Over and Out in Boston
Nov. 15th, 2004 12:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mrdreamjeansWe’ve completed the run in Boston. How quickly these first two weeks of the tour have gone! Since my meeting on Thursday with Les (Nashobabear), my evenings have been filled with work and my days and late evenings filled with visits with friends. In addition to the wonderful introduction to Les, I met with friends from Seattle now living in Boston, with old cast mates from Phantom and previous Evitas and made a new acquaintance in Boston who’s in the cast of The Lion King.
The shows this weekend were a bit adventurous, with Angela DeCicco going on as Eva on Saturday afternoon and Bill Dietrich going on as Che this evening. Both swings were on, replacing Angela and Bill in their ensemble tracks. I’m sure they felt like they were flying by the seat of their pants.
I’ll miss playing in Boston, but not miss some of the union locals on crew. IATSE in Boston is very strong, and normally I’m very pro-union, but as in many unions where there is long-standing tradition, seniority (and complacence), there can be a serious lapse in professionalism and work-ethic.... a serious case of taking the work for granted and a lowered level of pride in doing a good job.
For instance, this afternoon at half-hour, a replacement spot light operator showed up; the usual operator never notified our head of electrics. There was no time to train the new person, who wasn’t the least bit familiar with the actors he was to follow. My fellow cast members and I spent most of the first scene watching as the spot light hit the wrong person or was slow to switch or entirely missed the cue, leaving actors in the dark.
During one set move, there is a staircase with Christmas lights that is pushed out from the wing on to stage. Actors are pre-set on it. In mid-push, I watched in amazement, as a local carpenter took a cell phone call and walked away from the set piece. Stupid and dangerous. There was nothing our crew or stage-management could do. It was our last day in Boston. What ya gonna do? Fire him?
In general, cell phone use at the theatre is a big problem. It is common courtesy to turn off cell phones after half-hour, but many actors are now bringing their phones to work and either forgetting to turn them off, or to silent, in the dressing room. Many are even taking calls. I find that irritating and rude. (Three times during this run on Boston, I heard a cell phone ring in the wings during the show. I'm sure that one of our crew guys was taking calls while we were performing only a few feet away!)
I DO NOT want to listen to private conversations and I particularly do not want to hear phones ring when I am preparing for a show. There is no reason to have them at work. Trust me -every one you know is aware you are doing a show. Even if there is an emergency, you are not going anywhere till the performance is over! I’ve made my position clear. If anyone leaves their phone on and I have to listen to it ring in the dressing room, I’m going to start answering the abandoned phone and make up shit! Everyone’s been warned:)!
All my bags are packed and I’m ready to go. Yes, I am leaving on a jet plane for Chicago early in the morning. Miracle Mile, “Oprah”, the bars on Halstead and visits with friends who live in the area are on the agenda. I’ll have the chance to see my friend Gabrielyn from Phantom, my Navy buddy Mike, Milwaukee friends Steve and Henry (also friends of gotmoof) who now live in Rockford and my Seattle friend Cheryl’s mom and sister. Plus, Thanksgiving is in the mix. Most likely that will be a quiet day off spent alone, but given that we do six shows in the three following days to make up for the mid-week day off, it could be just what the doctor ordered.
Thanks for every one’s encouragement and support as we successfully launched "Evita" in the past six weeks. It means the world to me to hear from my live journal friends as I traverse the country and deal with life on the road; hearing from you makes it a lot less lonely.
So - it’s over and out from Boston. See you in Chicago!
The shows this weekend were a bit adventurous, with Angela DeCicco going on as Eva on Saturday afternoon and Bill Dietrich going on as Che this evening. Both swings were on, replacing Angela and Bill in their ensemble tracks. I’m sure they felt like they were flying by the seat of their pants.
I’ll miss playing in Boston, but not miss some of the union locals on crew. IATSE in Boston is very strong, and normally I’m very pro-union, but as in many unions where there is long-standing tradition, seniority (and complacence), there can be a serious lapse in professionalism and work-ethic.... a serious case of taking the work for granted and a lowered level of pride in doing a good job.
For instance, this afternoon at half-hour, a replacement spot light operator showed up; the usual operator never notified our head of electrics. There was no time to train the new person, who wasn’t the least bit familiar with the actors he was to follow. My fellow cast members and I spent most of the first scene watching as the spot light hit the wrong person or was slow to switch or entirely missed the cue, leaving actors in the dark.
During one set move, there is a staircase with Christmas lights that is pushed out from the wing on to stage. Actors are pre-set on it. In mid-push, I watched in amazement, as a local carpenter took a cell phone call and walked away from the set piece. Stupid and dangerous. There was nothing our crew or stage-management could do. It was our last day in Boston. What ya gonna do? Fire him?
In general, cell phone use at the theatre is a big problem. It is common courtesy to turn off cell phones after half-hour, but many actors are now bringing their phones to work and either forgetting to turn them off, or to silent, in the dressing room. Many are even taking calls. I find that irritating and rude. (Three times during this run on Boston, I heard a cell phone ring in the wings during the show. I'm sure that one of our crew guys was taking calls while we were performing only a few feet away!)
I DO NOT want to listen to private conversations and I particularly do not want to hear phones ring when I am preparing for a show. There is no reason to have them at work. Trust me -every one you know is aware you are doing a show. Even if there is an emergency, you are not going anywhere till the performance is over! I’ve made my position clear. If anyone leaves their phone on and I have to listen to it ring in the dressing room, I’m going to start answering the abandoned phone and make up shit! Everyone’s been warned:)!
All my bags are packed and I’m ready to go. Yes, I am leaving on a jet plane for Chicago early in the morning. Miracle Mile, “Oprah”, the bars on Halstead and visits with friends who live in the area are on the agenda. I’ll have the chance to see my friend Gabrielyn from Phantom, my Navy buddy Mike, Milwaukee friends Steve and Henry (also friends of gotmoof) who now live in Rockford and my Seattle friend Cheryl’s mom and sister. Plus, Thanksgiving is in the mix. Most likely that will be a quiet day off spent alone, but given that we do six shows in the three following days to make up for the mid-week day off, it could be just what the doctor ordered.
Thanks for every one’s encouragement and support as we successfully launched "Evita" in the past six weeks. It means the world to me to hear from my live journal friends as I traverse the country and deal with life on the road; hearing from you makes it a lot less lonely.
So - it’s over and out from Boston. See you in Chicago!
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no subject
Date: 2004-11-14 10:42 pm (UTC)Good luck in Chigaco!
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Date: 2004-11-15 05:45 am (UTC)Re: Sounds Great!
Date: 2004-11-16 10:32 pm (UTC)Many of us enter our field because we have a passion for it; however, the work can turn routine quickly, and the joy fade over time, if we're not careful. I pride myself on avoiding cynicism when it comes to my theatre gigs. I love the work and entertaining the audiences. I love the standards and discipline necessary to doing superior work. I still love doing what I do after 25 years as an entertainer.
Work ethic, my talents and my professionalism is key to understanding me. As a teacher, I'm certain you understand what I'm saying. Your professionalism, skills and adherence to the standards you impose in the classroom ultimately determine your success and longevity in your chosen field. Teachers are definitely heroes in my book!