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| Australian theatre's drug
crisis AN AUSSIETHEATRE.COM SPECIAL INVESTIGATION By Troy Dodds  Australian theatre
is facing a potential drugs crisis that could ruin the careers of some of our brightest
young stars.An AussieTheatre.com investigation has revealed that drug use is common within musical theatre and there is legitimate fear from some inside the industry that drugs could destroy careers or lives. While drugs are a major issue across the world in everyday life, entertainment faces its own particular issues with high wages and party lifestyles often encouraging the use of party drugs. A number of high profile performers said they have seen drug use back stage at musicals, although they were quick to point out it was not an everyday site. One performer said: "People in every field use drugs. In theatre (of course not just musical theatre), there is a high tendency for people to want to maintain energy in a very energy-depleting career. Or to relax after the adrenalin has had its way with you on any given night. But also to have fun. As demonised as drugs are, and rightly so, I would assume, they are also very evidently fun. And, like alcohol or dancing or sex or fast food or movies or sport or a damn-good massage, everyone in a high-stress career wants a fun escape. Drugs are one of them." Another high profile musical theatre star said: "I worked with one particular actor that I know took a lot of drugs consistently for a long period of time and he is now a very fragile and scattered person/performer. It has definitely effected his ability to perform at his best. And it was very sad to watch." Drug dramas in entertainment are hardly anything new. Judy Garland is perhaps the most famous case in the world of what drug use can do to a promising career, but with drugs getting more dangerous by the year (the big new party drug "ice" for instance) they are becoming a continuing concern, particularly amongst experimental youth. A Sydney producer told AussieTheatre.com that she has seen drug use ruin the careers of young lives. "I know a female singer who could have had an amazing career," the producer said. "She was in some big productions when she was younger and seriously has the best voice I've ever heard in this country. However, her drug problem has seen her lose jobs and become branded as 'trouble'. She constantly has breakdowns then checks herself into hospital. Many times she comes back 'clean' and with so much promise but inevitably falls off the wagon again." Those who spoke to AussieTheatre.com as part of this special investigation did so on the proviso that their identities would remain silent. One person interviewed said: "Drug use in the entertainment industry quite often is a mask for the insecurities most performers have. Even though they may be talented, attractive, successful... it is never enough. They are insecure because they are in an insecure business. They have jobs that last months, even years, and then no work for ages. They have to compete all the time (often with friends), they have to look good, stay young and attractive and the hours they work play havoc with personal lives. Drugs give them confidence and eventually effect their ability to deal with normal stress." There is some positive news in the fight against drugs. Recent figures suggest drug use amongst young people is down. The Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Christopher Pyne, said in March the independent evaluation of Phase Two of the National Drugs Campaign had shown the campaign’s impact in influencing young people’s behaviour about drugs. "The research showed that 97 per cent of young people surveyed found the campaign’s television commercials believable," Mr Pyne said. "At least 90 per cent judged each of the commercials to be effective in making them think about the consequences of using drugs. About two-thirds of the young people surveyed reported that the campaign had influenced them, primarily to avoid using drugs and situations where they are used, and to think about the consequences of using them." The producer who spoke to AussieTheatre.com said they believed peer pressure is one of the major reasons why performers take drugs. One of the performers we spoke to had this to say: "I think drug-use is obviously a concern everywhere. But I dont think, that in every case, it is as concerning as current affairs programs would make us think. I think it depends on the type of drug taken, the regularity of taking it, but most importantly - the reason for taking it. The use of marijuana, for example, has become kind of 'gentle' and 'low grade'. It's reminiscent of the seventies, of being occasionally naughty, it's reportedly non-addictive and certainly not 'a major player' on the dangerous-drug circuit. That place appears to be reserved for the use of heroin or this latest thing called 'ice', which according to all reports is death-to-the-mind and makes zombies out of people. Of course, if you have a pre-disposition to becoming addicted by any drug, then, yes that's quite clearly a major concern. And probably has everything to do with the reason that you are taking it and not the drug itself, unless of course the drug is a very highly physically-addictive one. Like heroin and ice and some amphetamines apparently are." OPINION BY TROY DODDS While it would be hard to do get an exact statistic on this, I'm sure that the majority of musical theatre performers in this country aren't hard drug users, in fact I'm sure most don't even take any form of drugs. However, most people in the world aren't terrorists and yet we feel their tragic impact on a regular and heart breaking basis. If one young career is ruined by drugs, it's one too many. If one young life is taken, it's one too many. Drugs may be commonplace in the world day, but we can do our best to ensure Australian entertainment and particularly theatre doesn't fall into a drugs crisis. We'll keep on it. |