Oh boy, so here's just how bloody fun the opening weekend for Arms and the Man was...
I have a very small speaking role in the show, not long into Act 1. However, there are several gunshots that are heard offstage in that act. I'm responsible for most of them, but one of them happens with me on stage, so we have one of the other actors (who doesn't appear until Act 2) take over that and the one prior so that I've got time to change into my costume (which is just a giant coat on top of my usual theatre blacks).
Well... the first gunshot (which is the cue for the actor to come up) didn't work. At all. Two clicks, nothing. So, the scene continues (or, rather, starts), but the actor isn't coming up, and I can't go and get him, since I need to stay in place for the forthcoming gunshot. After sending one of the other actors down for him, he finally gets up there... and has the gun when my headset goes off to tell me to fire the gun, so there's another missed gunshot.
However, at this point, I'm severely behind on getting into costume (putting on a rather large coat with a billion buttons, plus a confusing belt). I'm hearing my cue come up, but I can't get any of the damn buttons to fasten, or, if I can at least get that done, they're mismatched. Finally, I hear my cue, so I just fasten a single button in the middle and hold my coat closed (I made it look like I was just mad or something... not particularly difficult).
The rest of the show went fine, though I was in a foul mood over how it had started.
Another bit of fun: Andrea, who plays the lead, is none too modest downstairs in the green room. Now, I'm all for it; recently single and very heterosexual, I'm not about to tell an attractive girl that she has to cover up, and neither were any of the other guys. However, one of the other actresses (whose husband is in the show), rose a stink about it. The thing is, however... she raised the problem to every other actor in the cast, before finally talking to Andrea (in an extremely bitchy tone, from what I hear) and then mentioning it to me in passing (which I dismissed as fairly trivial, until I saw that Andrea was extremely upset by it). Apparently, one of the actresses' concerns was that her husband would see Andrea.
Lame. Doubly so when you consider the fact that the actress in question is in her mid-40s. Sorry, but prudish insecurity-projections really should stop by the time you're that age.
And, to add insult to injury, I didn't get to eat with the cast after the show; by the time I got to the restaurant after locking up and changing, they'd closed the kitchen. Grrr.
More drama backstage! This time, I was the one who got in trouble (with the same prude actress). You see, Andrea has to wear a corset in the show, and being the gentleman that I am, I graciously offered to help her with it. Well, I'm standing in the green room, and then Andrea comes to the doorway of the dressing room, with the corset wrapped around her (covering her breasts, mind you; all you could see was cleavage and her navel), asking me to help her, which I of course do. Prude Actress spazzes out, saying that we have to come into the dressing room and close the door, which we do.
Fast-forward to after the show. I'm locking up, and my stage manager tells me that I'm now no longer allowed in the women's dressing room.
Now, for those that have short memories, please scroll up and notice that I was told to come into the dressing room, by the same actress who then bitched about it. This is also the same actress who, the day before when I apologized for accidently barging in while calling time (in my defense, the guys and girls dressing rooms are the opposite of what I'm used to), said "no problem" about it.
Sunday was, dead audience aside, fairly uneventful.
Oh wait, I forgot. Andrea broke a glass piece of the set during Act 1. Oh yes, good times. Completely screwed up my scene change (not faulting her, just bitching about it), which was doubly unfortunate because I had a new stagehand who was planning on just following my lead.
I might be forgetting a few things, but I'm pretty sure that that just about covers everything.
Posted by Eric at March 7, 2007 12:01 AMSounds like fun! So did the gun actually start working correctly or did you have to get a new gun altogether? And is that prude actress necessary to the show or could you just...? ;)
I hope next week goes better (On the bright side, I can't see it being much worse).
Posted by: Cha0s at March 7, 2007 11:48 AMNah, the gun (a starter pistol) was working later in the scene (which is good; I'm supposed to respond to the gunshot while I'm on stage). All I have to do is check the gun every night, although that isn't a guarantee of jack squat (it misfired once on Sunday, though I was able to get it to go with the second fire).
And yes, the prude actress is necessary to the show, if only because her husband has one of the major roles. :\
Posted by: EVula at March 7, 2007 02:41 PMI love what a chivalrous gentlemen you have been to me Eric with my dressing..it has been delightful! Oh how i already miss the days when you helped me with my corsett..oh well, I'll just continue day dreaming about it :) hehe
Posted by: andrea brooks at March 9, 2007 09:38 AM...that's the whole reason I get there so early, though. ;)
Posted by: EVula at March 9, 2007 03:24 PM