Treat the Patrons Well

The kidlings had their first stage performance for Ukrainian dance yesterday. Pictures will be forthcoming. It was strange being a parent in the audience and not having to be overly concerned with backstage shenanigans. I say overly concerned because since the recital was at my theatre I did have a vested interested in what was going on. That and it provided me with the vantage point of the theatre patron -- a perspective all too easily lost when one is focused primarily on the technical trappings of an event. All in all, it was a good show. I enjoyed the performances although it was a bit too long--17 dance numbers in ACT I! The kidlings did well. Really, how could they not? As soon as they got on the stage the audience exuded a collective 'awwwwwww' and the kids didn't fail in their abilities to be uber cute. As a patron, it was nice to not have to deal with the 'kid urinating in the lobby' incident (although I did secretly rejoice that it wasn't one of mine while simultaneously thinking about the poor parents whose child it was). Nor did I need to attempt to pull people back into the theatre after a lengthy intermission. Although I squirmed inwardly when the main drapes opened partially, then closed, then opened a bit more, then closed, curtain warmers came up again, curtain warmers came down....big pause....curtains finally opened all the way all at the top of the show but, the audience was forgiving and applauded the resolution of this mishap. It's a good thing when the audience is on side. It's sometimes easy to forget how important the audience is. When the music gets going the dancers not only respond to the beat, they respond to the energy coming from those watching. During a couple numbers, the synthesis between performer and patron was not there and it left me feeling a bit cool to what was going on. I became a witness, not a participant. During other numbers, however, I could sense my entire body tingling as I was drawn into the performance. It's not about getting bums into seats when one is putting on a show. One has to get bums willing to participate. One has to ensure that the performance has the necessary elements to draw people in. Easier said then done to be sure but, I sense that the idea that the audience must be included doesn't come into play often enough when one is planning for a production. The audience tends to be an afterthought and when it is thought about, it tends to be resented. Yes, the audience does hold a lot of power. In order for a show to succeed, it has to be seen. This power, however, is harnessed during the best performances by those on stage and behind the scenes to create something larger and more undefinable then any rehearsal can produce. Treat the patrons well.

Too Dreadful to Imagine

One of my stafflings lost his keys to the office.
Another of my stafflings is as green as the spring grass. Sweet but driving me up the wall.
Another of my stafflings almost died today as he stepped on a piece of the ceiling -- stepped? tripped? doesn't matter -- and a 4' x 8' section fell 20' down to the seats below approx. 8' from where I was standing. I saw his feet dangling and shouted 'get out of there.' He's ok. Thank God. Looks like we'll be getting a life line after all. The days of unrestricted beamwalking are over.
I'm not complaining.
I'm thankful.
So very very very thankful.

Happy Easter!

Just dropped the kids off at school. It's a rainy day. Looks like it will be a rainy week. Huge globby drops are falling out of the sky. Wondrous.

I managed to add more black earth and sheep dung onto my garden yesterday. The rain will work it in well and I'll be all set to plant next week. I'm going to plant the usual -- beans, beets, carrots and cucumbers. As well, I have decided to try peppers and a new concoction called red berry spinach. It claims to have yummy red berries and spinach all in one. A genetic mutation to be sure but what the heck, I've always fancied an extra eye.

I also planted more herbs around my back door. I love stepping outside to grab a few leaves for whatever culinary wonder is on the menu for the day. The kids tend to graze on them as well.

Have I ever mentioned that my kids crave fruit, veggies and fresh herbs? Candy is ok but apparently they have been known to squeal with delight when they open their lunches at school and find sliced cucumber or baby tomatoes. I really can't believe how quickly they are growing.

I am taking my Easter Holiday today. To celebrate, I think I will clean out the basement, make a good dinner (one that takes more then 15min prep time), and finish off a book and start another. It's not a hectic to do list at all. Perfect for a holiday.

Seeing Red

Our city is turning red. It began last year as a movement to show support for our troops in Afghanistan. Wearing red on Fridays was a visible demonstration of one's support, not necessarily in the war, but in the young women and men across the ocean who are fighting in it. The local dry cleaners promoted 50% off all red garments. I remember thinking that red was an odd colour. Weren't yellow roses more symbolic? To me, thinking of red at the same time as the war only brings to mind thoughts of blood spilled in the name of ???? and mental images of those poor sods who would never have the chance to make it back home.

Now, our city is pushing for more red as the Ottawa Senators advance even closer to the Stanley Cup. 'Let's paint the town red!' has become a battle cry. People are being encouraged to not only dress in red but to paint their cars and houses red too. Canada's lone team in the playoffs is fighting the good fight. The honourable fight. One isn't a true Canadian if one doesn't jump onto this particular bandwagon. The Stanley Cup even made a trip to Afghanistan somehow linking the work being done by the troops with the accomplishments of the players making up what has been recently dubbed Canada's Hockey Team.

Remember when red was a bad word? Images of evil commies worse than any Bogey man were conjured by that colour. Wasn't the saying 'better dead than red' a common truism? The liberal party resurrected the colour somewhat but after the many broken promises in the liberal red books, is it any wonder why the new liberal leader prefers to be known for the colour green?

Colours are evocative. I make a living mixing colours on stage. I play on people's emotions with the colours I choose. It worries me, however, how easy it is to get people riled up and ready to stand together behind one colour. One flag. One idea. The oversimplification of issues and the tendency to inflate ones emotional investment makes me tend to see red.

Red was bad.
Now red's good.

Two feet bad.
Four feet good.

There's No Business ...

8:23 am. Thursday. My call time at the theatre is 1pm today. It's very nice to have a morning off. I'm taking Friday and Saturday off as well. Precious time to start digging in my garden. The past week has flown by. I endured the worst show I've every been a part of late last week. Seriously bad. And that's saying something cuz I've had to work some real stinkers over the years. It's bad enough when people come in to the theatre with uppity diva like attitudes replete with a personal entourage. It's worse when the so called 'talent' sucks. Big time. Worse even still when the talent and management decide to blame the theatre for not having anti suck buttons linked to the consoles. It was a rough ride. Because it's busy in the city in terms of productions these days, I couldn't get enough crew so I was left running the lx. Lighting was the only thing that this particular group liked. I can wank with the best of them. I think this client group was just trying to suck up to me not realizing that if they criticized the rest of the space I would take it personally. Add to the mix an unhealthy relationship between the young singer and considerably older manager and you end up with a night of overall ick. Although I'll never get those 14+ hours back, at least I'm left with a recording that I can snicker at time and time again if ever I feel like I'm becoming undone. Throughout the show I couldn't figure out if the performer was more consistently flat or sharp. Yikes. At least it's over.
Another jazz recital and an ethnic dance performance (both quite good) and now we have young'uns on the stage in a production of Into the Woods. It's been a lazy set up with the designers taking their time but everything got done. The stage looks good. Next week something wicked will come as a production of Macbeth will grace our stage. I really love theatre. I also love the non theatre shows. Even the bad ones.