Musings from a scare actor's experience

A few days ago, I stood amidst the crowds of people, the rush of adrenaline slowly ebbing away with the heavy bass of the music. It dissipated and I was left pondering about the sheer bittersweet and sudden loss of time, swirling like cotton candy in the grinds of my metal walled mind. It's absurd, it's positively mad, I had actually go through a whole month of opportune moments to scare people, laughing my way in taxis at 4am in the wee hours of the morning, subconsciously trying not to step on the cracks of the supernatural as well as trying to manage my school schedule along with the hectic month of October.

I never regretted joining as a scare actor. I cannot express my happiness in words. It's indescribable. Both crew and cast were the anchors that kept me going, from their kind words to their doting actions. We were an ensemble. A small family of some sorts. I cannot thank them enough for being such wonderful people.

Does it feel like a dream? Technically, if you were to close a blind eye.

Underlining the excitement and chaos of the screams, stands a deep rooted problem. The iceberg underneath the surface were the guests that entered through the attractions, brandishing their fists in 'defense' and treating the scare actors like rubbish. Like doormats, most of the actors were cruelly stepped on, (literally so) and shoved, made fun of as if their masks and costumes made them less human then they are. They were struck with light sticks, swinging around like swords, spat on with both harsh words and spit. They were shoved. They were harassed. They were mocked.

"Such is life," some have said, shaking their heads. "Why would they do that?" The new casts mumbled.

Throughout the entire sixteen nights, people bled, people fainted. People were humiliated. I admire their strength to keep going on, even through the humid nights where it felt as if hell reigned the compact dark houses. Beads of sweat were not appreciated by the guests and were instead laughed at, twisted little mocking grins plastered on customers faces as they relished moments where the scare actor did not manage to instill them with fright.

Did they ever stop for a moment to contemplate the reason why they bought themselves into this amusement park in the first place? Sweat, tears and blood, yet some guests, or most of them chose to derive their entertainment through physically abusing the people they see as nothing more than props.

Hours and hours of striving through all the madness, I admire those who never wavered even though they were tired. It's not easy. Through the sickening sweltering heat of an enclosed space, some actors wearing layers upon layers of clothing - some ran, some stomped, exerting energy, guest after guest for hours in turn.

It's crazy. They are meta-humans, I swear. Some behold the passion that withstands all sorts of deriding remarks. Some remain energetic after hours of running. It's not fun to constantly smell your own sweat all the way through 2am in the morning and then try to find some way home to sleep for a few hours, only to wake up the next day and recycle the entire saga of the night. Those who have to wake up for school or work, those who have no time to even rest well, it's crazy how they survived. But they did.

It's amazing.

The crew, who work tirelessly through all the bullshit the guests give - go home later then the actors themselves. They spend their care and concern graciously, finding any way to make the sick feel better and managing the rowdiness of both guests and casts. They take time off their day to volunteer to come back to help and that's just a small part of what they do. Without them, most days would feel awfully dull. Banal.

It's been a very crazy month.

xoxo
evelyn