I am typing this on my brand new computer. My last computer, the incredible Lady MacBook, passed away. But now that I have a new one, I figured today is a good day to catch up on blogging.
Antigone NowAntigone Now was a crazy, crazy ride. In about 5 weeks, we did 41 performances of our show. We performed it all over.
Places like:
- high school gymnasiums
- college classrooms
- one high school classroom/hallway
- high school theatres/auditoriums
- college theatres
- our own theatre
- a botanical garden
- a museum gallery
- a museum courtyard (next to a manatee tank)
- a furniture store
I joked that when we started the tour, we were at "beginner" level, and the difficulty kept increasing. By the end, we were most definitely experts.
Challenges that were thrown at us included:
- Small spaces
- HUGE spaces
- low ceilings
- a set that was screwed into a high school stage, which we had to keep jumping over
- a REALLY loud air conditioning system in a high school gym
- a temperamental sound system that sometimes didn't work at the top of the show (which is when we have a sound cue of gunfire that we're supposed to be taking cover from... yeah, that was interesting)
- hot outdoor locations (and we were wearing trenchcoats)
- a tree that kept throwing nuts at us
- one transformative performance space with moveable walls (kind of like the theatrical version of The Room of Requirement from Harry Potter)
- audiences that meowed/laughed/yelled/heckled/texted/popped gum/etc.
And, one challenge that I faced:
Wifey got sick, and with about 40 minutes before call time, I learned that I would be playing her role. I memorized the lines in the van on the way there. I ended up playing her role for 5 performances while she recuperated. And I led the talkbacks for about a week or so past that.
All in all, the tour was a great experience. I learned a lot from it. I had touring experience. I had performed for young audiences. But what I really got a lot out of was the experience of fringe-style performance spaces. Having to adapt our show to each new space on the fly was really neat as a performer. It kept things fresh, even after all those performances.
For sake of comparison...
I'm going to be in Boeing Boeing later this season. It opens in January and runs through April. There will be a total of 28 performances (and I believe that's the longest run in the Rep this season). So 41 performances in 5 weeks? Intense.
I love my class. We did a great job of banding together and working everything out.
TalksMy program has been bringing in people to talk with us about the industry, which is awesome.
A couple of weeks ago, it was
Steve Rankin, who got his MFA at my Conservatory and now has a successful career in Los Angeles.
This past week, it was a double header:
Hal Linden (aka Barney Miller) and
Tim Jerome, both of whom have had great Broadway careers.
Hal Linden graciously signed my 1962 Off-Broadway cast recording of
Anything Goes, in which he played Billy Crocker. That recording was the first tape I bought with my own money, back when I was in 4th grade. I listened to it so much that I actually warped the tape. I can't tell you how many times I've sung duets with him on "You're the Top", singing along with the late great Eileen Rodgers.
It's interesting to hear people talk about the industry, although it also generally feels intimidating. So much of the positivity that has graced their lives seems to involve crazy luck. I'm praying that I fall into some of that luck myself.
But they've also had some good advice. Steve Rankin talked about how you have to mentally separate people who work in the industry into "buyers" and "sellers", which was enlightening.
Bonnie & ClydeLast night was the opening of
Bonnie & Clyde, which is a huge, Broadway-quality (and hopefully Broadway-bound) musical. I've seen it in rehearsals and previews. It's really fantastic. And the opening was a lot of fun.
Before the show started, the marketing department asked Two-Shots-Up and me to don period clothing from the Costume Shop and pose outside the theatre in front of some old fashioned cars. People occasionally asked to get their pictures taken with us. I had a good time.
ClassI brought a scene into class yesterday, but Head-Of-Program wasn't crazy about it. Several people have been bringing in scenes. I had one a few weeks back that seems promising, but the ending isn't great... Head-Of-Program said he'll look at re-cutting it for me.
Boeing BoeingRehearsals for
Boeing Boeing, the next show I'm in, begin on December 14th. I have an Italian Accent lesson with Voice Professor on Tuesday. I've been listening to Paul Meier and trying to learn it on my own. But the Director (aka Head-Of-Program) says he wants my character to be adroit with English, and effortlessly multilingual... which means the dialect I've been working with is far too thick. Last year, I studied dialects as opposed to accents (which means I learned how native English speakers pronounce things in other areas, like NYC and the UK; I have not learned how people who learn English as a second language pronounce things...). Voice Professor says it's the same process of study, but it seems different in my head. It seems as though there would be greater room for variation. I guess I'll find out next week.
