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

Five minutes? That is an *age*
Mind you I rarely have to look perfectly groomed , and the last couple of shows haven't involved any quick changes at all for me.
In Rocky I had one quick change to make, and that only involved clothing below the waist - losing my trousers and shoes for tights, garter belt and stilettos during the finale.

The difficulties are how far you have to travel to change , and whether you are having to share whatever space there is with a load of other cast members doing the same thing.

Hope the toe isn't too bruised and that the choreographer starts slapping a few heads to remind them what to do.

Not too far - but yes, there will be plenty of people all doing the same thing as all the women share a dressing room. Organisation and not panicking - that's the key. Haven't had to do a quick change for a while though, as the Mikado was just one costume. Mind you, I did a play last April where I had five costume changes including hair and putting knee pads on and off. That was a bit of a rush!

Toe is alright now, thanks. Choreographer doesn't take much c**p so I think she'll start making her point if people don't pull their finger out soon.

Only 7 weeks to go!!!

My worst costume-change show was Dido and Aeneas, a one-act opera (just over an hour long) with five quick changes for the entire chorus. Luckily the theatre has one very very large wing, so all the costumes were put on rails there, and we each had a small space that was ours within that. The first two costumes reappeared as the final two costumes, so we couldn't just dump everything in a heap. (Not that we would...)

I hope everyone starts to get the hang of the dance soon. Choreographers can get a bit scary.

They can - but I understand why when everyone just keeps chatting over their instructions and then doesn't know what they're doing.

What you need is a charismatic chairperson who can lay down the law at the start of a few rehearsals, pointing out that everyone is in the society to put on a good show and chatting when the choreographer/director/musical director is trying to set a number is just plain rude and unacceptable.

After that a timely 'sssh' from any librarians taking diligent notes to practice later at home will be accepted by the majority as a reasonable reminder. Once the expectation is for quiet during direction it should be self-reinforcing. Obviously it helps the socialisation if there is somewhere/time cast members *can* chat, but everyone needs to know the boundaries.

A lot of the time it's people trying to work out where they should be, asking other people which bit we're doing, trying to learn the steps from someone else etc. With so many people and not a particularly strong work ethic going on anyway, it's a bit of a losing battle...

Whenever I post to this thread at the moment it shows that I have -1 new posts...

Yes, it's an odd occasional blip since yesterdays downtime. It will probably pass in a few... [insert own estimate here]

Ah, I see. Thanks Rich.

Wow, a time warp!

It's just a jump to the left...

So.... have had a horrible cold for a week and a half which has laid me low, though I still dragged my carcass to rehearsals due to complete terror of them setting some complicated bit of dance while I wasn't there.

Feeling a bit better now though.

We had our first run-through of Act 1 a week last Sunday, which was interesting as (like David said in his M&MG diary) we got to see the principals' stuff and where the random songs and dances we've been learning fit into the whole. It's still looking a bit ropey, which is mainly due to the chorus not knowing where the h*ll they are supposed to be at any given time.

OK, rant coming up.

Ready?

Right.

WHY is it that when we learn a new dance I go home and practice it so I'm more or less there for the next time we do it, but most other people just forget it the minute they walk out of the door, don't even try to learn it even though the choreographer has given us crib sheets with the moves on, and spend their time in the next rehearsal wandering about the stage, asking people where they are supposed to be and getting in the way of people who do actually know what they're doing???!!!!!!!!!!!!! They even asked ME where they were supposed to be!!!! Yes, of course I've memorised the positions of every member of the cast as well as my own!

And people still don't know the words, even after five months of rehearsals!

Deep breath.

On a lighter note , I am regretting moaning about being stuck at the back, as on this last number I'm slap bang at the front, doing some fast and rather complicated stuff. Please can I go to the back for this one?

We had costume fittings on Saturday - lovely costumes, but unfortunately the dances don't really take them into account, which the costume lady is a bit grrrr about. I have to polka fast in a circle and spin lots of times, in a dress with a long train at the back. Eeeeek!!! Head-first into the orchestra pit, I think...

And.... I've been cast as Viola in my drama group's June production of Twelfth Night!!! Yay!!!

Means I'll be rehearsing three nights a week for a few weeks, what with HAS as well, but I'll manage. Dan is directing (no cries of nepotism please! ) so it'll be good fun.

Why would we cry about nepotism? It usually benefits us all, one point or another..

Guess last few times I've benefitted as I'm very about it right now..

cheers ismarah

going, but not forgetting!

I understand your , I really do. I have sometimes wondered (not specifically with M&MG, but in various shows) whether everyone else has fantastically full and exciting lives and therefore can't spare five minutes to go over a dance routine or song lyrics during the week...

And well done on being cast as Viola. I love Twelfth Night, and would love to 'do' some Shakespeare at some point. I guess 'Kiss Me, Kate' is a step in the right direction for that.

Hi Ismarah,

I agree with nepotism to a certain extent (ie, you know the person can do the job well so you'd rather cast them than someone you're not so sure of) but I've also experienced the other side of it, when someone was cast in a principal role which they weren't very good in simply because they were a friend of the director and nagged for the part. That annoys me.

I was worried that there'd be some snide remarks but I know I can do the part well so to anyone who moans!

No, I don't think they have particularly full and exciting lives (and I'm challenging them for sheer rushing around doing things-ness!). I think they just can't be bothered and think it'll go in by osmosis or something. I wonder if it's to do with having such a long rehearsal period - ie, most of the work gets done in the last two months so what's the point rehearsing for six...?

I love Twelfth Night too. I've wanted to play Viola since I studied it for GCSE way back in the mists of time . Don't know how much actual Shakespeare makes it into 'Kiss Me, Kate' though (you're very concientious about putting in that comma - puts me to shame!).

There's not really a lot of the Bard in 'Kiss Me, Kate' (with or without comma), but Kate's song 'I Am Ashamed That Women Are So Simple' is adapted pretty directly from Katherine's speech in 'The Taming of the Shrew'.

Cool. I don't know the show at all, apart from 'We Open in Venice' and 'Brush up your Shakespeare' which I've done or seen in various revue-type shows as a child. The women all seem to be older, so I doubt there'd be any parts I could audition for. A lot depends on what show comes after that - I'm hoping that will be announced soon as it might affect my decision. The other factor is that the director of KMK is someone I don't really fancy being directed by...

Lois/Bianca is a younger female character. She's a bit like Ado Annie in Oklahoma, if you know that show.

Working with a director you don't get on with is very difficult. Not much fun at all.