So today was our last day of performances in-house. A lot of us were feeling extra weird and sappy about that. At one point, Blake was rolling around in his sadness on the floor off stage right, which I spotted from off stage left waiting to make my entrance for the Wu Zhong camp scene. Sigh. I'm really going to miss all these little moments. But this journey has been the greatest theatrical endeavor in my life so far (I hope there are more to come!), and I am supa dupa grateful for everything that I've learned and experienced along the way.
One of my fave things were the talkbacks on the weekends. After every weekend show (2 matinees every day), the actors came back out and sat on stage while the audience asked us questions. Mostly we called on the kids, and you'd be surprised at the sharp questions some of them ask. Occasionally you'd get the "question" like, "I really liked Mushu" or something like that. :) But a lot of them had great questions about how the set worked or what the props were made of.
Next Friday will be our fancy schmancy tour to...La Grange, GA!!! :) I'm excited. I hear the high school has a really nice theater. I can't wait.
I will admit that I cried a little more than usual today, just knowing that it was our last day on the Alliance stage. Such a great stage. :) Oooh! And to make it even more exciting, our final day was painted with some fun bloopers - the Shan Yu sword got accidentally kicked off the stage and I made a split decision to ask the little kiddos in the front row to hand it to me. Talk about breaking the fourth wall! Only in children's theatre. :) Also, the "fire" misfired early in the show, so they had to make do with some red lighting effects when the moment really came. Ah, live theater. Gotta love it.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
A Typical Mulan Day...
I thought I would give a little expose' on what happens before and after a Mulan show, just so peeps can learn more about what goes on behind the scenes. Too bad I'm not fancy Broadway-like and doing a video blog like the stars do on Broadway.com. But whatevs.
After my trafficky commute to Atlanta, I park in the deck and walk to the production entrance on the outside of the Woodruff Arts Center. I have to key in the secret code to gain access. :) The security guard can see me standing outside the door via a camera and then buzzes me in. I walk down a long hallway, pass the security office, and then sign in on the call board in the green room (yes, it's actually painted green). I read any notes from the stage manager on the call board (e.g., there'll be a fight call the next day, the assistant stage manager will be out sick, etc.) and then I go to my dressing room, which I share with another actor. If I have fight call that day, I'll go upstairs to the stage after putting my stuff in my dressing room and go through our fight sequence with the other actors to ensure we're being safe and to get it in our bodies for the day. After fight call, I go back downstairs to my dressing room and start getting ready. The wig master is always there to pincurl our hair and put our wigs on (this is pretty much being spoiled compared to other shows, lemme tell ya!) while we do our makeup and get dressed. I usually put on my mic pack and base costume first (socks, pants, shoes, base top) and then sit down to start on my makeup. By that time, the wig master is usually finished with the other actor's pincurls and wig and starts on mine. When the wig gets put on, she has to thread the lavaliere mic through a special hole in the wig so that it sits at the top of my forehead amid my bangs. Then one of the sound guys comes in to check the mic placement. Then the wig gets secured and pinned and she gives me a ponytail. If I haven't finished my makeup by this time, I do that (pretty easy for this show - except for the special Asian eyeliner :) ) and then I put my outer top on. The final step is tying my "obi" or wide belt around my waist. Then I grab my water bottle and go upstairs to wait off stage right for places to be called and the show to start. Sometimes I warm up vocally throughout this whole process.
At the end of the show, I have on a different outer costume on top of my base layers. But I just hang that up off stage right for the next show and go downstairs to eat lunch and chill/rest before the second show. A lot of the other cast/crew play this card game Phase 10 during this break - something I never got into but enjoy watching them play.
After the second show, I hang up my costume in my dressing room and sit down so the wig master can remove my wig. I am super soaked in sweat by the end of the show (well let's be honest - by the middle of the show), so I peel off my base layers and put them in the laundry basket. My basics usually get washed every day, like my socks, mic pouch, and base top. I love that! And I'm sure my castmates do too, since I would be pretty stinky otherwise. :) Once I get changed back into my street clothes, I wash my hands in my dressing room bathroom (I touch the stage and interchange props a lot during the show), put on my hat (to cover my sweaty and flattened pincurl head) and head for home! If I want to, I can take a shower before leaving, since my dressing room has that, but I don't. I've only used it once so far - opening night before the reception party. And for good reason. :) No one wants to be stinky and sweat-soaked when greeting peeps at a party.
So that's pretty much my typical day. It ain't so bad. ;)
After my trafficky commute to Atlanta, I park in the deck and walk to the production entrance on the outside of the Woodruff Arts Center. I have to key in the secret code to gain access. :) The security guard can see me standing outside the door via a camera and then buzzes me in. I walk down a long hallway, pass the security office, and then sign in on the call board in the green room (yes, it's actually painted green). I read any notes from the stage manager on the call board (e.g., there'll be a fight call the next day, the assistant stage manager will be out sick, etc.) and then I go to my dressing room, which I share with another actor. If I have fight call that day, I'll go upstairs to the stage after putting my stuff in my dressing room and go through our fight sequence with the other actors to ensure we're being safe and to get it in our bodies for the day. After fight call, I go back downstairs to my dressing room and start getting ready. The wig master is always there to pincurl our hair and put our wigs on (this is pretty much being spoiled compared to other shows, lemme tell ya!) while we do our makeup and get dressed. I usually put on my mic pack and base costume first (socks, pants, shoes, base top) and then sit down to start on my makeup. By that time, the wig master is usually finished with the other actor's pincurls and wig and starts on mine. When the wig gets put on, she has to thread the lavaliere mic through a special hole in the wig so that it sits at the top of my forehead amid my bangs. Then one of the sound guys comes in to check the mic placement. Then the wig gets secured and pinned and she gives me a ponytail. If I haven't finished my makeup by this time, I do that (pretty easy for this show - except for the special Asian eyeliner :) ) and then I put my outer top on. The final step is tying my "obi" or wide belt around my waist. Then I grab my water bottle and go upstairs to wait off stage right for places to be called and the show to start. Sometimes I warm up vocally throughout this whole process.
At the end of the show, I have on a different outer costume on top of my base layers. But I just hang that up off stage right for the next show and go downstairs to eat lunch and chill/rest before the second show. A lot of the other cast/crew play this card game Phase 10 during this break - something I never got into but enjoy watching them play.
After the second show, I hang up my costume in my dressing room and sit down so the wig master can remove my wig. I am super soaked in sweat by the end of the show (well let's be honest - by the middle of the show), so I peel off my base layers and put them in the laundry basket. My basics usually get washed every day, like my socks, mic pouch, and base top. I love that! And I'm sure my castmates do too, since I would be pretty stinky otherwise. :) Once I get changed back into my street clothes, I wash my hands in my dressing room bathroom (I touch the stage and interchange props a lot during the show), put on my hat (to cover my sweaty and flattened pincurl head) and head for home! If I want to, I can take a shower before leaving, since my dressing room has that, but I don't. I've only used it once so far - opening night before the reception party. And for good reason. :) No one wants to be stinky and sweat-soaked when greeting peeps at a party.
So that's pretty much my typical day. It ain't so bad. ;)
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