Some thespians must endure as many as eight consecutive shows a week. They get hoarse or they can't talk. She suggests warming up vocal chords before each performance. A professional voice instructor can also provide instruction on how to change your voice level or pitch effectively for a role. Exposure to artificial smoke and fog used for special effects can also irritate your throat and lungs, says McCann, with the New York Center for Safety in the Arts.
Many stage actors complain of respiratory problems, including occupational asthma.
While researchers found no hard evidence linking these staged effects using smoke with occupational asthma, they suggest that they may cause mucous membranes to become irritated and dry. This advice didn't help Pamela Dale, who sings with the San Francisco Opera. While she had been exposed to theatrical fog for years without apparent harm, exposure to a combination of glycol fogs and fumes from propane torches during a dress rehersal in 1998 left her physically ill, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. She was later diagnosed with reactive airway disease, and worries now that her singing career may be over. A 2000 survey of opera employees by the California Department of Health Services, in fact, found that 24 percent reported respiratory symptoms from exposure to theatrical smoke or fog.