Sunday, May 23, 2010

Saturday's Matinee and Evening (show 4 and 5)

Today, we had two shows: a matinee and an evening show.

The matinee went quite well, although it was interesting to hear what made the audience laugh. Matinees typically have an older audience, so they laugh at different things. For example, Sir Joseph flirting with Ralph was not funny at all, whereas usually it gets a laugh.

Nothing went terribly wrong--always a plus.

Just after intermission, a bunch of us were relaxing in the mini green room, watching the show on the tvs, when our producer called out for me.

Immediately, I assumed something had gone horribly wrong. What was broken? Whose entrance had I blocked? What could I possibly have done to incur the wrath of the producer?

Apparently, my grandparents had won the 50/50 raffle for the second year in a row and he thought he'd tell me. No freak out needed.

One issue with doing eleven shows is that after a while they all blend together. I know funny things happened during the matinee and not the evening show and vice versa, but I honestly can't remember what happened when.

I know one of the guys got knocked on his bum, and another one was about to go on when he realized he'd left his gloves downstairs, so he rushed down and back up and just made his entrance on cue. Another took two steps on stage, realized he'd forgotten his flask (which is, alas, empty), did a 180, headed offstage, grabbed the flask, and came back on in time to pose and drink from it.

During the break between shows, a group of us walked down to Subway. The girls had all kept our make-up on--although I'd taken off my fake eyelashes--so even in street clothes, we looked pretty silly.

We ate out in the garden at the arts centre, which was quite nice except for three large stereos playing the sound of hammering. Apparently, it's art if the stereos are situated on three plywood stands twelve feet high with sandbags at the bottom.

A couple of us hung out on stage for a bit too, mostly just complaining and exploring parts of the set that we never go on onstage. Here is the view from the upper deck :



I took a few minutes to steer the ship and try to feel like Jack Sparrow. It worked.















After a second vocal warm-up, we all touched up our make-up, struggled into our costumes once more and did it all over again. Backstage, exhaustion was taking over. Being on stage is a huge adrenaline rush, you're constantly living in the moment, over-exaggerating things, big movements, big reactions, big everything. You have to be aware of what you're doing, what your castmates are doing, how the audience is reacting, and what you're showing them. For example. you shouldn't be showing them that the hem of your costume got stuck on the bottom of your heel and now you're stuck when that happens (and I say when, because it always happens at least once a run).

So overall, it's just a big kick. And then you got offstage and crash. Normally, that's fine. We pack up, go home, stuff our faces (I'm always hungry after a show), and then pass out on a couch with our make-up still on because we're too tired to take it off.

However, a second show complicates things. We tried to keep our energy up, but it's difficult. During the second show, the women's entrance went quite well actually, but it was very draining. Usually, I don't have to think about smiling because it's automatic, tonight I had to think more.

Also, I think my French teacher was in the second row.

She was very distracting because I think it was her, but I haven't seen her since school ended, and I never told her about the show so she must have come for another reason.

Either way, I wasn't as focused as I usually am.

It was also more difficult because this was the first show where I knew no one in the audience (the teacher doesn't count because I'm not even sure it was her). I like to know someone because then it makes the show more personal and I think I perform better. So tonight was a little odd.

I also have a secret confession about the matinee but I ain't admitting anything online.

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