Friday, January 23, 2004
I Guess the Cast is Getting Comfortable
In the old days actors were considered...hmmm...how shall we say it...one step above prostitutes.They had a bit of a randy reputation.
And it happens to be true that when a couple of dozen people are thrown together, working long hours together, they start to get verrrrrrry comfortable with each other.
And then, work on a scene with a slightly suggestive tone on top of that? Well, suffice to say, you might not want your kindergarden teacher to be a fly on the wall during those rehearsals.
Case in point:
The other evening the cast was working on a big musical number led by a rather sleazy political type character (which proves Candide may still have relevance in modern-day, huh?)
Mr. Sleazy Politician leans up against one of the lovely ensemble women, prompting her to say during a pause between run-thrus of the number: "aha, you're going to use me as a post." To which he replies, "No, you're supposed to use *me* as a post."
I'm thinking there's some double entendre going on there, no? Perhaps it's just my mind? What? No one was in the gutter with me on that? I don't believe it!
Unfortunately dashing the hopes of EITHER of them to be used as a post, they changed the blocking. Now Mr. Sleazy Politician gets to enjoy spanking three "women of the evening" to the rhythm of the lines "seems to have been a bit of sabotage."
Look for it when you see the show: now that's entertainment.
So, I guess the cat is out of the bag that "Candide" isn't exactly children's theatre. And we won't even go into how the Old Lady has only one buttock.
Major Life Events Go On Outside the Stage Door
Rehearsal periods vary from a couple weeks for some theatres to a couple of months at Foothill. During that time, a lot of life events can happens, especially in a cast of over 20 people. And theatre people are pretty famous for carrying on through all kinds of life events.Sort of like Bret Favre or Barry Bonds in their most recent seasons.
But the life events aren't always sad.
One of our cast members has been a little distracted lately at rehearsal, awaiting the arrival of his second grandchild. Ensemble member Bill Ereñata welcomed Reuben Jay Ereñeta on Wednesday, January 21st, and states he is the cutest addition to the Ereneta family (grandfathers have that perogative to boast about their grandchildren). Of course, hopefully the first grandchild is not old enough to read this!!
But to quote "The Lion King" there is a circle of life, and as Reuben, who will be called Ben or RJ, comes into the world, another beloved family member has hung on probably just long enough to see Reuben born. Bill's wife's aunt and godmother, at 87 is not doing too well, but is thrilled about this family addition, especially as her late husband, Ray Murphy, was also called RJ. So, along with the joy at the birth of this new life, there is sorrow that Ann Murphy says she is ready to join her husband and the others in her life who have gone before her.
Those are life's cycles. And they go on, whether you've got rehearsal or a performance. Sometimes performing is a nice respite from the worries of life. And sometimes performing is a great way to celebrate if you're feeling joyful.
Probably a common thread amongst performers is that being on that stage, doing their work, seems to fit...no matter life's events outside the stage door.
The exclusive discount for blog-reading "Candide" audience members is online and ready to be taken advantage of!
If you click on the 'Box Office' link in the sidebar of this blog, you will be taken to our online box office presence. When you check out you will get a $3 per ticket discount!!!!!!
Remember this is an exclusive offer for our Blog readers. This discount is NOT available if you go to Foothill's web site or call/mail in your order.
And remember, the discount is upon checkout, so don't worry if it doesn't show up in the first couple of screens.
Who knew the blog-world was so economically advantageous?
Thursday, January 22, 2004
Are Theatre Folks More (or Less) Tech Savvy?
Just in case you're curious whether theatre people are, by nature, more hip to the latest online or techie stuff out there, here's an UNscientific poll of the "Candide" cast.Every, single cast member has email. That's a lot different from 5 years ago. Now, crossing age, gender and career, every one of us has email.
However, when it comes to personal web sites or blogs, the numbers plummet. Maybe a handful of folks have either a site or a blog. And if this is your first-ever look at a blog...you're not alone. For plenty of the cast members this was the first they'd heard of it too.
But now that they're getting a taste of the blog life, I'm betting by the time 'Ragtime' goes into rehearsal for the summer, more cast members will be part of the ever-growing blog community, and maybe more of you, our valued audience members, will be too!
