This is Your Wardrobe Crew, Tweeting Live!
I just finished a two week run of our production of The Piano Lesson, working backstage on Wardrobe Crew. This is the third show I’ve worked on this year that was set in the 1930s and I just love the costumes from this era. I’d wear those hats and stockings any day!
As a wardrobe crew member, I have to keep inventory: making sure that all the costumes pieces are accounted for before and after each show; do any laundry that needs to be done in case an actor gets makeup or blood on their costume; quick fixes during show and repairing costumes during the day. I volunteered to be the backstage member, the one who sits in a dark corner for the whole show, giving all the actors a once-over to make sure that they remember their hats and that they aren’t wearing their own jewelry, that zippers and buttoned and shoelaces are fixed. I’m also on hand to help the actor playing Lymon do his quick change into his silk suit during Act 2, Scene 1.
It seems like a lot, but most of time, I was sitting around and doing “backstage tweets” pre-show and during intermission. Here are the adventures of wardrobe crew, in a 140 characters!
- Bad pre-show music choices: video killed the radio star. Aargh!
- Opening night for The Piano Lesson! I’m about to go sit backstage for 3 hours and do that one costume change. @theTheatreDork This is the life we chose! HAHAHA
- RT: Packed house for the opening night of “The Piano Lesson”
- and I got through opening night with only three panic attacks.
- Wardrobe Crew insults: “I hope you get covered in sweat that you can’t wipe off!” #wardrobecrew
- I’ve found grey in my hair. I’m not sure if it’s stress or stage makeup but either way, I blame this show.
- It took me nine years, but I figured out how to tie a tie #wardrobecrew
- In 50 years, students will learn the College Theatre Dork form of dance, in which rotten fruit is thrown at audience. It’s post-post-modernism.
- #StageShotSunday ? Try taking a photocall after this three hour show with a double cast.
- ASM: White hair is sexy. (actor overhears) Actor: Does anyone have any dye?
- Crying baby in the house. Okay people, could you at least give your kids sleep medicine before bringing them to the theatre?
- Director brings actors KFC to eat (in costume) between matinee and photocall. Technicians starve. #wardrobecrew
- RT: “Oh you’re in theatre? Do you know _____?” Ya. I got them naked every night for a week #costumecrew @eatsleeptheatre @Techie_Problems
- I’m waiting for one actor’s sock to dry… #wardrobecrew #TheatreMajorProblems
- The wardrobe crew is addicted to lollipops, but not the blue or brown ones. We’re also easily entertained by Black Swan impressions.
- a week later but #HouseManagerAW (House Manager Appreciation Week) because someone has to pull the audience off the set and the hell away from the piano #ThePianoLesson
- I’d like to thank the inventors of the backstage bite-lite and advil. #wardrobecrew #TheatreMajorProblems
- Act one finale, black out. An audience member says “Oh shit.” actor drags himself offstage doubled over in laughter.
- “You have to stop doing LSD before shows!” “Yeah, why didn’t you bring some to share?” #overheardbackstage #wardrobecrew
- “Remember when you were a science major?” “I was a science major.” “Remember when I was a science major?” #TheatreMajorProblems
- “You are the baggie for my intimates” #wardrobecrew #overheardbackstage
- Strike for The Piano Lesson and then going straight to a production mtg for Stop the World. #oneshowendsanotherbegins #theatremajorproblems
So there you have it, folks. My adventures in costuming have come to an end and I’m already immediately off and running to my next show—I’m going to be an actor again!
A Day in the Life
The Political Theatre Maker’s recent post documenting her theatre company’s mini tour experience inspired me to document a day in my actor life. Mine is, of course, captured much less artistically and with only an iPhone, but I thought it might be a fun little glimpse into the life of a working actor in NYC.
I wake up every morning to thousands of puppy kisses from this groggy little face.
I am never truly awake until I’ve had that first cup of glorious coffee (note our Christmas tree reflection in the coffee table surface!).
My weekly to-do list broken down into categories that make things seem a little less overwhelming. After my coffee, I start to tackle items on the list!
Fundraising for my play (The King’s Whore) is at the top of the list right now!
I then make my way to an audition at this cute little theater.
I go in several times, reading different sides each time. Gotta be quick on my feet!
Quick lunch break comprised of a delicious pita.
I have a callback to prepare for, so I head to the Drama Bookshop to read the play. So thankful for this NYC resource.
On this corner I see both a Santa on a segway, and I run into a fellow castmate from my recent production of “The Crucible.” I love that you always see random things in NYC like Santa or a friend!
I’m getting a bit drowsy and there’s still a lot to do today, so it’s time for a Starbucks break!
While at Starbucks, I see two young filmmakers make a casting decision using eenie meenie miney mo. This career can be so challenging sometimes.
I get to The Workshop Theatre and see my friend Sam recording a promo video for her play, “The Drunken City.”
I’m there that evening to run box office for Sam’s play. Go see it! It’s fab.
I end the day back on the couch with my puppies and my dear husband.
This is a pretty typical day for me, although the specifics are always changing. What would a day in your artist life look like?
My First Five Rules
I’ve learned a lot in my first year as a stage actor, and I’ve come up with a few rules that help me succeed. I’m sure I’ll come up with more in time, but here are my first five rules:
1. Show up on time. Most directors and producers would rather have someone good and reliable than great and irresponsible. If you’re running late, let them know, and make every effort to not make a habit of it.
2. Respect your director. I wrote more about this in my last post. It is quite all right to have questions for your director, and even to disagree with her/him, but take up these matters one-on-one, not in front of the company. And once the director makes a decision, accept it. If you find you don’t like the director or her/his style, you don’t have to work with that person again, but honor your commitment and do your best work until the show is done.
3. Be willing to do anything (within reason). You should never force yourself to do things you are not comfortable with, particularly if they are somehow threatening. But stretch your limits as far as you can, and don’t be a prima donna. I worked on one community theater production where one castmate said she “didn’t do” scene changing and set-up. But it was a no budget show and everyone knew from the start that cast would be crew. Guess who I haven’t seen get any roles since then?
My second role was in a Sixties-set “Lysistrata” where the suffering men’s penises were played by actors in very silly penis costumes. I happily volunteered to take on one of those roles in addition to the small role I had been cast in. Besides it being great fun, I also developed a reputation as someone who would do potentially embarrassing roles with gusto and who was a team player.
4. Whatever show you are doing at the moment is your most important show. One of my best improv performances was in front of an audience of two — the parents of another troupe member. We worked just as hard as if we had been in front of 200, and it showed. It’s tempting to want to slack off for a small audience or late-in-the-run performance of a show that hasn’t been going well, but at that moment, you owe it to yourself, and whatever audience you have, to do your best work.
5. Acting is fun! It’s also work. I am a community theater actor (so far). I do what I do for love of it, and work with people who feel the same way. It makes us happy and fulfilled. And it’s just fun to get up and play with like-minded creative folks. Messing around in rehearsal or backstage is part of it all.
But when it’s time to work, it’s time to work. Even the silliest show requires seriousness from the performers to get dialogue, cues, and blocking right. (There’s nothing less funny than a joke done sloppily.) Even actors working for no financial compensation can act professionally, and owe it to the audience and their fellow cast members to do so.
Labourer or Business Owner?
As a member of both American and British Equity, I’m privy to an in-depth comparison at the different ways that unions fight for performers’ rights in a capitalist and in a socialist society. (Ok, I agree there is debate about whether or not the UK is truly socialist. I also understand the argument that the UK is much smaller than the US and some systems are easier to implement with a smaller population.) But the bottom line is that the UK and the US do have different mindsets on labor/labour rights and the way that performers fit into the classic definition of “laborer/labourer.”
I like to brag that when I worked in London and Edinburgh I never worked on a show that didn’t pay me something. It seemed that theatre companies placed a certain value in the actual performance job being done, and so they tried as hard as possible to pay for that performance. Sometimes, it was a very small stipend. Sometimes, it was a profit-share agreement, where performers and producers split the box office takings after expenses (which often amounted to very little, too.) But the point is, no British theatre producer ever expected me to perform for free. And I believe that stemmed, in part, from the European/British mindset that performing is a job and every person working a job deserves compensation for the job. It also speaks to the respect for each and every performer, no matter how small the production, because, it’s believed, that actors are working for the good of the production as a whole and performance art as a whole. They are, in fact, a worker in the industry of theatre, just like a worker in the industry of say, auto manufacturing.
These are values, I think, that are missing in the US. Here, I find that theatre companies are all too aware that actors are in huge supply in relation to demand. Actors are hungry for any kind of performance opportunity and of course the elusive “exposure” that comes from being on stage. So the monetary value is not placed on the actual job being done in the moment… but in fact in the possible jobs it could lead to. It’s a much more capitalistic and individualistic way of looking at performance. Here, it’s believed, each actor is in it for him/herself, rather than for the good of the production and the art as a whole. Henceforth, a performance by an actor can be seen NOT solely as a job done in the moment, but instead, as a stepping stone in the individual actor’s career. In that sense, the actor himself is not a laborer deserving of compensation, but a instead, the actor is a self-employed business-owner, building a reputation and client-base through loss-leader output (ie, free performance work…. ie, The Showcase Code.)
This topic was brought into focus for me when I received British Equity’s magazine in the mail this week. The union is currently putting together their official position on low-pay/no-pay theatre companies in the UK and strictly advocates for actors to be considered labourers owed, at least, the basic minimum wage, unless they are agreed to be part of the production team through a profit-share agreement. Basically, there is no such thing at the “Showcase Code” in British Equity. You are either a paid labourer or an actor/producer who gets part of the profits.
I think you can tell from this blog which system I think is better (not only for actors’ bank accounts, but frankly for theatre in general.) I believe that placing monetary value in each and every performance in and of itself, regardless of what might come next for your career, leads to a more robust theatre community. But I’m also open to read your arguments for capitalist theatre. Please feel free to comment below. I’d love to talk more about this.
And finally, I realized that in the spirit of socialism, I should share the British Equity magazine with you, not only so you can read up on their positions, but also so you can get a sense of what is happening in theatre elsewhere. I get this magazine a few times a year, so I’ll keep you updated through The Green Room Blog on what’s happening in British Equity. You can check it out yourself here, in a PDF download: http://www.equity.org.uk/news-and-events/equity-magazine/
Peace, Bread and Work Comrades,
The Granted Actor
(P.S. I’m not really a communist, but you have to admit, they had some good ideas…but very drab clothing.)
Acupuncture and Alternative Health
Tis the season again for sickness! Mostly due to the changing weather: people get colds and because we are confined to the campus, illness runs rampant in the theatre department. It has become my professor’s motto, to “wash your goddamn hands” in response to germs.
Although I’m usually illness resistant, I got hit with some nasty allergies recently and I am left with a lingering sore throat that keeps me coughing. Here I am, drinking lemon juice and honey, sucking down Ricolas, wrapped up in a scarf*. I’m just lucky I wasn’t in the musical or opera right now.
If this was a life-threatening thing, there’s the emergency room down the road a ways and I’m still on my parents’ insurance luckily for a few more years. When I worked this summer, my theatre company would take responsibility for any accidents/illnesses that required a doctor and would take you to see a professional before the day was out. Now that I’m back on campus, there’s always the Student Health center which is notoriously unreliable but it’s there should I need them. While it’s great that I have access to medical care in the case of an emergency, it’s the day-to-day suffering a cold that has me down. I feel as soon as I get some energy back, it gets suckered away into a whirlpool of essays and rehearsals. A trip to the emergency room won’t help cure the common cold!
I have learned from experience though, that while lots of sleep and scarf-wearing* are good for prevention; when all else fails, I rely on acupuncture. Crazy but I love it. Me, who hates the thought of doctors, will gladly sit still and have lots of tiny little needles inserted. Although a good acupuncturist won’t put in as many needles as you see in the movies. I think the most I’ve ever had is maybe ten at a time. I know I’m a big wuss when it comes to pain but the needles themselves didn’t hurt any more than poking yourself while sewing.
I’m not an expert in the study and practice of acupuncture and whether it’s actually beneficial to your health…but I know that I get to lie down for at least an hour of mediation/sleep and when I’m done with the needles, I always feel much better, even if I’m seeking some calm. At my last appointment, I asked specifically about targeting this ridiculous cough of mine, a nasty hacking dry cough that was waking me up in the middle of the night. One acupuncture treatment later, I’ve been cough-free since!
Some people do yoga, others rely on doctors or fresh foods…in my research to be a healthy and cheap college student, I find that I like acupuncture and I also really like that I get a student rate for it. I even brought my roommate along once and she now enjoys it. I’m even trying to be more organic, using honey, lemon juice, olive oil, apple cider vinegar…and contrary to the “freshman fifteen”, I’m really exercising more than ever, between walking everywhere and my dance/combat classes. I’m drinking lots of water and I sleep a lot anyways: sickness, be gone!
Remember: should you be coming down with the upcoming flu season, I’d recommend sleep, a scarf and acupuncture.
*”ancient Chinese medicine, going back 5,000 years”. Apparently there’s a spot on the back of the neck where evil spirits will enter and infect you with disease. Wear a scarf and stop the evil spirits.
What’s Next?
I’m currently on my first ever break from working on shows so I can focus on finishing out the semester. Although I do have plans brewing for 2013!
One of the perks of going to NYU is all the doors and opportunities from it, and that includes new programs! Starting in the Spring, my department will be sending off three students to intern for some of the top theatre education programs in NYC. Asides from that, the three interns will also attend master workshops, and will get credit for the experience.
I’m particularly excited for this because I was selected as one of the three. I was placed at Early Stages, and they tend to focus on utilizing storytelling drama to help improve literacy for kids. Although I don’t know all the details yet since I was just chosen, I do know that this will be one of my most exciting experiences yet!
For future show plans, most of it at the moment is in the planning stages (pardon the pun). The one thing I do have set in stone is that I’m going to be directing a staged reading at The Dramatist Guild, that will go up in February. I’ve been told if it goes well, it may land a full production and run at another theatre, with me being able to direct it again.
Very little is set in stone so far, but I’ve started planting my seeds to have an incredible year in 2013. Plus, I’ve also registered for the most amazing classes for me to take, so my last semester working on my master’s will be as close to perfect as it could humanly possibly be!
A Troupe of Strolling Players Are We
I remember seeing Kiss Me Kate on Broadway when I was a kid and becoming absolutely fascinated with the concept of the traveling show. It was brilliant. Travel and perform. What could be better than that? Lucky for me, I got to experience performing in a traveling show with some of my closest friends in my theatre company.
In 2008 I co-founded Co-Op Theatre East with two colleagues from the Performance Studies MA Program at Tisch School of the Arts. COTE’s mission is to create theatre for social change. Over the years we have produced full seasons of new work, adaptations, workshops and readings, all with social justice and political themes. We believe that theatre and art should challenge the status-quo. Last year we began creating interactive murder mystery performances at dinner parties and social events. We found that it was a great way to directly engage people who do not necessarily attend theatre. As part of our mission, we are constantly looking for new ways to bring people to theatre and bring theatre to the people.
In November, the Woodmen of the World Lodge in NY sponsored the creation of a new murder mystery performance called “Gone to the Dog” which we toured to three sites in northern New York near the Canadian border and in Vermont with six actors. The photos below follow our three day adventure driving throughout the state of New York and Vermont performing “Gone to the Dog”.
On the road since 8:00 am. Actor Tyrus Holden waits in line to use the restroom at a pit stop in central New York.
Laura Hill, Anna Savant and Ashley Marinaccio unpack costumes in the dressing room before the first performance at Enosburg Opera House in Vermont.
Casey Cleverly and Anna Savant run lines in the dressing room at Enosburg Opera House a few minutes before the start of the show.
Ready for bed! Crashing in the Plattsburgh, NY hotel room after a long day of driving, rehearsal and performance.
Actor Tyrus Holden orders breakfast in Champlain, NY.
COTE Co-Founder and director Robert A.K. Gonyo finds a stash of free books at breakfast in Champlain, NY.
The rehearsal cycle never quite ends for an actor. Laura Iris Hill studies lines for an upcoming role during a car ride from Plattsburgh to Champlain.
Hotel mirror self-portrait. The temperature never quite went over 40 degrees in the North Country.
Robert Gonyo looking dramatic in the hotel hallway minutes before final performance.
Local celebrities in the local paper.
Coffee will get us through this long ride.
Actor Anna Savant grabs her suitcases and closes the door as she says goodbye to the long weekend.
Strong Directors, Weak Directors
As the legendary Dame Lucy Van Pelt once said, “Listen, all of you! You’ve got to take direction! You’ve got to have discipline! You’ve got to have respect for your director!”
In my brief time as an actor, I have come to realize that what matters to me most in doing an improv show, play, or short film is the strength of the director. I’ve worked with about a half-dozen directors from anywhere from one day to four months each, and I have worked with one repeatedly. I have been lucky enough to like them all personally, but I’ve found big differences in their approaches and styles, which have impacted my performance and the overall quality of the work.
Unlike a lot of actors, I have absolutely no desire to direct. Though as a young boy I harbored ambitions of one day being president of the United States, I’ve discovered over time that I have very little managerial ability and I don’t like being in charge. (In fact, I’ve turned down promotions at my non-acting job for this reason.) I’m a great right-hand person to have around, but I’m not the guy to run the show — and I don’t want to.
One of the reasons why I’m a weak manager is the same reason why some of the directors I’ve worked with are, in my view, weak directors — difficulty in imposing discipline and in being able to assert authority, while still being fair and positive. A strong director, like a good boss, is not a tyrant. In fact, a tendency toward tyranny indicates a lack of confidence, not strength.
So what is a “strong director” to me? It is someone who has a clear vision and is able to unite the entire company — on-stage and off — behind it. It is someone who is able to facilitate differences between members of the team fairly, without favoritism. It is someone willing to entertain various points of view, but who, once a decision is reached, can enforce it. It is someone who understands that a final arbiter is necessary, and who can confidently be that person.
I have yet to encounter a tyrannical director. The “weak” directors I have worked with are, like me, people who find it hard to assert authority, and to focus on the end goal. In most cases, this has been because they are nice folks and don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. But it has been detrimental. Weak directors I have worked with have let other actors “direct” fellow cast members — sometimes contrary to the director’s own instructions — and have left key decisions up to a vague consensus that has let the loudest folks win and produced a confusing hodgepodge onstage. Weak directors have complained about the lack of seriousness of some cast members, but then laughed along with their rehearsal-time jokes while those of us trying to work silently fumed. Weak directors have put off final decisions until late in the rehearsal process, or have failed to make decisions at all.
As a newcomer, I have quickly learned some personal rules that help me to work well with a director. These include showing up on time and being willing to do any job, no matter how small, without complaint. But most important has been to respect the director. Above all else, this means voicing concerns or complaints privately, one-on-one, not in front of everyone else, and acceding to the director’s final decision. I think this is one reason why the strong directors I have been blessed to work with so far have expressed the desire to work with me again — and why I will happily choose to do so.
The Green Room 