If I learned anything from Cats, its that memories are "the time I knew what happiness was" so "let the memories live again".
Why am I quoting Cats? That was a terrible musical...or maybe it was because I'm not on whatever drugs made that musical about singing and dancing cats seem like a good idea.
Let's try it again....
Memories....."like the corners of my mind. Misty, water-colored memories"
I mean, do you have any habits or rituals that you do when attending or having attended a theatrical performance. With the express purpose of helping note that you attended the show. In order for them to avoid becoming "misty, water-colored memories"?
I am a terrible diarist or journal-er (possibly, blogger as well?) as I have a hard time tuning in to write on a regular basis. Plus, years of getting my diary "given to me" for my birthday by my brother, had trained me not to write in them. I am not someone who makes scrap books or is organized enough to find things after I have put them in that "I- will -never- forget- where- I- have- placed- this- it -is -so- obvious" spot. So to make sure that I don't forget where I have put something and to make sure I don't forget what I saw, where and with whom, I have a book where I keep the covers of the playbills and tickets of shows I have seen.
At every show I make sure to grab two programs. One immediately gets read and folded as I try to get all the information out of it on the performers before the lights go down. The other program goes in my purse, carefully saved in my calendar so it doesn't get bent or crushed. My ticket also gets slipped in next to this program.
Once I get home I immediately pull out my book and open it up to the next open page. On this page goes the program cover (cast list as well, if I want that for some reason) and the ticket. Then in the margins I write down who came to the show with me. This way I never forget who I saw this show with and what date and time I saw it.
This habit came about because I love seeing shows and I would get frustrated if I couldn't remember exactly when I saw a show. This subject comes up a lot for me and not remembering this was unacceptable. As well, I usually see very interesting shows with very interesting people and I would like to remember what I saw and with whom.
I am now at the end of the book I am currently using and I am excited to start a new one. These books track not just theater, but my theater preferences, shows when I was going through an "adventurous" theater period in my life, notes what shows my friends like to attend and how far I have traveled to see something. Currently, Las Vegas or San Francisco are as exotic as I have gotten...I swear, New York and London will one day grace the pages of my theater book.
Do you have an theater habits to remember shows you have attended? Do you note it in your day planner? Buy the swag at the shows and wear them proudly? Tell me!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Thursday Thesaurus - Missed Cues
I thought that today for Thursday Thesaurus I would explore the word cue….mainly because I’ve missed mine on this particular blog post a few time
Cue -The words or actions at which an actor is expected to deliver a line or a crew member is expected to perform some task. Not to be confused with:
Cue - Long wooden stick that the billiard player holds to hit the cue ball
Kew – Famous English Garden
Or with
Queue - a line of waiting people
Like this one from San Diego during Comic Con
Anyways…where was I? right…theatrical cues
Cues are important to the show because they prompt everything. If you the actor miss a cue, then that might make the lighting and music cues be delayed, effect set changes or just plain confuse the other actors :) So you can see that missing a cue is something that is frowned upon. If you have done theater or seen a performance, was there ever something that happened that you thought (or knew) was a missed cue?
I remember seeing a show and the actor said a line, and another actor was supposed to some on stage and they were supposed to have a conversation. Except when the first actor said his line the other actor was nowhere to be seen. The actor starting filling time (about 30 seconds) when he grabbed something out of his pocket and acted like it was a cell phone and had the conversation that was supposed to be happening onstage all by himself.
Example:
Actor 1: Actor 2, I just wanted to let you know I was sorry. (Pause) I am so glad that you accept my apology and I appreciate your kinds words of how much you love me.
It was awesome
This especially near and dear to my heart since I am currently in a show and there are a lot of cues that depend on me. So forgive me while I go study my script again…
Cue -The words or actions at which an actor is expected to deliver a line or a crew member is expected to perform some task. Not to be confused with:
Cue - Long wooden stick that the billiard player holds to hit the cue ball
Kew – Famous English Garden
Or with
Queue - a line of waiting people
Like this one from San Diego during Comic Con
Anyways…where was I? right…theatrical cues
Cues are important to the show because they prompt everything. If you the actor miss a cue, then that might make the lighting and music cues be delayed, effect set changes or just plain confuse the other actors :) So you can see that missing a cue is something that is frowned upon. If you have done theater or seen a performance, was there ever something that happened that you thought (or knew) was a missed cue?
I remember seeing a show and the actor said a line, and another actor was supposed to some on stage and they were supposed to have a conversation. Except when the first actor said his line the other actor was nowhere to be seen. The actor starting filling time (about 30 seconds) when he grabbed something out of his pocket and acted like it was a cell phone and had the conversation that was supposed to be happening onstage all by himself.
Example:
Actor 1: Actor 2, I just wanted to let you know I was sorry. (Pause) I am so glad that you accept my apology and I appreciate your kinds words of how much you love me.
It was awesome
This especially near and dear to my heart since I am currently in a show and there are a lot of cues that depend on me. So forgive me while I go study my script again…
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Don't tempt Fate
So, I heard about this audition a little over a month ago and thought that maybe I should go.
Never mind that I haven't performed in a full show in over 11 years, or that I didn't know any of the songs, any audition songs, can't dance, and had about 1 day to get anything ready for the audition. It still seemed like an adventure that I should go on, if for no other reason than because of how badly it could go.
Which is how I ended up going to this audition on the last day of auditions, in the very last audition slot and with a song that I knew, but that I had never heard played on the piano. So I had no idea if the key that the music was in was a key I could sing or not. Cause really, preparation, whats that?
The day of the audition I had milk with breakfast (A no no), I warmed up by singing along with the radio at the top of my lungs and got lost on my way to the theater.
As I walked in, I had no resume, no head shot and had to tell them I had no idea what the music I was holding sounded like on the piano, since I don't own a piano.
I audition and go on my merry way.
The next day I get called back for a call back. Right before the call backs I get super sick. I have to call to tell them I can't make it and the part goes to someone else.
Fast forward to last week.....
I get a call from the theater. The person they cast is unable to fulfill the role and would I be interested in filling it?
So now I have a month to step into the role, learn the lines, choreography and the music for this show. Everyone is off book and ready for fine tuning...I have had the script for 48 hours.
This can only end badly, right?
Lesson learned:
My husband should have bought me a piano. (My husband thinks this is not an actual lesson learned, but that just makes it obvious he needs to learn this lesson).
This theater was clearly desperate. (if your hopes rest on my shoulders....my the gods help you, clearly you are in trouble)
Don't tempt fate! (those three witches will get you every time!)
Never mind that I haven't performed in a full show in over 11 years, or that I didn't know any of the songs, any audition songs, can't dance, and had about 1 day to get anything ready for the audition. It still seemed like an adventure that I should go on, if for no other reason than because of how badly it could go.
Which is how I ended up going to this audition on the last day of auditions, in the very last audition slot and with a song that I knew, but that I had never heard played on the piano. So I had no idea if the key that the music was in was a key I could sing or not. Cause really, preparation, whats that?
The day of the audition I had milk with breakfast (A no no), I warmed up by singing along with the radio at the top of my lungs and got lost on my way to the theater.
As I walked in, I had no resume, no head shot and had to tell them I had no idea what the music I was holding sounded like on the piano, since I don't own a piano.
I audition and go on my merry way.
The next day I get called back for a call back. Right before the call backs I get super sick. I have to call to tell them I can't make it and the part goes to someone else.
Fast forward to last week.....
I get a call from the theater. The person they cast is unable to fulfill the role and would I be interested in filling it?
So now I have a month to step into the role, learn the lines, choreography and the music for this show. Everyone is off book and ready for fine tuning...I have had the script for 48 hours.
This can only end badly, right?
Lesson learned:
My husband should have bought me a piano. (My husband thinks this is not an actual lesson learned, but that just makes it obvious he needs to learn this lesson).
This theater was clearly desperate. (if your hopes rest on my shoulders....my the gods help you, clearly you are in trouble)
Don't tempt fate! (those three witches will get you every time!)
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