other? It's the perfect question to pose to our guest Broadway actor Michael McGurk. You might remember Michael when he was a guest in one of our Talk Back sessions in season one of this podcast. That was right after episode six called Chad's Revenge. Since that conversation, Michael has completed his master's degree in psychology and he's pursuing a post master's degree in clinical mental health counseling. And he actually did his capstone research for his masters on bullying. So that combined with his own personal experiences with bullying on Broadway makes Michael the perfect person to chat with here today on the Mental Health Pod. Just a quick content note. This conversation contains a very brief reference to suicide. Let's join my conversation with Michael McGurk.

[Michael McGurk]

Michael McGurk, how the hell are you?

I'm good, Sean. How are you doing?

I'm great. Awesome, man. It is insane that we met working in Sacramento, California. I think that was like 2010 or 2011.

We did a wonderful show together. We did Camelot. It was a great experience.

Nice group of people.

I loved working at that theater. I had very nice group of people and just a beautiful production. You were excellent in the show.

I know you've had your own stories about bullying. We actually we had a talk back with you and my friend Steve in season one. It was kind of after we introduced the Chad story in my Goodspeed story, which is the ultimate bully. Right. Can we just kind of go back to that Broadway show that you had and what that experience was like for you?

Absolutely. Well, so it's fun talking about what we did at Sacramento with Camelot in 2011, because that got me thinking. I remember by that point in time just being so grateful. When you'd work with a wonderful creative team and a wonderful theater with a great group of people, you really appreciate it when it comes together and works. Because it's only when you can compare that to something that doesn't work out that you start to then say, well, why didn't it work out? Yeah, you know, what did I do to cause this? What was my role in this? What happened? Why was it so bad? In essence, why was I bullied?

Yeah, we do do that, Michael. Right? That's what we do to ourselves.

Yeah. I mean, absolutely. I don't know if that's because we're, you know, the nature of us as people, as performers, but, yeah, I mean, I did a show on Broadway, and it was a brand new musical called the Wedding Singer. And as a swing, you know, you have a lot to learn. It's not an easy job, and I was trying to find my way with it. And then when we got into rehearsal and the show started to get, you know, put together, it really wasn't my style of dancing. Let's say it was a lot more funky than I'm used to. You know, my style of dancing was much more classical, classic music, theater, trained in ballet. I look back at that and say I probably. Maybe I wasn't the best fit for that track in hindsight, but I auditioned fair and square and got the job and, you know, worked my butt off to do do it, because I knew I was an outcast and I felt like I had a target on me.

Can I ask you, when you felt like you had a target on you, where was the target coming from?

Well, I had worked for the choreographer, but basically, maybe the choreographer had feelings for me at another show going into that one. And, you know, that I turned out I was in that show, then the Broadway debut, and then when it turned out it didn't work out, I had that going through my mind as well the whole time. So when things with the show and the style of it weren't necessarily gelling for me in the back of my mind, I also had the. Well, maybe the only reason why I'm here is because of this choreographer having feelings for me in some regard or wanting something else out of me. So it was a double thing there. And like I was saying, you can probably hear in me the propensity is to blame myself. You weren't good enough at this. You. You were too short. You were too this to that. When in reality, it's like, well, I had that whole other element going through there as to if I should even be there and if that was the only reason why I was there.

Did you feel like the cast was sort of looking at you in a way, that they had knowledge about this interest from someone on the creative team, and they're like, why is he here? And was there that dynamic going on?

Well, that's my perception. And because the choreographer, in my mind, you know, that's the reason why I was there. That was the cast perception of me as well. But that was my perception. The reality was they were not very nice to me. A lot of them.

Yeah.

We had a couple bad apples in the bunch, and they may have been the bullies. And then we had a lot of the bystanders who did nothing, which is typical within bully behavior. And then you have the victim.

Yeah.

You know, and that's the way the bully situations work out in that. So it's interesting. It was the cast where I started to feel the negative energy. And a lot of that was probably due in part to the show itself not flying the way it should. You know, the bad behavior really started after the creative team left and the reviews came out and we were on our own. And then all of a sudden, you're the dance captain's there.

Yeah. And perception that I wasn't successful.

Exactly. And they need a target and you're the target.

Yeah. There is this thing, and everyone knows this, just sometimes you get into a show and it's just not a nice group of people, or it's not a group of people that gels well. And I think you and I will agree that for every show like that, then there's another show where it does gel well. But the ones where you're not in with a nice group of people, it's horrible. And that was my experience when I was on this Mamma Mia tour. Look, there were a couple of nice people. One of the people in that tour was a witness at my wedding. But it was not a nice group of people.

Yep.

And it's very easy to other someone. In your case, it sounds like perhaps you were othered because of this insinuation of how you got the job. I felt like that in this Mamma.

[Sean Hayden]

Mia tour because I was still A practicing lawyer. Still am today.

[Michael McGurk]

But in the eyes of so many.

[Sean Hayden]

Of those people, I had this weird life, and I couldn't travel with the cast. I flew to New York every Monday to see my clients to keep my law practice afloat. And then I would fly on and rejoin the show. So I was physically separated from that cast in a lot of ways.

[Michael McGurk]

And then, like you, sometimes we're in a show where it's just not a good fit. I know a lot of people love Mamma Mia. I did not like the show. I didn't should probably never taken the job. But that didn't help things either. Like, I did not enjoy being in that show. You know, and then let's just take on a pile on top of that, then this sort of tribalism thing sort of happens. Right. With the cast when there's unhappiness. So if in your case there's unhappiness with the show because the reviews are not good, people know they're not in a hit. My case tours. Right. You know, you're in this bubble. You're away from home. It's a challenge. And I think that bullying can become this answer to kind of fill this void that is there from the unhappiness of the situation.

Bullying in general is much more prevalent in the workforce now among adults, and I've done a lot of studying on this throughout my graduate work. A lot of it was this desire to understand why things happen. You know, all the joy that comes out of theater. It's like, how do some of these terrible things that truly impact you come about too? And, you know, bullying really does have terrible negative effects.

Yeah. I think that's important to point out, Michael. It's not just that, you know what, it's uncomfortable. No. It causes mental health harm.

Oh, yeah, absolutely. Major psychopathology, up to and including thoughts of suicide and aggression. It continued into aggressive behaviors into adulthood for adolescents, children, and adolescents who are bullied. So it really does have negative effects for both the bully and the victim. And I wanted to see why that comes about. What is it about the person that that comes about as well. And I ended up studying personality traits that lead to perceptions of bullying.

Did you look into what is it about the person who does the bullying that makes them do it?

Yes.

What'd you find out?

Well, the personality trait of neuroticism and neuroticism is negative emotionality. And it's anxiety, it's depression. It's all the things that lead to negative emotionality. And what came out of My capstone research in general is those who perceive they're the victims of bullying are generally higher in neuroticism. And in turn that also draws it to you. Bullies themselves are more neurotic. Bullies can display higher forms of aggression naturally that they've experienced at home as well. But neuroticism is high among both bullies and victims of bullying and it does impact your perception of it.

What makes a person a bully versus the one being bullied if they both have neuroticism. And I assume all actors have some level of neuroticism, right?

They may have it, but it's generally bullies have experienced some form of violence at home that they themselves, they have experienced some kind of aggressive behaviors or violence within their home or upbringing. And there's a tendency really to bully as a result. Yes. I mean it's very sad and like we said is that then leads to psychopathological issues into adulthood. I found out that it's sort of a loop the way you can think of it that it's. I didn't want it to be about victim blaming. Like you're drawing the bullying to you. You do have a target on you in essence as a result. And bullies and people who bully, they can spot that and then they go for that and you are the target and then it ends up becoming self achieving prophecy, so to speak.

This is interesting, the idea that someone could have been bullied and then they in some sort of aggressive form and then they perpetuate that same behavior.

So like I offer my psychological perspectives on this. But then we also have the thing of just actor to actor. It's like, why do these things happen? I look at my experience, I'm like, well, there was a clear lack of direction. But then I remember when things went down at the show, when it got.

You're talking about the Broadway show.

My particular experience, I remember when it really peaked a little more than midway through the year. It peaked and then I actually finally took action to make it de escalate.

What'd you do?

I contacted Actors Equity.

You went to the union?

I went to the union at the recommendation of the stage manager because it had just become so escalated and I knew at this point it wasn't about me and I had no control over it. It was a thing where I actually felt like my physical safet safety was going to be compromised on stage.

[Sean Hayden]

What? That's horrible.

[Michael McGurk]

The thing is, that's where I always drove myself crazy is I'm like, I know I'm not Stupid. But you're. There's such a tendency as a performer, at least from my perspective, you want to blame yourself, find a reason why is this happening. And then finally you wake up and say, this has nothing to do with me, Michael.

You hit it right on the head. You hit it right on the head. I mean, how many times have I. Well, I analyzed it to death about the Chad story.

[Sean Hayden]

It's like, this has nothing to do with me.

[Michael McGurk]

I mean, exactly.

But this is what we do as actors. We think, what did I do? Because the actions don't seem justified. The actions seem extreme. The actions seem like there's a lot of thought that goes into trying to make someone miserable.

That's the whole thing. And I can look back nearly 20 years later, and you say, oh, I was so young. I was so green. You need to grow up in certain ways. You need to learn more. You need to learn what it is to be a swing. But none of that justifies going to work and being abused or harassed, which is, you know, what it becomes about. Yeah, you should never go to work in fear for your physical safety in any way, or your emotional safety, for that matter. And it's. Once that is truly violated and you can't do anything about it. I'm grateful, when I look at it to say, okay, you did take action when you really needed to. You should have taken it from day one. You know, I remember I went into therapy that year, and it's. I remember my therapist saying, why can't you just say, this is inappropriate and I want it to stop? And I froze. And I'm like, I can't do that. And at the heart of it was, I'm an actor. You can't do that. You cannot.

Horse is ingrained in us.

You have to just pretend it doesn't exist.

Michael, people ask me, do you think bullying is worse in theater than in other professions?

Yes, it's. It's worse in my mind, because your identity is wrapped around actors. Define themselves by their identity. That's who we are. And because. So then when that happens, when you truly are rejected.

Yeah.

Not only in terms of, like, getting a bad review, but something like, you're really rejected from a cast. Theater also. Let's just get this in there. I will admit, you know, as a gay man, a lot of us, myself, I'll speak from an eye perspective, you go into this in some way to be accepted as a. To find your identity as an adolescent. You start dance class or whatever, and it's a safe haven from the Bullies themselves. So then when the community you escape to becomes a situation where you're bullied worse than ever for something that's a dream come true, that was really harmful, extra harmful, let's say. It feels like a true rejection of the self.

[Sean Hayden]

You mentioned earlier in your story about your bad experience on Broadway, you were talking about bystanders. What did your research show you about the role of bystanders when it comes to bullying?

[Michael McGurk]

The ones that are not the bullies that go along with it, that ultimately are the ones that determine whether the bully behavior continues. Because bullies themselves don't act alone. They need their tribe.

This is something we've talked a lot about this. We saw this a lot in the Goodspeed story. I remember there were times where people were literally at that theater in Connecticut. It was the turning of the back thing, or they just don't look at you as a human being anymore. I could barely breathe at that Connecticut theater. And people would just turn away as if it was just some dramatic display or something. And so you could say you didn't want to get involved, but you were involved.

Yeah.

You refuse to look at a fellow cast member as a human being. That's an action.

Yeah.

Right.

And it's fear based. Right. It is an action. And they can say, I, it was fear. I don't want to get involved. I want to work here again. It sets where they're coming from.

I can understand why it happens, but it doesn't make it okay, obviously.

No, Sean, it's like when you felt like you didn't fit in there. And it's like, because you had a separate life, you're like, I'm a lawyer, too. I didn't quite fit into this world here.

[Sean Hayden]

Going back to my Mamma Mia.

[Michael McGurk]

Tour, it's like, yeah, but that's okay. And, you know, one thing we pride ourselves on in theater, one of the joys is when you're in this great cast and they use this term, it becomes like a family. Especially when you're on the road and you're living together practically and all that, a family. And that's wonderful. But the bottom line is, no matter what, you should be able to go to work, and that's that.

Yeah.

You don't have to fit into everything else. And that's something. As time went by, I remember when I was on tour, one of my last theater jobs, I was fine, over time, doing my own thing. Me and one or two other friends would go to every museum throughout the country. We really were. I don't want to say isolated, but I just did my own thing and was fine with that. You realize you don't fit into that anymore. And for me, that also was a sign of like, I need to move on. But you shouldn't necessarily have to fit in with that and be the cool kid and a company to be treated with respect.

Well, I think that whole family thing gets us into a lot of trouble, too. I've said a lot about this. It is a job. It is a job. And we just need to all treat each other with respect. There may be people I'm closer to than others, but I don't need to be family with everyone. Yeah, inevitably, that family word will get someone in trouble, because ultimately when someone is in trouble, they're not going to act like a family. You know what I'm saying? There is this other dynamic then that when you stand up to the bully in the workplace, then the bully bullies you for standing up to the bully.

Of course they do. Of course they do.

I mean, that. That is amazing that the very act of standing up against the bully, the bully continues the bullying and then tries to make the person because he stood up for himself, that he's some sort of a problem.

Of course they do this. And we're actors, we're good at doing that. It's. That's what happens. You can, you know, play all sides of it and that's like very aggressive. Oh, it's extremely. And it's manipulative, too. And it's, you know, again, it's probably all rooted in fear once again. But that's why I think it goes back to if there are clear policies in place by employers as to what bullying is, we will not tolerate it. Whatever the parameters of that are under that company, that's where that can all go away, all that extra nonsense, because it's just not going to be tolerated, or at least it's then visible and there's an awareness of it. That's the difference is back in the day, not only was there not awareness of it, it was accepted under the surface. You know, subconsciously is. This is just the way it is in this industry. It's always been happening. There's nothing really else to be aware of. You just had to put up with it and you were weak if you did not. Right. Put up with that. We weren't trained for that. If anything, a lot of us are sensitive souls going into this, and some people may not be. Some people may be a lot stronger to be able to put up with Crap. I've never known that to be a requirement for having to be in theater. You know, you have to tolerate rejection. You have to tolerate a tough lifestyle at times. But.

And that's. Look, the idea. You just have to put up with it. It's bullshit.

It is bullshit. Why should you have to be strong enough to put up with it?

I want to bring up one other thing, Michael. I think something happens once a show opens, okay. So you don't have the intense pressure. This could be a Broadway show or original show, but. And the director leaves. And then suddenly, unless you're like a principal with, you know, really busy. Everyone has a lot of time on their hands.

[Sean Hayden]

Everyone's really.

[Michael McGurk]

A lot of people are bored.

Oh, yeah.

And, man, does that make the environment ripe to relish. And bullying against someone in the cast. Do you agree? Yes.

And it's also. When you look at. I just took group counseling and group work this semester, and you look at the dynamics that are in a group and the dynamics that are formed throughout when a group of people come together. I mean, obviously I'm thinking a counseling group, but really any group that can relate to Is the dynamics that form the exist. Who are the leaders in the group, who are the followers. That all like in this pro. Happens in any workplace, too. But I think in theater, what's so prevalent about what you've noticed is like, your leadership team leads. It's a whole new leadership team in place. And you're trying to figure out where those dynamics are and where you fit into that.

Because they have totally changed once the creative team leaves.

Exactly.

And it is like a whole different work environment.

Yep. And who are the leaders? Any place may have a certain amount of leaders. Let's say you're doing the same thing every day.

Yeah.

You need a strong structure. You need strong rules in place. I remember I worked for. Oh, my Broadway debut was with Susan Stroman and could not have been more of a dream come true. The entire process, the way she treated performers. She gives a swing speech before opening night, and she basically. I'm paraphrasing, says these are my swings. They're basically the most important people in this building, and I have enormous respect for them. And underlying all that, you will too agree that matters. And that's where the leadership comes into place. And from my experience, the difference in my. The two Broadway shows I had done, the first one just had such structure and respect behind it. It doesn't mean it's perfect, but, you know, there's little backstage dramas here and There, but it just seemed like it was all more balanced because you knew that she was a leader. And even though she wasn't there every day, she got the show report. She was there, she was present, and she cared.

Yeah, I always felt like, look, if I was playing a lead in a show that I've got enough to deal with, so I'm. It's just to get through the show is enough. But if I had a smaller part, I always felt I have a lot of other things to do. I've got law work I can do. When I was miserable on the Mamma Mia tour, I taught myself Italian. And I would suggest that, you know, if you find your board once the show opens, then fill your life with something else. I mean, fill your life with something other than pulling yourself down into the muck of making someone else's life miserable. Why do you want to fill your life with that? The joy of making someone miserable miserable and causing them harm?

Absolutely.

Well, look, yes, of course, actors bully each other, but let's come away from this with saying, but that's not acceptable. And it's not acceptable to be a bystander to it, you know, and if. If we can take that to stand up for ourselves. And I keep saying in this podcast to. To stand up for each other, man, that could go a long, long way.

That's where the change is going to happen. You know, it's. It's the attitude surrounding it. If you're willing to put up with that. And again, every dynamic is going to be different. You may have more bullies than others in some cast, but it is the bystanders. They are the ones that make the difference in that.

Well, anyone who's listening right now that is in a bullying situation, find someone to talk to, get some help. Don't try to do it all on your own. And just remember, you matter. Don't let anyone bully you. Well.

And, Sean, having the podcast and centering topics around bullying is so helpful to this conversation. It's the awareness that this is not something taboo to talk about, that it has happened to other people. You know, the effects of it might follow you, but it really, over time, you learn how to deal with it for sure that you realize from sharing your stories, you're not alone with this. You can come out ahead, and you will. And a lot of companies, you know, in many different industries have awareness of that. Theater really needs to have an awareness of that because there is such a propensity for that to happen based on just the makeup of it. And the intense competition behind it. This is a wonderful conversation. We were able to talk as two actors and yet for me it ties in everything. It's also therapeutic because you start to tie it all in yourself to your own experience.

Yeah, well, that's the power of sharing our stories and conversations.

And if you need anything, if you want to continue this at any point too, I'm always open to it. I'm sure by I'll have done another paper on it somewhere.

Michael, I think you and I should have more conversations. Like this is the mental health. We can find plenty to talk about.

Oh, absolutely. It's. It's good that you can talk about mental health in general nowadays.

All right. Thanks, Michael. I appreciate you.

Thank you. You too. I will talk to you soon. Charlotte.

[Sean Hayden]

If you are a member of Actors Equity association, you can call a hotline to report workplace harassment and bullying. That number is 833-550-0030. Again, that's 833-540030. And remember, help is always available by calling 988. That's the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. That's 988. You can text and call 24 hours a day. And I just think it's a really good idea to already have a resource in your phone of a therapist that you could call in the event you find yourself in distress and needing a little extra help. Just a reminder, this episode should not be construed as medical advice. So if you are experiencing any issues, please do consult with a medical or a mental health professional. Editing, mixing and sound design for this episode were by Alex Griffith. We appreciate your membership at Patreon to help us fund our Patreon series such as the Mental Health Pod as well as our mainstream series Stage Combat the Podcast. Let us hear from you, tell us what you agree with, what you don't agree with in this episode, and also maybe what you would like to hear more of. Send us a DM at Instagramage Combat the Podcast IG or email [e-mail] we're wishing you good mental health until we talk together here next time. The Mental Health Pod is a Stage Combat podcast produced by Haywood Productions llc.

Thanks for listening to this Patreon preview of the Mental Health Pod. Now remember, we are member supported programming here at Stage Combat. That means we rely on our member support at Patreon to produce the meaningful content content that you care so much about here at Stage Combat the podcast. So follow the link in the show notes and become a Stage Combat at Patreon member today. I'll see you next week for episode five of Stage Combat, the podcast.