h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Wondering how professional makeup really goes on. The group my sis-in-law is part of rather loads it on. You hardly notice it from the balcony, but the video and the orchestra seats catch ridiculously rouged cheeks. I thought they couldn't possibly have been doing it right.
(They're only on their third production, but I'm surprised they haven't toned it down yet.)

The aim is to accentuate (or create effects using) the contours of the face to counteract the bleaching of the stage lights and distance the audience is from the actors. Naturally TV and film make-up is generally very subtle to allow for natural appearance in close up. Theatre make-up can be coarser and achieve its effect. When I saw Mary Poppins from up in the Grand Circle (ie a long way from the stage) I could tell Mary Poppins' cheeks were rosy, and that Miss Andrews (the nasty governess) had noticable wrinkles to indicate her age - that *must* have looked unnatural face to face.

In my first appearance on a proper stage at University the male cast were left to apply their own make-up, and we mostly applied too much and were said to resemble tarts, rather than pirates.

How natural it looks depends on the experience of person applying the stuff.

"Who applauds the TV?" I have been known to on occasion. I have also been known to yell "WOO HOO". (Not at the ballet, of course, but I am most appreciative.)

I have been known to yell (in anger or excitement) at the TV as well, but generally only at the news!

Pimms. I hope all the little problems noticed in the dress rehearsal will be heeded by all concerned to make for an excellent performance! Let us know whether a suitable dressing gown turns up.

Whoosh The Nutcracker is now over.

First Performance Friday evening, then a matinee and evening performance on Saturday.

Each performance presented different difficulties, fortunately few of them for me . The audiences certainly enjoyed the shows.

One of the other dancers provided me with white hair grips to blend in with the wig. J provided wig pins for the first night, applying them herself. They are basically two pen-length hairgrips of plain copper wire with no blunting blob of varnish on the ends that pierce the wig at the top of the head, scratch along the scalp and repierce the wig, set to cross each other in an elongated X.

At the end of the run the scratches on my scalp were clearly visible . The pins worked effectively the first two performances (I applied them on the matinee and Saturday evening), but failed me on the last when the stocking cap refused to remain in place and could be felt creeping back despite the pins. Having felt this I took leave of the stage twice unobstrusively to try and fix the problem, before the dance with its jumping silly step started. The repair efforts were not wholly successful, necessitating careful rising on my toes rather than jumps to avoid losing the wig. But I didn't lose it

Also on the first night I received a quilted orange smoking jacket with brown trim (yuk), that I wore over my blouse and breeches, having removed necktie, waistcoat and jacket.

When my scenes were finished I remained in the wings to help with the scene changes (fortunately only two, both in the first act). My role involved unweighting one of the braces holding the fireplace upright, removing the brace and holding the set in place a couple of minutes until it was to be turned around. The back side of the fireplace was done as a huge mousehole. When reversed I reattached the brace and weight. A few minutes later, after the fight betwen the toy soldiers and the mice (led by the Nutcracker and Mouse King respectively), the fireplace/mousehole set was taken offstage.

The first performance needed me to actually appear on stage to take the piece of set off, as the ASM (Assistant Stage Manager) was unexpectedly tied up in sorting out the smoke machine for the Snowflake scene. Fortunately no comment was made about me appearing on stage to move scenery in white wig and stockings (which probably stood out a bit more than the black clothes normally worn by backstage crew changing sets.

More thoughts later...

Congratulations on a successful performance. *imagines herself twirling in time to the music while holding a nutcracker in her arms*

I've added a few more photos to the Nutcracker album, including ones that hopefully indicate the much more subtle make-up used for Herr Stahlbaum than Jacob Marley.

After querying with props mistress I got the impression that it would be ok to take back the props I'd made (rather than be stored against the off-chance they would be needed for the next production, for which I am happy to loan them)

So I possess the Nut from the Nutcracker , and the face of the Mouse King. The mask had been attached using a glue gun to the fur headpiece with its ears and crown to prevent them slipping apart. The Mouse King did a hugely impressive handless cartwheel in each performance during her fight with the Nutcracker, but you couldn't allow slippage of costume with that kind of acrobatics. Removing the headpiece left a hole in the paint of the mask the size of a fingernail, exposing the white paper beneath. A bit of quick work with paints and varnish has obscured this blemish

The last performance was hectic backstage with many of the girls pressing their free programmes on anyone they could see in the cast to get as many signatures as they could. I brought mine back without any signatures in, though there was a time I was as keen as them. To my disappointment I only got my name by my character, but as it was in order of appearance at least I was near the top (middlin' sized ego ). Other named characters managed a resume and a few had photos. It wasn't as impressive a programme as the one on the internet I mentioned. I'm not bitter though, as I did come into the show at a late stage, and several other named characters had as little in the programme as me, despite being involved from the beginning. It would have been nice to be thanked in print for the props I made.

After the evening performance the adults had a party at J's house where a good deal of and was drunk and sausages on sticks were eaten (nice little ones with a honey and mustard glaze )

Thanks for the makeup pictures.
Is the fellow in the orangey suit the Russian?

It looked like an amazing production. Congratulations.

Yes. The chap picking up the girl in white is Slav, which I realised from reading the programme is short for Viateslav (I think that is the right spelling, the programme isn't in front of me). The Russian ballerina's name is Olesya (oll yes ee ah)

The surgical spirit might actually have been coming from the dancers' feet rather than their shoes, Pimms - they paint it on to harden their feet so they don't bleed. My sister used to do ballet and her feet were horrible!

Photos look fantastic

As they said when I quizzed them about it the whiff of surgical spirit onstage was far more intense in their dressing room. They suggested that they now were all probably substance abusers pretending to be the corps de ballet

I have never seen so many people on tiptoe for so long so gracefully, but I'd agree it probably does nothing for the attractiveness of their feet.

Ballet feet:

Yay for a successful run! And for great pictures.

What's next?

Next? Scans horizon, puts ear to ground, sticks finger in the air, sniffs, frowns, falls over. It's that surgical spirit

No production lined up, turned down Rocky Horror Audience Participation gig in August, not keen on Merry Widow being planned by G&S (October), haven't heard what my musical group is doing next (which would be March 2007), and won't be announced until AGM in May. I'll be going to see "Back to the 80's" which is the next one they are doing (also in May), which I am not involved in.

Maybe I can spend a bit more time writing Entries on h2g2, but otherwise it will just be commenting on your theatrical blogs

Eek. Does that mean I need to make them witty, erudite and profound all of a sudden?

Oh, well that's me b**gered then...

Another rehearsal tonight - I didn't bother posting about last week's as nothing much happened, but perhaps it'll be more interesting tonight.

I'll be happy to settle for amusing and insightful. That's what I've been aiming for.

A couple of photos in the paper this week with sloppy journalism attributing all the choreography to the wrong person . I felt very sorry for J who did almost everything over two years to get this slight, even if all those who read the program or were in the cast know the real state of affairs.

Apparently the DVD of the show is very good. However I know several scenes won't bear repeated watching , so I am in two minds about purchasing one.

In the end I did get a DVD of the show, but have not yet found time to watch it.

That's a nice keepsake to have though. Play it for the grandkids some day.