Luc Besson Returns to Sci-Fi

That's the poster for French director Luc Besson's latest, a Steampunk adventure titled Les Aventures Extraordinaire d'Adele Blanc-Sec, based on the French comic series by author Jacques Tardi. Besson wrote and directed one of Sci-Fi's most underrated films, The Fifth Element and 2006's CGI Fantasy flop, Arthur and the Invisibles.

The story surrounds the titular Adele Blanc-Sec, a popular early-20th Century novelist who turns investigative journalist. The beautiful Adele has to deal with a bevy of suitors while fighting off any number of monsters, beasties and assorted creatures.

If you've been reading from the beginning, you know Uncle Prospero loves him some good Steampunk. In fact, I basically started blogging to document my Steampunk-inspired production of Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth. And my fascination with the genre goes back to before it actually had a name. I grew up loving the novels and stories of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells (and the countless movies they inspired), so it's no wonder I have an affinity to the movement. The Victorian era saw the Industrial Revolution and Verne and Wells were prescient enough to imagine nuclear submarines, space travel, computers and even wireless communication (though I'm still waiting for time travel, teleportation and the discovery of Atlantis).

As for Besson's films (which include the movie that made my obsession a star, The Transporter and the actioner, La femme Nikita), they always manage to be over-the top, if nothing else. In The Fifth Element, starring former obsession Bruce Willis and future Zombie-fighter extraordinaire, Milla Jovavich, Besson imagines a future with government-regulated tobacco use; vacations on other planets; McDonald's uniforms designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier and what is possibly Gary Oldman's creepiest villain, ever. I, for one, can't wait for what he does for Steampunk aesthetics. The trailer below (via) is in French, but you get the general idea.

Les Aventures Extraordinaire d'Adele Blanc-Sec is scheduled for release in France, in April. No word on a U.S. release date, but you can bet I'll be among the first in line.

More, anon.
Prospero

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Confessions of a Steampunk Nerd

If you have been following from the beginning, you will undoubtedly know of my affection for Steampunk aesthetics. I started this blog last fall, and posted an on-going commentary about my production of Thorton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth, which I imagined as a Steampunk odyssey through time. Wilder, probably best known for the groundbreaking play Our Town, broke theatrical conventions over and over; something I hoped to emulate in my production.

I suppose my fascination with the Steampunk movement really begins before the movement itself, with the "Father of Science Fiction," Jules Verne. In fact, many Steampunk aficionados refer to themselves as "Vernian." Verne foresaw nuclear submarines, calculators, glass skyscrapers, space travel and the Internet, among other scientific advances. His novels Journey to the Center of the Earth; 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Mysterious Island were all later adapted into films which figured prominently in my youth, no doubt inspiring my love of Victoriana and the fantastic.

So, what does any of this have to do with anything? Only my desire to have the time and means to attend Seattle's SteamCon in October (though I will likely be in Chicago on a business trip).

SteamCon is to Steampunks as ComicCon is to modern Sci-Fi fanboys; a phantasmagoria of all things Steampunk. And how I wish I could attend.

Call me a nerd, geek or weirdo. I don't care. I just want to be there. I already have a costume and a raygun I made myself. Maybe I'll be able to teleport myself to Seattle. Or not. I hear it rains there, a lot.

More, anon.

Prospero

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"The Skin of Our Teeth" #10

I happened upon this almost by accident, literally just a few minutes ago, but was so thrilled to have done so. This video was made by a very talented young lady, Michelle Dunlap, to open Act III of my production of Thornton Wilder's "The Skin of Our Teeth" for Shakespeare '70, last October.

I gave her the music and told her I wanted a "history of the horrors of war." After a few tries and some back and forth communications, she came up with this beautiful, haunting and chilling video. Shown on a big screen, the piece had the exact effect I hoped it would and our audiences couldn't miss the message. This is the last time I will blog about the show, I promise.

Warning: Some of the images contained in this video are intense and upsetting, but that's what I wanted them to be. Those of a sensitive nature may want to skip this one.

Skin of Our Teeth, Act. III Opener from Michelle Dunlap on Vimeo.

More of this, anon.

Prospero

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Finally!

A brief post tonight. I had a sinus headache all day and am just now starting to feel a lot better.

I finally had visual confirmation of the chicks, this afternoon. For the first time since the first egg hatched, the Z's both came out of the nest long enough to allow me a glimpse at the chicks. The babies are sure tiny, though they appear to be a full fifty-percent head! They were asleep when I looked in and could only make out that they were breathing, but I think all six eggs were fertile. They chirp pretty strongly now, though when they are awake, one or both of the parents are on top of them. I imagine that as the chicks get bigger, Mom and Dad will need to spend less time in there with them and I'll get a better look. I have to start calling pet stores to see what they pay for chicks. Maybe I can do better on CraigsList.

Anybody want a finch? Free to friends*, family and other readers.


*I have to be honest and tell you that I first typed "fiends" here. Once I realized my typo, also realized how it changed the offer and my intentions in a hilariously twisted way. So, just to be clear: fiends will have to pay for them; friends will not.


More of this, anon.
Prospero

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I'm a Grandpa!

First, a warning: This entry has become a sentimental essay on the nature of pet parenting and not like my usual stuff, so you may want to jump ahead to my next entry which is about movies.

The first of Zebina's eggs has hatched! I caught a glimpse of the chick tonight, almost two weeks after first sighting the eggs. The chick is super tiny and looks more like a Sci-Fi alien than a bird; almost like a teeny worm with a wee beak. It's hard to see with all the nesting and down in the nest, but I saw it move twice so I know it's there.

And Zebina herself has doubled in size in just two days! I have filled their feed cup twice this week, added a millet spray and chopped fruit, and she just keeps on eating. She's actually twice Zebadiah's size. As for him, he is now pulling feather's from her back and taking them into the nest, though twice I saw her give him hell for it.

As a kid (and into recent adulthood), I had all sorts of pets: turtles; gerbils; anoles; tropical fish; hermit crabs; Sea Monkeys; 3 dogs and 3 cats. And I am told that I had parakeets (my maternal Grandmother's pet of choice) as a toddler. Many of these pets (the dogs and cats, mostly, if truth be told) hold many fond memories for me. Said Grandmother (a true character who will no doubt figure in a work of mine, one day) bought me a rabbit (Thumper - how creative...not!) one Easter and later bought me my first dog, an AKC registered Schnauzer which we later bred with a neighbor's Schnauzer, twice. We kept one of those pups. Not long after they were both gone, my mother brought home a gorgeous grey-tipped Persian cat named Samantha, who was rescued from a home overrun with pets and children. Samantha was a great cat and well-aware of her beauty, but she bonded with my sister more than anyone. Samantha lived to be eighteen - a very long time for a cat of any breed. My sister was devastated when Samantha died.

A rash of neighborhood burglaries prompted the purchase of my beloved Brandy, a Golden Retriever/Cocker Spaniel mix who was beautiful, hilarious, loyal and a bitch in every sense of the word. Samantha was still alive when Brandy came to live with us, and after so many years of being Queen of the Castle, abused and cowed the puppy into complete submission. Of course, all Brandy ever wanted was to be friends, but haughty Samantha would have none of it. After Samantha passed, Brandy was Queen Bee for quite a while.

Then my little buddy Kirby came into my life; Mom showing up at the door late one night with this adorable young kitty who walked into my house like he had always been there and within ten minutes stole my heart. Kirby's favorite trick was the "slow lap-leap." As I sat on my end of the sofa, watching TV, he would jump up onto the opposite end of the back of the sofa and very slowly make his way toward me. Soon, a little paw would land itself on my shoulder. A few minutes later, the paw was joined by its mate. Suddenly I would find myself with a lap full of purring cat, grabbing at my wrists for attention. If I completely ignored him, he would jump back up onto the sofa back and bite my hair. And he loved everyone - I never saw a more affectionate cat in my life. But if it came down to being petted by anyone else or me, it was always me he chose. It was devastating to learn that at just age 7, he was suffering from both liver disease and diabetes. Putting Kirby down was made a little easier by my dear friend "K" (if you've been reading, you have met her before) coming with me that awful day, even if she had to leave the room when it came time for the actual injection. And to be honest, my biggest solace was that my vet cried right along with me, telling me that no matter how many of these procedures she did, they never got easier.

And Miss Brandy once again ruled the roost. But, as all things must come to pass, Brandy's age caught up with her. She was about 16 when she passed, a good age for a medium/large dog. She was well-loved and when I knew it was time, I called a vet who would come to the house to put her down. The night before the vet came, I wrapped Brandy in a blanket and laid her in front of a small heater in the living room. When I woke up the next morning, I found her with her paw on the bottom stair to my room, as though she had been trying to say "goodbye."

"That's it. No more pets!"

Until three years later when a friend was about to move her boyfriend into her home. BF had a cat, to which my friend was allergic. Said cat, needed a new home. And so came Miss Pepper into my life. BF had rescued her 10 years ago, from a man who could no longer keep her. BF had no idea how old she was when he got her, because she was just a tiny little thing - 3 lbs, at most (the groomers at PetSmart always thought I was bringing my kitten to have her claws trimmed). Pepper was the neediest, most neurotic cat I have ever owned. She had an incessant need to lick literally everything (though she preferred my face and hands). And I mean everything: plastic bags; the drapes; the tub walls after a shower; the fridge; boots; people... Pepper was sweet and weird (one of about twenty nicknames I had for her was "Weirdo") but just a few years later, she was gone as well. I suspect she was older than BF had led me to believe.

Again, I said "That's it! No more pets" (though to be honest, I am almost desperate for a Boxer).

Then came The Skin of Our Teeth and Zebina. The rest, as they (whoever "they" are) say, is history (however non-Earth-shattering that history may be). This is fun, new and exciting for me. I hope they all hatch and survive. Maybe I can even make some money out of it.

This did not turn out to be the post I thought it would be when I started. But I suppose, if nothing else, it's a tiny bit of insight for you (I know there are at least four of you, now) into me.

OK - movies, next! Promise.

More of this, anon.

Prospero

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Back to Real Life

I promise this will be my last "Skin of our Teeth" post.



Friday saw our biggest audience (probably S'70's largest audience ever at TCNJ - over 150!). The crowd was enthusiastic and most of the sound cues were right (I never again got my "winding crank," though). The young lady who ran sound for most of the run was also supposed to make SP lamps and a slingshot for me. She failed there, so why should she have succeeded any better in sound? (I hate lazy kids.) But, the performance was almost magical. The "Announcer' added a bizarre and stunted 'Elvis hip swivel' to his monologues, whenever he didn't get a laugh he thought he should have gotten. Strangely, his way over-the-top performance didn't detract from the rest of the show of show and somehow added yet another layer of surrealism. My Producer, myself and a few cast members laughed ourselves silly while discussing his gestures and posturing at the 'official' cast party at "Homer's" house on Friday.



Closing night was smaller (91), but good. My friends 'M' and 'J' came down to see the show. They are sweet and funny and very silly young ladies who never fail to make me laugh (we saw Xanadu together this summer). And my other beauty, "J" was there with his mother and step-father. I was so happy to see him.



The end, however, proved rather anti-climactic for me. We did a small strike (mostly costumes, props and foam set pieces), but by the time we reached the bar, it was last almost last call. Mind you, this was at 12:10 on a Saturday night. What kind of lame-ass bar has last call at 12:30 on a Saturday night? "Henry" and I each had a beer and then the rest left to go to a diner. I wasn't hungry, so I took Zabina to her new home (she is very happily retired from a career on stage. Tomorrow I am buying her a friend and some toys) and sent out in an email the Open Letter in my previous post. I didn't get the chance for total privacy with "Henry" that I wanted, but I did manage to tell him how proud I was of him and how much I love him. We agreed to go out for his birthday at the end of the month, so maybe we'll get the chance to talk more in depth, then.


So, when all is said and done, how did it go? Very, very well. Was it as personally exciting as my production of Midsummer or as artistically as rewarding as Much Ado or The Food Chain? Almost. It was certainly thrilling to have vindication of my ideas from people who know Wilder so well, and people who know good theatre so well. It was really gorgeous (though I do wish we could have done a better job costuming the 'extras,' but that's a budget issue, more than anything. In fact, with my dream budget, the gears in the roof and walls would have turned as they flew in and out and we would have had actual 'steam' as it all went). And "The Extinct" would have had legs that matched the rest of their bodies (it would have involved cutting foam femurs, knees and tibias and Velcro-ing them to the puppeteers pants, but we also had a time issue). Still, Tappan Wilder (the author's nephew and executor) was thrilled to see them left in, as many productions can't figure out how to do them and either change or omit them, altogether. So I guess you could say I was very pleased.


This will probably be my last posting about my personal theatre experiences until April, when auditions get underway for Paul Rudnick's The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told as part of the annual JTMF AIDS benefit. I will, however, probably post my experience with the "Eden Dreams" Gala in January (another benefit, for an organization which works with Autistic persons). Eden Dreams is both a rewarding and frustrating experience in which I usually end up as little more than a "human prop." It's a long, dull and exasperating night where relatively few in attendance actually appreciate one's participation, and one's talents as a performer are hardly challenged. But, more about that later.

So, for the next few months it's movies, movies, movies (and maybe a raving rant or rambling here and there). Thanks for listening (reading, I guess). It's been surreal...

As always, more anon...

Prospero

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Open Letter to My Cast & Crew

My Dear Friends;


Every once in a while, the stars align, bringing together all the right people for just the right event. This whole mad, grand, steam-driven machine has actually been fueled by your talents and and imaginations. I turned the key and primed the pump, but once that engine roared to life, there was no stopping it. The show grew into a very, very funny and exceptionally entertaining statement on about 5000 topics, while managing to create a living world where dinosaurs as house pets made complete sense (of course, if you're an insane Alaskan governor, it already did -- sorry, couldn't help myself). Who cares if grouchy old deaf people didn't get it? Linc loved it, the conference scholars loved it and Shakespeare '70 saw some of it's biggest crowds at TCNJ, ever. I only hope that each of you is as proud of the show and yourselves, as I am of it and you. My expectations were continually and exponentially exceeded throughout the entire process. A director alone is nothing. A director with an amazing team can create an entirely new and unique new universe. Your trust in and commitment to my vision has gone above and beyond everything I had hoped for and each of your unique contributions to the show added up to far more than the sum of its parts.


Theatre began as religious worship, and I like to continue to think of in that way. As much as anything (and more than many things), art is what makes us uniquely human. And when so many people can come to a consensus about a piece of art and express it through such amazing work, the gods are pleased, indeed.


Thank you all so very much for taking part in such an important production for Shakespeare '70, TCNJ and myself. What we all managed to achieve with this production has not gone without notice and will go a long way toward cementing S'70's relationship with the College and their ability to produce more lage-scale productions on the main stage. As for myself, getting to direct in a space I know so well and love so much, on a show of such massive scale, has been both intimidating and exceptionally rewarding. Getting to share that experience with all of you has been like the gooey-fudgy frosting on a prize-winning brownie. Theatre should feed the soul, my dears. I am so very glad you were all there to partake with me.


I love and will miss all of you. I will never forget any of you and it is my fervent wish that we get to work together again and again. I'd take a trip to Excelsior (or anywhere else we might find ourselves) with all of you, anytime.


Remember to play! I promise you'll never be sorry for it. It will keep you young and happy. It has been my complete joy to play with you.And keep an eye out for those sneaky ham- bushes!


With my deepest affection and boundless gratitude, Prospero


"What hath God wrought!"


PS - One last thing about teamwork (and if you've already heard or read this, it bears repeating. Plus, it's the short version):


Confucius dreamt that he visited hell. Hell turned out to be a huge dining hall, filled with tables laden with every delicious and delightful dish known to mankind. The damned were all seated around the tables, starving. They had each been given ten-foot long chopsticks with which to eat and try as they might, they couldn't maneuver their chopsticks to reach the food into their mouths. They wept from hunger and despair. Then Confucius visited Heaven. Heaven turned out to also be a huge dining hall, filled with tables laden with every delicious and delightful dish known to mankind. The people seated around the tables in Heaven had also been given ten-foot long chopsticks with which to eat, but they were all happy and well-fed, taking great pleasure in the bounty before them. The difference? In Heaven, the blessed used their chopsticks to feed each other.

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Academia, Etc.

Tonight (Thursday, Oct. 2nd) saw the first performance of the second and final weekend of The Skin of Our Teeth. It was also the "official" performance of the First International Thornton Wilder Society Conference: "Wilder in the 21st Century."
http://www.tcnj.edu/~wilder/conference/


We had a good and only momentarily silly pick-up rehearsal last night, so I was confidant going in. It was our biggest house yet (and probably will be) and, as tired as some of the conference attendees were, attentive and responsive. Their energy fed the cast and it was a lovely performance, despite some technical issues (sound is still a horror-show; that's what I get for not running my own sound board - or at least having my best friend, "K,"* run it for me). The "extras" are either really terrific or truly horrible and although the shadow puppets are better (they at least make sense, now), the simplicity of their operation remains a complete and incomprehensible mystery to the manipulators (the above mentioned "extras"). All in all, I'm still very unhappy with the shadow puppets. They are surreal and funny, but awkward and not what I had hoped they would be. Unlike the simplicity of their roles in the other two Shakespeare '70 productions in which student extras from correlated English Department classes were employed, the complexity of this show required more commitment and attendance than the professor was willing to impose upon them. Subsequently, several of them don't care about what they are doing because it's only slightly less effort than writing a paper. A few care, but are completely inept on stage and shouldn't even consider minoring in theatre. One or two care and are into what they are doing, and actually created characters for themselves.



But enough bitching. this post is about crowing! About 25 or 30 people stayed afterwards for the talk-back, and I spent most it sitting there listening to several of the nation's top scholars on Wilder talk about how much they loved my production. I'm not being narcissistic or egotistic in the least. The President of the Society (who is also the English professor at TCNJ who specializes in Wilder and drama), said that we had found things in the play which no other production he had seen had found (in particular, a true character arc for the usually-neglected Gladys) and another conference attendee said he loved the Steampunk concept.


In addition to those folks, many of my colleagues from various companies were in the audience, all of whom were very enthusiastic in their compliments.


In all fairness, though, I must give credit where credit is due: my amazingly talented cast and design team. This was an exceptionally ambitious production, not only because of the design concept, but the technical requirements inherent in the text. There's a dinosaur and a mammoth on stage, for heaven's sake (not to mention the Atlantic City Boardwalk).


My cast - my amazing, surprising and inventive cast! It took a while for all of them to get it, but when they did... Kapow! It was like lightning in a bottle. "Fred Bailey" (AKA "Mammoth Puppeteer") continues to provide the funniest performance in the show. My "Announcer," however, wins the Honey-Glazed Virginia-Baked Award (there's a special place in Director's Heaven for me, just for putting up with him). My "Sabina" is a gift from Thespis and "George," while a curiously cantankerous fellow, is brilliant. "Maggie," my dearest and longest friend; my muse; my support; my left and right arms for this show (she also produced, God love her), just so gets it. "Gladys" is a riot, especially in Act II and the "Fortune Teller," while still a little too fast, is a study in 'young actor goes for broke.' Then there is my "Henry." I can't be more proud. I have worked with this young man on four shows now, and his skills as an actor continue to grow and amaze. His trust in my direction is without question and he is willing to go wherever it takes to get the right result. Nothing gets a director more excited than an actor who is not only willing to do what you want him to do, but understands what you want and delivers it so well. He is quite beautiful and continually degrades himself as 'dumb,' but really good actors aren't dumb, and he is a really good actor. And to top it all off, he's just a terrific person. A polite, funny, personable and gorgeous young man.


So, I am very happy. Two more performances to go. I am sorry to leave this "family." We've had much fun together.


As always, more anon.
Prospero


*She and our mutual friends all know who she is, so there's no need for elaboration. Anonymity is the lure of the Web, isn't it?

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Saturday Night & YouTube

My first embedded video! I think I may actually be getting the hang of this.

Anyhow - Saturday night saw a slightly larger, though considerably less vocal crowd. I sat closer to the stage so I could look back and judge faces - everyone seemed attententive and many were smiling. No one has said "I hate this crap!" or walked out. The show was fine, but a few days of simmering in their brains and souls will make a huge difference. Stew is always best after it sits in the 'fridge for a day or two.

I spent the day doing the mundane; catching up on the fall season (does everyone else LOVE "Fringe" as much as I do?); laundry and cooking a lasagna for my mother's birthday. We'll talk more about movies and TV, soon. I promise. In case you haven't noticed, I've been a bit pre-occupied, of late.

More anon.

Prospero

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Finally, Opening Night!

Opening night was good. We had about 60, which in this theatre looks small, but is a huge crowd for the company's usual venue. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. They laughed at a lot of the stuff and even the people who said they didn't fully understand it (it's a very weird play) said that they still enjoyed it. A lot of people were surprised to see the bird was actually real, which was funny, And they loved the puppets. When it got intense in Act III, you could have heard a pin drop. They were a very good opening night audience. Next weekend's houses are shaping up to be much fuller, so this is good that they'll get to build up to it. Was it flawless? No. That's nearly impossible. But it was damned tasty. We'll see what happens when people have off from work and school tomorrow and have a chance to rest before the show. Tonight they were tired. They had a long week of late rehearsals. But they pushed through and had a very solid opening night.

The show will continue to grow and they will continue to find funny things to do and say, which I love. I have such a great mix of older, more experienced and younger, fearless actors who feed off of each other in perfect balance. Given room to play, the younger folks did, and when the older folks saw how much fun they were having, they started to play, too (though truth be told, one or two of them were playing right from the start). Gladys did a new thing with her hair in Act I tonight that was just hilarious (she looked just like Cindi-Lou Who). My Fred Bailey continues to make the most of his smaller roles and has several of the funniest moments in the show. Henry's propeller-beanie is absolutely brilliant, with a very shiny SP propeller, and the extra goggles, glasses and hats I bought make a huge difference, epecially in Acts I & II.

I need the extras to be more natural, especially in Act II, where the traffic pattern has grown increasingly bizarre and cartoonish. The show is cartoonish enough without having people looking like they're circling O'Hare, waiting for fog to lift. The animal shadow puppets still aren't quite right. There should be two of each and the students who made them didn't realize that three elephants, trunk-to-tail were inappropriate. Or that a whale would not need to board the Ark. And the extras puppeteering don't realize that the animals should be walking to the ark, rather than magically floating in slo-motion toward it. Still, it has its surreal charm. Hopefully, by the time the conference attendees see it, we will have fixed the problems with the extras. Their costuming bothers me, as well. We need to throw some vests and hats on these guys. Oh well, all notes for my producer and extras wranglers.

I'm tired, but glad the show has opened and my love affair with most of my cast continues.

As always, more anon...

Prospero

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I Almost Forgot

We're on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL_fy4ZGWrA

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Slingshots, Livestock and Final Dress

Wow! Where did seven weeks go? We finally open tonight. My cast is ready, though my running crew is still a bit rough around the edges. I have to hand it to my young and inexperienced Stage Manager - he's doing his best and his best will be better every time we run it.

I had an adventure in shopping today. My first stop was a local Halloween shop to look for a propeller-beanie. "No, but you're the second person this week to ask." I was told. "No, don't have anything like that," at the second place, though I did buy a bowler, an interesting top hat and a pair of goggles there.

Next was a trip to Pets Plus, to look at their bird selection. No canaries, though their cheapest birds were Zebra Finches at $19.99. I went to PetSmart, where the canaries were $39.99, but the Zebra Finches were $16.99. Guess which I bought. "Zebina" is joined by an as-yet-unnamed Black-Molly fish (also purchased at PetSmart) as the newest members of our company. Zebina's presence is known when he/she/it occasionally flits about the cage, chirping it's curious call. I will probably end up with Zebina after the show - a living reminder of one of the best things I've ever done, and certainly the first show I have directed which featured livestock. It flies and "peeps" whenever I go near it, so I am sure it despises me.

My last stop was my old faithful, Trenton's own The Costume Scene. Not only did they have the propeller-beanie, they also had all of the specialty make-up I needed. Then on to the theatre!

My TD and I took the birdcage and the box in which Zebina came, into the production office, where the bird promptly escaped. My TD went for a net, while I vainly tried to tempt the terrified creature with food. We finally wrangled the poor thing into the cage and then set the fish to temperature acclimation. Both were alive and well when I left the theatre. Both come with a 14 day guarantee... hopefully neither will need replacement before the end of the run.

Final dress went mostly well. As I said, my cast is ready. It's the crew that needs work and hopefully, my SM will be able to spend some time running cues, rather than just talking them through.

My work (with a few minor exceptions) is basically done. It's out of my hands, now. I hope my SM takes good care of it.

I am so happy to be finished and so sad that it will only be five performances.

More of this anon...

Prospero

You have read this article "The Skin of Our Teeth" / Theatre with the title "The Skin of Our Teeth". You can bookmark this page URL http://tammycross.blogspot.com/2008/09/slingshots-livestock-and-final-dress.html. Thanks!

It's Almost Soup

Tomorrow (tonight , actually) is our final Dress Rehearsal. Hopefully, all of the missing pieces will come together and The Skin of our Teeth will be the sensation it certainly has the potential to be.

I have an odd (to say the least) shopping list for tomorrow, including a live fish and a live canary; steel ball bearings; materials for a Steam Punk slingshot; collodian; a switchblade; a propeller beanie and goggles. Hopefully, I can get it all in four stops or less (not counting the bank).

The exhaustion continues. They don't call it "Hell Week" for nothing.

Hope to see some of you there. http://www.shakespeare70.com/

And make sure you listen to the Skin of Our Teeth podcast at http://www.mponstage.com/

As always, more of this anon.

Prospero

You have read this article "The Skin of Our Teeth" / Steam Punk / Theatre with the title "The Skin of Our Teeth". You can bookmark this page URL http://tammycross.blogspot.com/2008/09/it-almost-soup.html. Thanks!

Photos, Costumes & Q2Q

Got up early on a Sunday (for me, anyway) to meet several cast members and drive them up to Flemington for a photo shoot for the Act I slide show. The costumes were gorgeous and the location was perfect. It was interesting to see the cars on Main Street slow down to see what was going on. Henry, adorable as ever, even more so in his schoolboy uniform. Gladys hates her costume, but looks great in it. Mr. & Mrs. A looking fab and Sabina's maid costume is one she wore previously in The Clean House (a fabulous play by Sarah Reuhl).

Back to the theatre for a costume parade. The remaining costumes are wonderful. We still need minor items like vests for the puppeteers and a unitard for Sabina's Act II costume, but all-in-all, it's going to be gorgeous.

The Cue-to-Cue rehearsal was long (they always are, especially with a big show like this) and some cues (mostly sound --- arrrgh!) were missing, but it was a relatively smooth and painless event. Went for drinks afterward with my SM; my TD; Mrs. A.; Henry; Gladys; The Fortune Teller and one of my multi-role actresses. A fine time was had by all. I am nearly exhausted and still have 7 million things to do, but as we get closer to opening, I am confident that all will be well.

Enough. Time for bed.

As always, more of this, anon.

Prospero

You have read this article "The Skin of Our Teeth" / Music / Sound FX / Theatre with the title "The Skin of Our Teeth". You can bookmark this page URL http://tammycross.blogspot.com/2008/09/photos-costumes-q2q.html. Thanks!

Music Woes

Okay - I use music a lot when I direct, and this production is no exception. I have everything I need for Act II, the Act II Intermission and the Act III slide show. But I find myself frustrated to death with finding Pre-show music, Act I Intermission, Act I & Act III incidental music and a curtain call piece. Everything I have that's remotely appropriate for the show's weirdness is also much too dark for a comedy. I have listened to well over 50 different CDs and nearly 1000+ tracks and I still haven't found the right pieces. Maybe I need to re-think the stuff I'm listening to. Tomorrow is my last full day before hell week begins, and I'd like to have as much in place as possible before the Cue-to-Cue on Sunday (sigh).

As always, more anon...

Prospero

You have read this article "The Skin of Our Teeth" / Music / Theatre with the title "The Skin of Our Teeth". You can bookmark this page URL http://tammycross.blogspot.com/2008/09/music-woes.html. Thanks!

8 Million and Counting

The show opens week from tomorrow and there are still 8 million things to do. I'm missing several key sound cues, and I still don't have all the music I need. And there are about a dozen or so practical hand props that are missing. Most of the set is up, and while there is still some facing and painting to be done, it it very beautiful. I made the cast come out into the house after rehearsal tonight so they could see how beautiful it is, and give a round of applause to my amazing TD and his very cool set design. There's still a lot to be done, especially for the Act II set, but I must admit to being especially thrilled with the shadow puppet dirigible - it looks particularly cool.

I'm tired and wired at the same time. Yikes! So much to do.

As always, more of this, anon.

Prospero.

You have read this article "The Skin of Our Teeth" / Props / Sound FX with the title "The Skin of Our Teeth". You can bookmark this page URL http://tammycross.blogspot.com/2008/09/8-million-and-counting.html. Thanks!

An Acting Break-Through

My Henry... my beautiful, beautiful Henry had an amazing break-through tonight in his Act III breakdown monologue. I was so happy, I ran backstage to meet him as he came off, pulled him aside and kissed him. I knew he could do it. I was so proud, I had to blog and crow about it. I thank the gods for the day this amazing and fearless young actor came into my life three years ago. Bravisimo!

You have read this article "The Skin of Our Teeth" / Acting / Theatre with the title "The Skin of Our Teeth". You can bookmark this page URL http://tammycross.blogspot.com/2008/09/an-acting-break-through.html. Thanks!

Sound FX, Guns, Jewelry and My Giant Sausage Fingers

I had every intention of spending time on prop and jewelry making this weekend. I also still had a ton of sound work to do. I managed, with two simple purchases, to remedy much of the sound work. I like finding my own sound FX and music cues and I'm pretty good at it. But I don't understand how they chose the tracks that appear on sound FX CDs. I needed some pretty common things: storm and winds; bugle calls; a factory whistle. The storm stuff was easy. That's all that was easy. One CD was called 1000 Essential Sound Effects. There were literally 1000 tracks on three discs. Not a bugle call or a factory whistle among them. But if I wanted "Jungle Sounds" or "Hobo Vomiting in the Alley" or "Telemetry" or "Laser Beam" or "Explosion," I was covered. Now really, I ask you: Who the fuck is doing science fiction plays set in the jungle featuring nauseous vagrants vomiting while robots wage war against one another? Have the creators of these CDs any idea of the kinds of sound FX modern theatre requires? I was looking for a roaring cheer and boisterous applause. I previewed the tracks labeled "Crowd 'Yeah!'" and "Crowd 'Ooh!!'" and "Crowd 'Whee!'" They were completely generic, false and listless; just many people with the same inflections and tones and about as realistic as the plot of any given episode of 24. "Wild Applause" and "Large Crowd Applause" were both anemic and hollow, sounding more like polite applause at a chamber-music concert in an Emily Bronte novel. Yeuch! So, the search goes on.

Then comes prop-work. Props I know. I can almost make anything, or modify something else to suit my needs. And i have made some pretty strange props, costumes and even wigs in my time, so I was confidant I could handle the guns and jewelry. After an unexpected errand, I got a later start than I intended. I had repaired reconfigured the ray-gun for Henry and Dale had finally made the plastic pistola accommodate the gauge I'd rescued from my old pool filter, for Mr. A's gun. So I sat at my kitchen table, tools, paints, glues, and putties in place, ready to make a fabulously Vernian gun.

The rubber tubing, which had worked so well for Henry's gun, wasn't right for the pistola. I even bought wire and inserted it, trying to make it coil the way I wanted it to, but it was having none of it. Then. I had an idea of using a stainless vertical roaster to exaggerate the muzzle and add more real metal. The opening n the roaster was too small to accommodate the pistola's slightly flared barrel. Sigh.

So, I set it aside and went to work on jewelry. I had all these great gears from clocks, but they were all attached to their rods, with no way for me to remove them without a vise and hacksaw, neither of which I own, being the handyman genius that I am (NOT!). Okay, they are useless as jewelry. But, I happened to set one down near the pistola (no doubt a souvenir from Disney World) and notice that it's construction left holes for the screws holding it together and got an idea. After a few hours of modeling, gluing, drying, re-gluing, painting, and re-drying and the pistola is a thing of Steam Punk beauty. I must get pictures of it so I can post it here and on the company's site.

Back to jewelry while the first stage dries. I get out all the stuff I bought and start to play. I made a kind of cool pin out of part of a locker clasp, but it's messy and not exactly what I wanted it to be. I am going to try another version of it, later. My huge sausage fingers just get in the way and things get smeared and finishes muddied, even using tools like pliers and tweezers. I need a vise! Maybe I'll take everything to the theatre shop next Saturday and see if working on it there helps. Of course, anything could happen between now and then. Aye-yi-yi!

As always, more of this anon.

Prospero

You have read this article "The Skin of Our Teeth" / Props / Sound FX / Theatre with the title "The Skin of Our Teeth". You can bookmark this page URL http://tammycross.blogspot.com/2008/09/sound-fx-guns-jewelry-and-my-giant.html. Thanks!

The Run-Thru That Wasn't

Let me start by saying that this is in no way a negative post. I am actually very pleased with our progress. The furniture and props have ben delivered and it's actually starting to look like an approximation of a 'real' Steam Punk house. I can't wait to see it with the walls and everything else.

We were supposed to have our first full run tonight. We also added new elements like using the black-out curtain and having some of the music and some experimental lighting. Our Henry was missing, but we knew that. The big impasse toward finishing tonight was the massive set change that takes place between acts. Choreographing the first one took almost half an hour. It was quite a while before we started Act II. I gave them notes after Act II and sent them home. I have so much to do, myself, that I cancelled Saturday afternoon's rehearsal and gave them the whole weekend off. They are doing well and they worked hard this week so they deserve it, anyway.

My weekend will be spent shopping, visiting with a family member for her birthday and craftinig weapons and jewellry for the show. And hopefully finding time for two weeks' worth of laundry! Yikes!

As always, more of this, anon.

Prospero

You have read this article "The Skin of Our Teeth" / Steam Punk / Theatre / Wilder with the title "The Skin of Our Teeth". You can bookmark this page URL http://tammycross.blogspot.com/2008/09/the-run-thru-that-wasn.html. Thanks!

Furniture, Gas Masks and a Bruised Head

Back to Flemington this morning to Anything But Costumes for furniture, props and set decoration. They had almost all the furniture I wanted. No rocker for Mama, though. We did get a rather nice set of red and white striped armchairs for both of them and the gorgeous red SP sofa I saw online. The very cool nautical thingy we saw on line was much too expensive. I can certainly live without it, but it would have been perfect on that set. We did find some very interesting things to place about the stage, including one of the strangest wood, leather and brass decorative vases I've ever seen. I handed tagging duties off to my producer after knocking my noggin and being frustrated by my giant fingers and tiny safety pins.

Combined with the costumes I saw yesterday and Dale's walls and roof pieces, all should add up to one very interesting to look at spectacle.

Left there to attend our first JTMF (James Tolin Memorial Fund http://www.jtmf.org/) meeting for the 2009 benefit show, Paul Rudnick's The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told. Not much to talk about, really. Lunch with some chit-chat. That's not until June. Let me get through one show at a time, please.

Oh - last night my producer emailed me with a suggestion for particular piece of music I'd been looking for. What she suggested wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but close enough for government work. One more thing to cross off the ever-increasing list. I cross off one item, and two more take it's place.

I guess that's it for now. As always - more anon.

Prospero

You have read this article "The Skin of Our Teeth" / Props / Steam Punk / Theatre / Wilder with the title "The Skin of Our Teeth". You can bookmark this page URL http://tammycross.blogspot.com/2008/09/furniture-gas-masks-and-bruised-head.html. Thanks!