11 for a 12

Second last dress rehearsal tonight, and it was a doozy. I got to the theatre just after 7 for an 8 o’clock start. It turned into a 9 o’clock start as hair and makeup took quite a while. The run, for me, was terrible, and we didn’t finish until just after midnight. I made two bad fluffs in song lyrics and fudged a few lines also. It seemed to be the night we discovered all the problems. Simple things I hadn’t thought about, like how am I going to find and apply the fake blood to my hands on stage in the blackout in the three seconds I have before the curtain opens. Don’t forget to pick up the jacket on the way to the bin. Remember the yellow bunch of flowers. Wash the blood off quickly before it stains.

The second plant I puppet is a nightmare from a logistic standpoint. I have only maybe half a minute to get it all on and strapped up before I go onstage. Tonight I couldn’t keep my arm within the jacket. I think a puffy jacket would have been much better at hiding any stray arm rather than a stretched cardigan. Don’t say anything, people will only get upset.

Remember to have your bandages applied before “Closed for Renovation”. Be careful of your body mic when wearing the finale headpiece. Most of all, don’t tread on people’s toes and don’t take any offense from the highly-strung people around you. Just do your thing.