gwendolyngrace (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
gwendolyngrace) wrote2010-04-18 05:51 am
gwendolyngrace) wrote2010-04-18 05:51 am
Entry tags:
Good Mornin', Good Mornin'....
Yes, we did talk the whole night through. This icon is because the house where our cast party was this evening is almost Malfoy-worthy. It's at least the town house (the house where our cast filmed the silent picture is more like Malfoy Manor).
Sigh. Another show in the bag.
First off, I have to explain that I got home a little after four, removed my false eyelashes, washed my face, changed my clothes, put my leftover food away (not necessarily in that order), and realized I was not getting to sleep this morning. At least not before it gets light out.
So I decided to come out and blither on a bit about the final show, the cast party, and sundry other things.
Well, for those of you (most of you) who have not been in a show with me (actually I think that's ALL of you, with one exception), y'all have to know that I have a final show tradition. I can't afford little gifts for everyone, because even at $1 per person, for an average show that's about $30 (plus tax) and frankly, I'm too cheap for that. Plus while a little keepsake like that can be cute, I personally find it vaguely lazy. Instead, for closing show, I always write a little note to every cast member and the key production crew - usually the people we interact with the most, like the costumer, stage manager, sound engineer and of course music director and director.
Now, I have a rule about these cards: I am always honest. No fake "I loved working with you!!" if I don't mean it, and basically nothing I wouldn't honestly say to the recipient to their face. But I sometimes find that I have to say not-so-nice things in a way that *sounds* nice. Like, "I hope you had fun and will carry your experiences on to make your next show even better." Translation: Next time, buy a clue. Or, "Believe me, I know how hard it is to do your job well!" which sometimes means, "So I also know exactly how and why you fucked up."
And there were a couple people in this show for whom writing that card was really difficult, but for the most part I could think of at least one or two reasonable things to say to everyone. But this hasn't been the easiest cast for me to work with - not because I don't like people, but because there were one or two people who obviously did NOT like to be around me. (Not that I pissed in their corn flakes or anything - seriously, I've no idea why. And I mean, honestly, I don't need to be liked by everyone, y'know? But at least be cordial? Acknowledge my presence other than during our 30-second scene together?)
But there have also been a few whom I have grown to like more and more. One of them was our Cyd Charisse, our "Girl in the Green Dress" - whom, as it happens, I also dressed each night for her quick change to the girl in the white dress in the middle of "Broadway Melody." She is *also*, for you folks keeping track, the cast member who referred me to her brother-in-law the chiropractor. (She is also both a former Rockette and a former Ringling Brothers dancer!!) In short, this woman is tremendous. I love her to bits.
And she gave me a bouquet - a GORGEOUS bouquet - from Winston Flowers. Yellow roses and purple orchids, pansies, and a purple daisy. They're beautiful - like, Oh-em-gee beautiful.
And on top of that, she graciously hosted the cast party tonight. Y'know how I said their house is Malfoy-like in its opulence? Seriously. Okay, seven people live there (husband, wife, four children, and a live-in student), but jeebus. It's a 3-storey plus basement rec-room Victorian farmhouse that goes on and on, beautifully furnished, amazingly decorated. The master suite is about as big as my whole apartment. My flat could also easily fit into their living room and kitchen. Stunning. Even the mud porch is fabulous.
The bad news is that the videographer who was supposed to tape the performance failed to show up, so we have no videotape of the production. Well, we have really poor videotape. But nothing presentable or cohesive - at least not of the first act.
There were some "magic" moments, too, like when our Kathy's shoe came off in front of the couch at the start of "Good Mornin'." She handled it beautifully, though, and when she got to a good point, threw off the other shoe and just did the rest of the number in her stockings. So, here's the scene backstage left, though - the other girls are trying to help the stagehands figure out how to get her shoes off stage, since they're now strewn everywhere. I'm thinking, "Yeah, but she's got to cross with Don under the rain. If one shoe goes off with the couch it'll go right. But the other shoe is on this side, so it'll get picked up and come left. That means she can't put them back on in time to cross." But I also knew that almost all her costumes were in the back corner on our wing. So I rushed back to her corner and found her regular character shoes, gave them to one of the dressers, and said, "Put these on her when she comes for her coat." It worked out perfectly, timing-wise, and helped her catch her breath for her last bit of dialogue for the act.
(It was nice that at the cast party, she told me that she figured out I was the one who got them for her and she was AMAZED at my rescue - and she and a couple of the others told me that they were so grateful I was around to help them with those little things - like I would hand our stripper her "Lockwood and Brown" sign every night so she didn't have to go rushing for it; I not only changed our Green Dress girl every night, but reset her dress so she could put it back on for curtain call; I helped Kathy with another change and always remembered to move her mic pack because it's hidden better in a different spot in that dress (and in fact tonight realized her battery was on RED so I changed it out for her, too) - no big deal, but things that apparently took a huge load off their minds. "You're such a pro," one of the girls said. "You come in, you know exactly what you're doing, you do it right every night, you anticipate and just are there for whatever we need - we're so lucky." I guess it's that stage manager instinct.)
I only had one bobble myself and that's when I forgot a character's name for a split second. I almost missed an entrance but that's because our costumer was wacking out my wacky wig even more than usual and I was trying to stop him, but I made it. (I didn't feel like I really "hit" the dialect coach scene perfectly, but meh, it wasn't off a lot...just to me.)
I'm glad that one of my ideas for gifts was used (a Sephora gift card for our costumer, who also wound up bringing in ALL his makeup and using a fair amount in the service of the show). The director gave us cool gifts - everyone had had to get their portraits done by a photographer in the building. We thought it was for front of house, but there was never a display. It was actually for her gift to us. Each person got a framed B&W 4x6 of their portrait, plus additional 4X6 prints from their two other poses. Really nice! I will have to see if I can get high-res copies, too, to add to my profile and portfolio.
Oh, and the dress? THE dress? I said to the costumer: "So, if I call you, could I borrow the dress to wear it some other time?" He not only said "You Bet" but multiple times (and as he got drunker and drunker) said, "No one else but you can wear that dress. That's yours." and other amazingly wonderful things. "I could tell you were being underappreciated and I knew you needed something to help make you shine. But the dress didn't do that - you did. You took a basically nothing role and you made it memorable and glamourous and fabulous." Awwww!
So yeah, lots of good fuzzy moments.
Unfortunately, next year they're doing "Rocky Horror" and I don't really think there's a role there for me. But as Wellesley's doing "Annie," I'll be trying for Hannigan, anyway.
It's quarter to six and getting light out! I should nap.
Sigh. Another show in the bag.
First off, I have to explain that I got home a little after four, removed my false eyelashes, washed my face, changed my clothes, put my leftover food away (not necessarily in that order), and realized I was not getting to sleep this morning. At least not before it gets light out.
So I decided to come out and blither on a bit about the final show, the cast party, and sundry other things.
Well, for those of you (most of you) who have not been in a show with me (actually I think that's ALL of you, with one exception), y'all have to know that I have a final show tradition. I can't afford little gifts for everyone, because even at $1 per person, for an average show that's about $30 (plus tax) and frankly, I'm too cheap for that. Plus while a little keepsake like that can be cute, I personally find it vaguely lazy. Instead, for closing show, I always write a little note to every cast member and the key production crew - usually the people we interact with the most, like the costumer, stage manager, sound engineer and of course music director and director.
Now, I have a rule about these cards: I am always honest. No fake "I loved working with you!!" if I don't mean it, and basically nothing I wouldn't honestly say to the recipient to their face. But I sometimes find that I have to say not-so-nice things in a way that *sounds* nice. Like, "I hope you had fun and will carry your experiences on to make your next show even better." Translation: Next time, buy a clue. Or, "Believe me, I know how hard it is to do your job well!" which sometimes means, "So I also know exactly how and why you fucked up."
And there were a couple people in this show for whom writing that card was really difficult, but for the most part I could think of at least one or two reasonable things to say to everyone. But this hasn't been the easiest cast for me to work with - not because I don't like people, but because there were one or two people who obviously did NOT like to be around me. (Not that I pissed in their corn flakes or anything - seriously, I've no idea why. And I mean, honestly, I don't need to be liked by everyone, y'know? But at least be cordial? Acknowledge my presence other than during our 30-second scene together?)
But there have also been a few whom I have grown to like more and more. One of them was our Cyd Charisse, our "Girl in the Green Dress" - whom, as it happens, I also dressed each night for her quick change to the girl in the white dress in the middle of "Broadway Melody." She is *also*, for you folks keeping track, the cast member who referred me to her brother-in-law the chiropractor. (She is also both a former Rockette and a former Ringling Brothers dancer!!) In short, this woman is tremendous. I love her to bits.
And she gave me a bouquet - a GORGEOUS bouquet - from Winston Flowers. Yellow roses and purple orchids, pansies, and a purple daisy. They're beautiful - like, Oh-em-gee beautiful.
And on top of that, she graciously hosted the cast party tonight. Y'know how I said their house is Malfoy-like in its opulence? Seriously. Okay, seven people live there (husband, wife, four children, and a live-in student), but jeebus. It's a 3-storey plus basement rec-room Victorian farmhouse that goes on and on, beautifully furnished, amazingly decorated. The master suite is about as big as my whole apartment. My flat could also easily fit into their living room and kitchen. Stunning. Even the mud porch is fabulous.
The bad news is that the videographer who was supposed to tape the performance failed to show up, so we have no videotape of the production. Well, we have really poor videotape. But nothing presentable or cohesive - at least not of the first act.
There were some "magic" moments, too, like when our Kathy's shoe came off in front of the couch at the start of "Good Mornin'." She handled it beautifully, though, and when she got to a good point, threw off the other shoe and just did the rest of the number in her stockings. So, here's the scene backstage left, though - the other girls are trying to help the stagehands figure out how to get her shoes off stage, since they're now strewn everywhere. I'm thinking, "Yeah, but she's got to cross with Don under the rain. If one shoe goes off with the couch it'll go right. But the other shoe is on this side, so it'll get picked up and come left. That means she can't put them back on in time to cross." But I also knew that almost all her costumes were in the back corner on our wing. So I rushed back to her corner and found her regular character shoes, gave them to one of the dressers, and said, "Put these on her when she comes for her coat." It worked out perfectly, timing-wise, and helped her catch her breath for her last bit of dialogue for the act.
(It was nice that at the cast party, she told me that she figured out I was the one who got them for her and she was AMAZED at my rescue - and she and a couple of the others told me that they were so grateful I was around to help them with those little things - like I would hand our stripper her "Lockwood and Brown" sign every night so she didn't have to go rushing for it; I not only changed our Green Dress girl every night, but reset her dress so she could put it back on for curtain call; I helped Kathy with another change and always remembered to move her mic pack because it's hidden better in a different spot in that dress (and in fact tonight realized her battery was on RED so I changed it out for her, too) - no big deal, but things that apparently took a huge load off their minds. "You're such a pro," one of the girls said. "You come in, you know exactly what you're doing, you do it right every night, you anticipate and just are there for whatever we need - we're so lucky." I guess it's that stage manager instinct.)
I only had one bobble myself and that's when I forgot a character's name for a split second. I almost missed an entrance but that's because our costumer was wacking out my wacky wig even more than usual and I was trying to stop him, but I made it. (I didn't feel like I really "hit" the dialect coach scene perfectly, but meh, it wasn't off a lot...just to me.)
I'm glad that one of my ideas for gifts was used (a Sephora gift card for our costumer, who also wound up bringing in ALL his makeup and using a fair amount in the service of the show). The director gave us cool gifts - everyone had had to get their portraits done by a photographer in the building. We thought it was for front of house, but there was never a display. It was actually for her gift to us. Each person got a framed B&W 4x6 of their portrait, plus additional 4X6 prints from their two other poses. Really nice! I will have to see if I can get high-res copies, too, to add to my profile and portfolio.
Oh, and the dress? THE dress? I said to the costumer: "So, if I call you, could I borrow the dress to wear it some other time?" He not only said "You Bet" but multiple times (and as he got drunker and drunker) said, "No one else but you can wear that dress. That's yours." and other amazingly wonderful things. "I could tell you were being underappreciated and I knew you needed something to help make you shine. But the dress didn't do that - you did. You took a basically nothing role and you made it memorable and glamourous and fabulous." Awwww!
So yeah, lots of good fuzzy moments.
Unfortunately, next year they're doing "Rocky Horror" and I don't really think there's a role there for me. But as Wellesley's doing "Annie," I'll be trying for Hannigan, anyway.
It's quarter to six and getting light out! I should nap.
no subject
And remind me to be very, very wary of taking compliments from you at face value! ;p
no subject
(But really, the ratio of veiled statements to real ones is directly proportionate to people's possession of clue, so you've got nothing to worry about!)
no subject