Live Theatre - Lounger's Appearances and Stories

[Nashoba]

We open at the end of February. It's a quick turn around....so lots of work for me!

 

[thebadmamajama]

I did a lot of theatre in undergrad and once I'm done with grad school I really want theatre to be a part of my life again (fav. role so far, Annie Sullivan in "The Miracle Worker)--how do you get into it? Just audition? Forgive my naiveté on the subject, but it's definitely a passion I can't let fall away. Also, do they use set designers/artists too? Thanks for the tips and advice!

 

[Nashoba]

I did a lot of theatre in undergrad and once I'm done with grad school I really want theatre to be a part of my life again (fav. role so far, Annie Sullivan in "The Miracle Worker)--how do you get into it? Just audition? Forgive my naivet?© on the subject, but it's definitely a passion I can't let fall away. Also, do they use set designers/artists too? Thanks for the tips and advice!

pretty much. check your local paper for audition announcements. My husband goes through them every week telling me what he thinks I should audition for....sigh....and yeah, most theaters are happy to have people step forward for crew

 

[Diamondback]

Nash, any chance of the production company maybe having someone bring a digital videocam and record it for posterity?

I did Taming of the Shrew in high-school, myself, in one of the less memorable roles.

 

[Dr Doran]

Folks, the photos are wonderful!

 

[dhermann1]

Caine Mutiny

Here are a few pix of "The Caine Mutiny Court Martial".
I posted this before, but what the hey, what's a little shameless narcissistic self promotion among friends? They put up pix in the lobby of each cast member, taken with a 1942 Graphlex camera, actually used by the US military in WW II. Here's a very stern Capt. Blakeley:

Defense Counsel Greenwald (Jon Girson), moi, and Judge Advocate Challee (Jeff Carpenter). (Note authentic 1939 vintage court steno machine.)

Cast photo:

On a WW II thread there was a discussion of the WW II Naval flyers' green uniform. It was technically a utility uniform, not a dress uniform. A flying officer could have worn it to fly, or for a "day at the office". In most stagings (including ours) Lt Greenwald wears his greens. I saw the movie the other day, and he wears the greens when meeting Lt Maryk in a conference room, but in the actual trial he's wearing dress blues. I suspect this is correct. I must say, however, that our costume guy, an ardent WW II reenactor, who I've been trying to recruit for the Lounge, did a sensational job with the costumes.
I auditioned for the Village Light Opera Group's April production of Music Man (Mayor Shinn, of course). Call backs aren't till next week. I'll keep ya'll posted.

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

(stands up straight and at ease)

Great photos. It would have been interesting to see the performance. As for the opera, break a leg!

 

[Nashoba]

Nash, any chance of the production company maybe having someone bring a digital videocam and record it for posterity?

I did Taming of the Shrew in high-school, myself, in one of the less memorable roles.

I dunno, I kinda doubt it. I'm trying to figure out a diplomatic and non-whiney way to go talk to the director. She really hacked this play to bits and my part was cut from having a fair amount of stage time and a fairly large part (I'm grumio, Petruchio's servant) to being in two scenes and having a total of 6 lines. I was suprised last night when I got the script because I went into the rehearsal thinking the role was a much different one based on the original script than it ended out being. I don't show up now until the 4th act and then i just all of a sudden appear as a servant without the explanation that there is in the beginning as to who I am. She said in auditions that she hacked it up and that if there was something we wanted to do that we felt should be put back in to approach her about it, so I'm going to look at the original script and figure it out. As it is, I don't even need to be at rehearsals until the 29th, but I'm going to go to all of them anyway so she sees my work ethic and desire. I know how this works, I realize this is my first production with her, I'm no stranger to the heirarchy of theater, this just is not the role that it is in the play as shakespere wrote it and with my years of experience in theater, I'm capable of far more than 6 lines in two hours.

 

[Dr Doran]

As it is, I don't even need to be at rehearsals until the 29th, but I'm going to go to all of them anyway so she sees my work ethic and desire.

Smart.

 

[Nashoba]

In Complete and Utter Shock

I received a phone call from my director about 20 minutes ago. The woman playing Kate (a friend of mine, she's the one who convinced me to audition) has had to drop out of the production for personal reasons. She's asked me to step up into her place as Kate. I spoke to my friend and her reasons are about as valid as they come and she was gracious enough to say that she was glad it was me stepping into her place.
But Good Lord!
I just went from having the smallest part of the play to being the lead. I guess now I really have to go to all the rehearsals....

I think I'm just gonna wander around numb for a few days......

 

[carter]

See What Happens When You Don't Subscribe!

ha! That one made me laugh out loud!

Carter... did you happen to do Trumpet in the Land in my backyard? It has been running continuously here for decades.

Sorry Scott, I haven't seen this thread in months. Yes, I did Trumpet In The Land in your own backyard.Simon Girty the white savage in 1974 and Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Production Stage Manager in 1975. I also directed Dark of the Moon there in 1975.

I really enjoyed New Philadelphia and the hospitality of the Moravian folks we met there. It would be nice to visit there again sometime. Sounds like a good reason for a Mid-Ohio Lounge get together.

Nashoba, Congratulations on your new role. You'll have plenty of lines now.

 

[Lola Getz]

When I went over to pick up the phone, the audience tithered and continued tithering through my "conversation" with my uncle. I began to wonder what was wrong, the phone had stopped ringing on cue, so that wasn't it. I glanced down to see if my clothes were still on, up and around to see if a set piece or light gel had fallen, all the while talking on the phone.

Then, I spotted it: the prop man had forgotten to attach the end of the telephone cord to the table, so the cord was dangling out in mid-air for all to see. I looked down at it, frowned, by now the audience was chuckling even more, knowing that I now knew.

K.D., that's so funny! I used to be very involved in small theater productions and in one play had to answer a call from my "boyfriend". I went to answer the phone and the audience cracked up--turns out the boyfriend hadn't even made it to the phone yet on stage when it started ringing! My stage manager wanted to die.

I did dinner theater one summer and used to get paid in potato salad! (I swear it's true) If anyone here has ever seen Kevin Kline in "Soapdish" where he does dinner theater and walks around, refilling coffee cups as he plays Willy Loehman, you'll know what it's like!

I sure don't miss the auditions, but I did have fun.

 

[Nashoba]

Thanks Carter, still a bit in shock. I'm still amazed that I went from literally the smallest role to being told that I was the first person she thought of when she had to replace Kate......[huh] After speaking to my friend, who had very valid reasons indeed to leave the production, all I can say is I hope I do her proud.

 

[thebadmamajama]

oooooh congratulations!! that's so exciting!

 

[zaika]

Dhermann, those photos are great! boy, i wish i lived in NYC! i would come to this.

i was a huge theatre nerd in high school. my peak then was playing "ouiser" in Steel Magnolias. i did a bunch of various roles, but really shined as a director. my actors and i won first place in a one act festival for doing tom stoppard's Fifteen Minute Hamlet (Hamlet in ten minutes with a five minute encore...HYSTERICAL)
...entertained the idea of doing theatre in college...but a huge family loss took it out of me.
these days i'm trying to get the nerve up to find a comm theatre...get back involved. lord knows, i'm such a drama queen...i need an outlet. lol
it's really awesome to see so many people here involved with theatre!!

 

[dhermann1]

Music Man - didn't get it!!!

Well, it happens. I didn't get the role I went out for. It's part of the theater. It's no fun, but getting used to rejection is a major part of the experience.
So, what's the next project? Gotta pick up next week's issue of Back Stage.
My magic hat (see the Hat forum) didn't come through for me. Oh, well.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Here's me backstage of Urinetown. I just like the picture.

What a coinkydink - we're seeing it tomorrow night! I still cringe a bit trying to get past the name...

 

[Diamondback]

EEEEEK! Holy redeye, Batman! Last time I saw eyes that red was the Terminator's infrared optics...

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Several friends were involved in a production of Nunsense II. For those who haven't seen one of these shows, premise of the shows is the Little Sisters of Hoboken need to raise money one catastrophy after another, so the audience is really attending their "fund raiser." The various "reincarnations" pretty much follow the same format, just a slightly different story. The writer of the show gives you wide lattitude in updating & changing the show, and encourages you to do so, so you can do rewrites to toss in local references, modern events, etc. I think the first two have been filmed - to give you an idea, Rue McClanahan played Reverend Mother. A little predictable (especially after you've seen one) but still funny, cute little shows.

The show was originally written in the era of Pope John Paul II. The music director in this household decides to rewrite & update of one song so it refers to "Joey Ratzinger, the hun" so it rhymes with "Polka till the padre's a nun." That part's not so bad. He does three versions of the song "Padre Polka." Plays them for me. I say "I think the last is hilarious, but there will be way too many complaints. You can't make the Nazi references that blatantly. Version 2's still cute, and version 1's the safest albeit a little tame. The board's never in a million years going to approve the funniest, so I'd present the second as your first choice."

So he presents the different versions to the theater board, who are normally so conservative that any show written after 1955 gets the thumbs down as being "too radical!" They do the whole number at one of the board meetings. They LOVE the edgiest one, the funniest, the most controversial. And I'm thinking "This is going to be a disaster..."

Preview night - Mostly friends & family of those involved with the show, or castmembers of previous shows. I'm pulling for a miracle, and the section I thought iffy brings the house down ("What do the Roman numerals SS mean?" "Talk about your final solution!" as they goose-step with right arms raised around stage). They even had to pause because people were laughing and clapping so loudly and for so long. But...it's a bit of a stacked deck in the audience tonight...let's see what happens at opening.

Opening night - it brings the house down again. I think, "Gee, I guess I was just being a little too wimpy in suggesting one of the tamer lyrics. I guess we've dodged the bullet!" And at intermission, all people were talking about how hilarious it was. The office gets notes and letters about how funny the show was.

Third night - first "regular" audience - the big Nazi reference and...crickets. It was like "Springtime for Hitler" in The Producers. You could hear a pin drop. The gals on stage were "deers in the headlights" waiting for the big laughs & applause that never came...dead silence. They just completely froze, mouths open, waiting for the reaction. Totally throws them because there was dead silence and shocked faces, instead of laughter and applause. I'm told it was only a couple of seconds, but it seemed hours.

When things like that happen, as, I believe Scott posted on an earlier post, it's like a sodden tent collapsing on you. You can just feel the tide turn and start to crush down on you.

I'm sitting over in the side of the audience toward the back just so I can gauge reactions and slip out if needed. And let me tell you, I was NEVER in my life so happy to have a fedora to bury my face under. Just this dreadful long silence, finally broken by one elderly lady who said, "Oh dear..." I waited for the next scene change and slipped out to head for the box office. "To quote Harold Hill, we've got trouble, my friends!"

The revised lyrics stood, and overall, it was up and down - one audience would roar with laughter, another would just have a snicker here or there, others were silent. But it hammered home to me you can never know how an audience is going to react until they do.

 

[Rhofal]

Last year I was in "Noises Off", with the Rockaway Theater Company, out on the beach in Queens, NY. I was Selsden, the old alcoholic actor, who plays a burglar in the play within a play, "Nothing On".

Wow! That's my favourite play. I have it both on video and DVD and keep putting it on regularly. Still can't see a can of sardines without grinning

---------------------------------------

I'm a member of a local amateur theatre company; played one role so far and am casted for my second one on March 15th. (After a six-year gap due to not being able to get time off work for rehearsals and performances)

The play I was in was "A flea in her ear" by Feydeau. I played the part of Tournel, a womanizing friend of the lead actor.

Tournel tries to seduce his best friend's wife and due to circumstances they end up in a shady hotel together. Over there, my counterpart has a discussion with the hotel manager while I'm standing behind the manager. She is supposed to try and slap him in the face and he should duck so I get hit.

This went pretty well for six performances. On the seventh she didn't use an open hand slap but delivered me a fine knuckle sandwich in the face. I allways went down after the hit, but that night it was so much more convincing (think of legs flying up and me landing flat on my back). My ordeal, however, was not over yet. When I get up I'm supposed to follow my counterpart into an onstage bedroom. She closed the door a bit too much this time, so I ran into the edge of it at near full speed. (Flat on my back again). After that I was supposed to walk over to the bed, this time I crawled there on all fours. Took a while, being drowsy and disoriented. The audience absolutely loved it. They didn't suspect a thing, so the show did go on :eusa_clap

Stopped by the hospital after the show and the diagnosis was "a broken nose and a mild concussion"...



This year I am typecasted as a Greek bouncer with maffia connections. Can't imagine where the director got the silly idea to ask me.
*Tries to cover his avatar picture with a Fedora, inconspicuously*

Cheers,
Peter