The warm weather, the sun and the promise of getting away to
perform makes me think of the summers I spent during high school touring. A
smile always comes to my face as I remember the adventures my friends and I
had. I’ve reconnected with a lot of these friends, all of them
successful, both professionally and personally.
One of them, Rachel just had a birthday. I haven’t “seen”
her in quite some time. Nowadays we laugh and have fun through cyber space.
She’s doing incredibly well turning her personal goals into a beautiful
reality. When wishing Rachel a happy birthday I had to mention our favorite show
memory.
We were in high school. Rachel and I were sent by our drama club advisor, who was also the summer tour director, to do something.
I have no idea what it was, but while attempting the task we ended up in the
prop room eating sugar cubes...and getting really hyper and silly. We tried to
keep quiet but to no avail. It’s nearly impossible to keep two musical theatre
kids, who are flying high on sugar, in a prop room, quiet. And it was me and
Rachel, not exactly the quietest people on earth to begin with.
Finally something sent us over the edge. We burst out
laughing really loudly. Over our din we heard it: the booming baritone voice of
our drama club advisor Mr. Eiklor. His room was right across the
hall from the stage left wing...and the prop room.
“You two better not be in the prop room screwing around
again!” He bellowed.
It turned into a scene from a Three Stooges film. Rachel and
I were bumping into each other and tripping over ourselves while racing for an
escape. Still laughing, we scampered to try and find a place to hide. Hiding
from Mr. Eiklor was easy. He was 6’1” and weighed at least 600 pounds. He had a
slight mobility issue. I say slight because I do remember him chasing us once.
But that’s another story...
Since Mr. E (as we called him) had mobility issues, while
directing the shows he would squeeze into a theatre seat and yell blocking and
acting notes up to those on stage. All the while he would chain smoke
cigarettes and drink coffee. He would yell if things got out of hand. Once
every show he did.
When Mr. E believed things were spiraling out of control or he
thought a student/performer was being particularly dumb he’d get flustered. Mr. E’s face would turn beet red, he’d cuss
like a sailor and his fat hands would start searching. When that happened
everyone knew what was coming next; his ceramic coffee mug flying through the
air at the offending party.
And once every show it did.
Mr. E. had impeccable aim. He never hit anyone. He was also very considerate. Usually the thrown cup was void of
hot coffee. Usually.
Ah memories.
As summer started this year I hadn’t booked a gig so I
decided to work on some career goals. I was going to review and strengthen my
technique and work up new audition pieces. Most importantly, I was going to get
my product ready for the onslaught of fall auditions. In essence, I had planned
on getting back to basics. The Universe had the same plan, with a very different
way of achieving it.
I ended up booking a show as an actor. I also booked a show
as a casting director/assistant director. I ended up doing both shows
simultaneously. In working with two different companies on two different shows
the Universe sent me all the way back to the basic of all actor things, the one
thing that can and is so easily over looked...performer etiquette.
“Performer etiquette” is the professional way a person
behaves while employed as an actor. And it all starts at home.
Warm up prior to
getting to rehearsal. Some theatre companies like to have group warm ups to
help build a cohesive ensemble. A group warm up will hardly touch all the
personal body or vocal issues an individual performer needs to address. An actor still must do his own private
personal warm ups.
When you’re rehearsing a show, whether it’s a new work or a
tried and try classic (I did one of each this summer), the actor should always be dressed appropriately.
Proper foot wear is
essential. Flip flops are never
appropriate for rehearsal. If the actor has been given flip flops as a
footwear choice by the costumer that’s an entirely different story. Then the
actor should wear flip flops for some
rehearsals. Normal sneakers, the kind
purchased at department stores and the like, are rarely appropriate for
rehearsals especially dance rehearsals. Again there are exceptions; the
first that pops into mind is West Side Story.
A pair of split sole “dance
sneakers” is a perfect footwear choice for men. Many times the older
character actors wear “character shoes”, hard soled, heeled dance shoes. This
is also an excellent choice for younger actors doing period pieces. For women, depending on the show, either dance
sneakers or character heels. Older actresses tend to always wear character heels.
In my career I have yet to meet an older actress who has opted for flats. These
ladies know that their legs look better when wearing heels. It’s possible they
may have trouble remembering blocking, dialogue and or steps, but they look
damn good while forgetting.
An actor may choose to look good during rehearsal, but it’s
not a fashion show. Since you can never be sure what will be done at any given
time, dress for getting sweaty and
rolling around on the floor. If you can’t get dirty you can’t rehearse. Any
article of clothing that does not stay up or in place on its own, or any
article that constricts your movement in any way except one that mimics the
costumes in the show, should not be worn.
If you are required
to wear a dress or skirt during the show, wear a “rehearsal skirt” during
rehearsal. Wearing a skirt changes how an actress (or actor) moves on
stage: everything from walking to sitting. In some cases physical reaction time
to on stage stimuli can be adversely affected. A performer earns major brownie points
with the director and choreographer for having her (or his) own rehearsal skirt.
Take off the jewelry.
It’s not only dangerous to you but to your co-workers. Long earrings, watches,
rings and necklaces can become virtual weapons during rehearsal. Trust is an
essential component during the process, especially when doing any type of close
proximity or dance partnering work. How can actors trust each other when being poked prodded and scratched by unnecessary adornment?
Something else for the list of things to do before leaving
the house... bathe, put on deodorant,
and brush your teeth. Your fellow actors need not be assaulted by your bodily scents. There is no religion on earth that
says “Thou must stink”...in rehearsals or in life for that matter. If you
choose to forgo wearing commercial deodorant or using commercial toothpaste
please know there are natural, homeopathic solutions to alleviate the funk. Find
them. Use them. Everyday.
Please eat before
coming to rehearsal. An actor needs fuel to maintain a high level of mental
and physical energy. There will be times when your personal schedule doesn’t
allow for eating prior to rehearsal. No one wants you to faint from hunger
while doing your job. Unobtrusively snacking during rehearsal is fine. Standing on stage in the middle of a dance
rehearsal eating a jumbo burrito is not an option...well not a professional
one anyway.
Sign in. Signing
in five minutes early means you’re right on time. Signing in right on time, and of course after call time, means you’re
late. A lot of theatre companies rent rehearsal space. Generally getting
into that space happens right at call time. So instead of signing in, say hello
to the Stage manager so he or she has at least seen you. Then use those five
minutes to change into your rehearsal clothes and shoes. When the rehearsal
space becomes available then you sign in.
As you sign in, turn
your phone off. Don’t put it on vibrate. Actually turn it off. With it on
vibrate the temptation is too great to check
your voice mail and send texts. There are people who are too vital to the
world to turn their phones off. A president of a country is one of them. An
actor in rehearsal is generally not one of them.
Using a cell during a
rehearsal is rude. It’s disrespectful to the other actors who are working.
It’s disrespectful to the members of the creative team who are working. It’s
disrespectful to you...you should be
working. There are things to be learned from other actors doing scene and song
work. There are things to learn from directors, choreographers and musical
directors, most importantly their work processes. Keying into how the creative
team works and going with that flow will get you labeled as easy to work with
and a quick study, resulting in future recommendations and jobs. There will be
adequate time during breaks to check messages, return calls and compose emails.
Speaking of which, when
notes, schedule updates or changes are emailed to you, it is imperative you
respond. It lets the production team know that you’ve received the
information and will act accordingly. A simple reply of “Thx. Got it” takes 30
seconds to complete. What kind of message does it send to the production team
when they see an actor using a cell during rehearsals, yet that actor doesn’t response
to their business calls/texts/emails?
During rehearsals be
present both physically and mentally. This is especially true during the
Sitzprobe and technical rehearsals. During these types of rehearsals there are
other people being added to the world of the show. Everyone is an integral and essential
part of the production. All of these
people deserve your attention and respect, from the dresser, to the sound guy,
to the person who cleans the toilets in the dressing rooms.
Oh and by the way, not
singing or speaking full out at a Sitzprobe or a sound check is just unprofessional.
Period.
When rehearsals have concluded and the show is up and
running the same rules apply plus more.
Signing in five
minutes early means you are right on time.
A performer has a journey to take prior to getting on stage
to make the journey the playwright has plotted. He or she needs time to stop
thinking of the world outside the theatre and start building the world inside
the theatre. Five minutes to sit down and breathe, to say hello to the other
actors, to drink your Starbucks or whatever you need to do to decompress from
the trials and tribulations of being a working actor in this crazy world.
If an actor signs in
directly at call time he’s late. Decompression time is lost not only for
him but for a lot of other artists. The stage manager, who has been keeping tabs
on who has signed in, has already been asking around if anyone has seen or
spoken to that actor today. A pseudo amber alert is unofficially sounded. The
dance captain gets wind of it and puts the swings on alert. The Dance Captain now
has these tiny mental ideas growing about what’s going to happen when an
understudy goes on or how to re-space the entire show with one less person.
At half hour
everything stops; the noise, the music, the fooling around, the singing in the
dressing room, the fights with sword apps on cell phones. Whether being
paid or working for free an actor has a job to do. Like top class athletes,
mental and physical focus will improve your performance, cut down the risk of
injury and lengthen your overall career.
How long it takes an actor to get ready for the show and how
they use that time to focus on the show depends on the production itself and
the role that actor is playing. When I was doing La Cage aux Folles it
took a full two hours to get ready for the show. Make up was a lengthy process.
So was getting into the mindset of a beautiful drag queen cabaret performer. The
“girls'” dressing rooms were one big kitty litter box, complete with playful
catfights, make up tips and lots of romantic gossip.
In Miss Saigon we would see which G.I. could wait the
longest before getting into mic and costume and then race to make it on stage.
In the opening of that show the G.I.’s are trying to win the prostitutes at the
bar. They’re rowdy, highly energetic and competitive.
Both ways of these ways of getting ready are valid as long as the performer has warmed up,
eaten, turned his cell phone off, has signed in 5 minutes early and has respect for the different processes of
the other actors involved in the production.
As the performance itself gets underway:
Check your costumes and props and any presets. In larger
budgeted
shows this will be done for you, but it’s always a
good idea to double check.
Make all of your entrances, even if you’re “spear carrier number 7
second
from the left”.
Say all of your lines. If it wasn’t important the line wouldn’t be
there to begin with.
Do the choreography as it was given to you, regardless of your
personal feelings about it.
Don’t lip-sync another character’s dialogue or lyrics or act out
another character’s part with him or her while both of you are on stage.
Don’t ask another performer to change his or her show to suit your
fancy.
Never give notes to another actor. Ever.
While doing two shows simultaneously this summer, I had two different and widly extreme experiences. Both shows were mixed with Equity and Non-Equity actors. Both Shows employed old-timers and young whipper snappers. Both shows had budget constraints. Both shows were in unconventional spaces. Both shows were completely equal...on paper.
The bold colored text throughout the blog represents some points of
performer etiquette. That text also gives a glimpse into some of the things
that happened during these two shows. The positive and positive aspects of the
text can be attributed to Show A,
the negative and negative aspects to Show
Z.
Show A was full of actors who were the epitome of
professionalism. These actors know their jobs both on and off stage. I would love to work with them again and would recommend them
for any job, knowing if they were hired my reputation would stay intact. Show Z,
not so much. In fact this experience reminded me of being a senior in high school and
doing shows with freshmen newbies who went to "play practice" and had no clue about theatre or
performer etiquette.
I’m fully aware I was once one of those freshmen newbies. Everyone is at one time. Mr. Eiklor,
my high school drama club advisor changed all of that though.
Mr. E. ruled his theatre
and theatre students with an iron fist, sometimes literally. His performers
were clean cut all-American and wholesome.
He made sure we stayed that way. He loved his students and used any
means necessary to communicate and instill values within us. Those values were
based in “performer etiquette” (the bold colored text) yet they translate to Life in general: courtesy,
humility, dignity, hard work and respect. That’s why Rachel and many others, whom you know
of but have yet to meet, are so successful.
Rachel and I didn’t get a coffee cup thrown at us for
screwing around that day in the prop room. We merely got summoned to Mr. E.’s
room and given a stern lecture...while he twisted our ears. We were his
children and he treated us as such. Only the best-behaved of his kids were
allowed to perform during the breaks from school and that was what we all wanted. I learned quickly and was privileged
to have toured and performed for four summers.
With all I’ve experienced traveling the world and doing theatre, there isn’t any one person, anywhere I have ever met who
has taught me more about “performer etiquette” and Life than Mr. Eiklor. Who knew having a coffee swilling, chain smoking, cup throwing,
expletive spewing, ear twisting, fat lump of a high school drama club advisor would have such a profound effect.
Even with all the hiding and ducking, I was truly blessed to have had a teacher who cared so much about my well being
and growth as a performer and a person.
Everything I needed to know Mr. E. taught me in
high school. Now I've passed it on to you...sans coffee cup.
