Bittersweet symphony

Arsenic and Old Lace is done. The set is desconstructed and now resides in the Sumter Players warehouse in pieces. The Rylander Theater looks like we've never even been there (if you don't count a few paint smudges on the stage deck).

The end of a show is always bittersweet - on the one hand, I have my evenings back and a lot more free time; but on the other hand, the project that we have been working for two months is over and done with, and only a few photos exist as proof that it happened at all. Plus, this group of people that I have seen almost every day for weeks has lost our connection - the play is over; even when we see each other again, it's not the same, something is lost.

Or maybe I'm being overly-dramatic...though, as an actress, that would be very out-of-character for me (please note sarcasm).

In any event, another run has come and gone. We made a lot of people laugh, met new friends and had an awesome time. Thanks so much to the cast, crew and the rest of the team that made Arsenic and Old Lace happen. Now...on to the next show!

Photos by Steffan Hacker

Everything you wanted to know...and then some

Second performance...or, as Sharon put it, "the night where you have to manufacture your own adrenalin."

In case you ever wonder what goes on backstage, here's an account of how my night went.

5:30 pm - at home, set hair in curlers (I'm getting pretty good at this)

6:45 - arrive at theater and sign in on call board - only 15 minutes late, not bad

6:45-7:15 - apply makeup, including false eyelashes

7:15 - remove hair from curlers; realize hair is not completely dry and therefor not as curly as it should be; shrug because there's nothing I can do about it now; congratulate self of being cool in a potentially stressful situation

7:20 - realize I need a caffeine fix, run next door to Rylander building to buy a soda from vending machine

7:30 - realize I should hurry things up; spray underarms with aerosol deodorant, careful not to confuse it with aerosol hairspray (did this once before and ended up with powder fresh hair); change into costume

7:34 - realize that thigh-high nylons are a great invention, vow to wear them more often

7:42 - wander around and chat with castmates, make sure my props are in place

7:50 - brush teeth (for benefits of castmates, especially those I will be kissing); apply lipstick

7:55 - I'm ready to go on! (But still have about 20 minutes to wait)

8:02 - curtain goes up and audience applauds, I get a burst of energy

8:04 - audience laughs at first joke and I start to relax

8:07 - head down to stage, get ready to go on

8:37 - head back to dressing room, change into costume #2

8:45 - take a sip from my 20 oz bottle, notice that my lipstick does not come off; must write Cover Girl and thank them

8:54 - head back down to stage

9:15 - intermission!

9:25 - Act II begins

9:36 - back to dressing room for costume #3

9:50-10:10 - read book (Saturday, by Ian McEwan, for the record)

10:11 - head down to stage one more time

10:32 - another show down! two more to go

10:55-12:00 am - after-show celebration at Pat's Place

So there you have it! The theater de-mystified...more or less. I won't go into how I solved the dilemma of VPLs...some mysteries are better left unexplained.

One down, three to go

I love opening night! Energy was super-high tonight, thanks to an awesome crowd! They laughed at all our jokes and clapped in all the right places.

The set looked gorgeous, thanks to everyone's hard work - especially the dedicated few that were running around 30 minutes before curtain getting the finishing touches in place (hey, at least there was no wet paint on the set this time!).

Huge props go to Sharon Park, our fearless leader, without whom we all would be wandering around confused. Thanks, Sharon, for all your hard work!

Three more shows...here's hoping the rest of the run goes as well as tonight's show did!

Very superstitious

Actors are a superstitious bunch. Don't ever tell one "good luck" before a performance - that's actually bad luck. Instead, we have the great expression, "Break a leg!" (Dancers copy off of actors - they don't like good luck either. Instead, they cuss at each other in French. Dancers are weird.)

One of our cast members learned about another actors' superstition tonight when he said the word...you know...the Scottish play? By Shakespeare? Takes place in Denmark? Macb***? Legend has it that the play is cursed, and to say it in a theater means something terrible will happen, like an actor will get injured. Rumor has it that one cast member said it backstage during the Sumter Players production of Guys and Dolls...the same night another cast member fell over set piece and cut a gash in her arm that required 13 stitches. Do I believe in this superstition? Not really...but why tempt fate? So our castmate, after uttering the word, was forced to exit the theater, spin around three times, spit, and knock to be allowed back in. And all was well.

And then there's the legend of the Rylander ghost...but that's a story for another post.

Yet another superstition is the old actor adage, "Bad dress rehearsal, good opening night." Tonight wasn't all that bad a dress rehearsal, so I hope there's not a whole lot of truth to that one.

Well, it's time for good little actors to get some sleep...cuz tomorrow night is OPENING NIGHT!!!!

We don't call it Hell Week for nuthin...

Ah...tech week. The week where we add technology, new props, the set - and where all the actors are drained from weeks of rehearsal and disrupted sleep cycles. I swear, by the time opening night comes, we're all running on pure adrenalin.

But I gotta give it up for the set builders - last night, after we finished rehearsal at 10:00 pm, a few dedicated volunteers stayed on to continue constructing the set. Thanks, guys!! When the set is gorgeous, we'll know who to thank.

Tonight is dress rehearsal...keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't go well!! (More on that tomorrow.)

It's starting to look like a living room...

The motto of set construction day two was: Don't worry, we have until Thursday. The set it coming together, piece by piece. Today we added the french windows and several walls, plus we started painting. The basics were in place for us to have rehearsal tonight - for the first time, we were actually able to walk up stairs. It was very exciting.

It's getting late and, like a good little actress in tech week, I'm going to get some rest. Here are some photos of today's construction for your viewing pleasure.

Chris was very confident in his sawing skills...

...so much so, that he asked me to be on hand to record his final words. Luckily, it never came to that.

Set construction - we make it look easy

From now on, when someone suggests a show, my first question is going to be, "How complex is the set?" Arsenic and Old Lace is a great show, but the set is kinda nuts: two working doors, two sets of stairs, one working window big enough for actors to walk through, a cellar door that lets actors escape...and only one weekend to put it all together. It's a good thing we're in good hands. Our set designers know what they're doing...or at least, they're good at acting like it.

Here's some photos from the first day of set construction in the Rylander. Don't worry, it will all get done by opening night. It always does, somehow!

The star of the show...he was a bit of a diva, didn't help with the construction at all.

John Parks (far right), aka The Man With The Plan, supervises.

The staircase will be nice and sturdy for Teddy.

More tomorrow...there's still a lot of work to be done!!

Oooh, the technology

Local photographer Steffan Hacker donated his talents to create this multimedia slideshow. Behold: Arsenic and Old Lace, The Rehearsals! Doesn't it look like an amazing show? Tell your friends!!

All photos were taken in our rehearsal space, the Experimental Theater at Georgia Southwestern State University.

Click play to start.


(click bottom right to view full screen)

Mmmmmm...pizza

Tonight was one of the best rehearsals we've had in weeks. Why, you ask? Free pizza, of course! What better motivation tool is there than to know that at the end of the night lies free pizza, courtesy of Pat's Place. Thanks, Pat, for the food and the inspiration!

In other news, the countdown begins...T-minus 7 days and counting...

APB: If you're interested in volunteering to help Sumter Players, getting your hands dirty, or - best of all - both, come on down to the Rylander Theater this weekend and help with set construction! We'll be there starting at 9:00 a.m. (yes, a.m.) on Saturday, Sept 6 and at 2:00 pm on Sunday, Sept 7. It's a rather complex set - your help will be very much appreciated!

Line?

Ah, the joys of memorizing lines. It's really an odd thing, when you think about it: retaining a specific sequence of words in your mind for a definite period of time - or sometimes indefinite (I, for one, can still remember all the prepositions, a list I memorized when I was in 7th grade). But, odd or not, it's hard to put on a play without memorizing your lines.

Different actors use different methods to memorize lines. Some learn by reading them over and over, some by hearing them. When I was in high school, I'd gather my castmates around my karaoke machine (yes, I had a karaoke machine in the 1990s - you're jealous) to make a recording (on a cassette tape, of course), then listen to the recording over and over and over.

Sadly, I don't have that karaoke machine anymore, and thus cannot use my old method. Anyone got any great suggestions on surefire methods for memorizing lines? Seriously...we'd love to hear them!

Arsenic and Old Lace rehearsals moving right along

Whew! This is my first time acting in a non-musical production of Sumter Players, and I gotta say, it's moving along quickly! I guess things are a bit faster when you don't have to worry about choreography and music. And when there aren't 50 people in the cast.

The cast is already off-book (mostly...), and tonight we move into the Rylander Theater. We've started using props and costumes are coming along piece by piece. Everything looks to be on track for opening night on September 11!

Insider's note: Did you know that the word "elderberry" can be a bit of a tongue-twister? The cast is still trying to wrap our mouths around that one...