what a *week*

[thehefner]

Yesterday was the only sparse crowd (fourteen people?) of our entire run, which had packed--if not sold out--houses. While I still don't yet know how much of a profit was made for the Rudes (and how much of my own expenses for which I'll get reimbursement), a profit has at least been made. Damn straight.

So what's next?

SLEEP.

And after SLEEP, I'm going to get a proposal package together for the Monologues, something I can send it around to venues all over North America. And at the same time, I'll apply to more Fringe festivals. At this point, I'm almost thinking "fuck education and conservatory classes, I'm actually enjoying knitting my fragile ego back together at this point and do not especially wish to have it trampled again just yet." I think I'll probably still take the Character and Emotion class at Studio this Fall, but honestly, I don't know how much I want to right now.

I heard that the San Francisco Fringe is great, and the Montreal Fringe looks even more attractive after meeting little_dinosaur, one of my LJ friends who--oh my fucking god she's real--actually came down here to see my show. I showed her RAVENOUS and wooed her by doing a one-man version of the TERMINATOR theme, complete with appropriate "clang!" noises. She responded with her trademark general awesomeness and stories about what it's like being the ZZ Top of beards among her gaggle of gay friends. A wonderful time was had by both, and I curse the miles between us now. Cuuuurse!

THE SIMPSONS MOVIE was surprisingly great. I actually found myself quoting it a couple times yesterday! This is a big thing, as I can't really recall quoting much of ANY lines from the past five or seven seasons of the Simpsons, aside from the J. Jonah Jameson rant, and the "Jesus on a Swing" moment, which is frankly one of their all-time greatest pieces, in my opinion.

In sadder news, my bowler derby got caught in the rain, and now it's kinda lumpy. NOOO! Can a hatter fix it up again? My love affair with a snazzy new hat cannot end so soon! And why the hell couldn't it hold up to rain?! It's a HAT! That's what they're for, isn't it?!

Comments

[findingjuliet.livejournal.com]

Congrats on a great run Hef -- we're all really proud of you :)

[wendywoowho.livejournal.com]

Yes, it should be able to be blocked and combed into proper spiffiness again!

[lonebear.livejournal.com]

in answer to your final question: Yes. Find a store that sells Stetson fedoras. If you can't find one I'll find where the Orthodox go for their hats.

[morganashkevron.livejournal.com]

Did you happen to get any of your performances on tape? I'm really sad I couldn't make it to DC to catch the live show, and if there's a dvd to be had, well, I'd be willing to pay for it. Also, do you still have my copy of Casshern?

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

We do, but I don't yet know how they turned out. I'm concerned about sound, considering there were fans running during the show. We'll see!

And aye, I do indeed still have it. I should get that back to you sometime, shouldn't I?

[torberg.livejournal.com]

And why the hell couldn't it hold up to rain?! It's a HAT! That's what they're for, isn't it?!

Well, it depends on the material. You wouldn't wear a suede jacket as a raincoat, would you? (At least, I hope you wouldn't.)

One of the biggest things to remember about getting hats wet is that the fabric loosens up, so it's that much easier for it to lose its shape. I have one hat that I bought largely for inclement weather, figuring the brim can help keep rain/snow out of my eyes in light to mild precipitation. My straw hat, on the other hand, stays inside when it rains. I don't want water softening up the straw and causing problems with shape retention. That hat is for good weather to keep the sun off my head and somewhat out of my eyes.

That being said, all is not necessarily lost. A hatter may be able to fix it up. You may be able to smooth it out in time on your own. Alas I am not a hatter, nor have I seen the hat in question (either before or after) so I'm not going to give any more concrete commentary on how to repair it.

Good luck, though.

[leiacat.livejournal.com]

Drat. I was planning on making it yesterday, and then Things Came Up, and I wasn't able to leave the house in time. I hope you have more local shows.

As for hat, you can fix it by steaming it (which softens it), over something the right shape. A pro would probably do a better job of that than you would. Also, while you're at it, you can get it waterproofed.

[ortugatay.livejournal.com]

It has been a great run, sir, and we're all very proud of you. I loved watching and reading the show, and can't wait to see what you do next.

Which reminds me, a bunch of us from WAC are trying to start up a theatre troupe to put on new works, and we would love to have you perform for us sometime. You can write a new, longer show or do this one, if you like. Would you be interested, before you go traipsing across the country on your performance spree?

We can get whoever you like to direct it, try and raise some funds and do a lot of advertising and help you develop a script and etc.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Keep me posted on it; I just might be up for it. Whereabouts were you thinking of doing this?

So far, I wanna keep on this script for the next year or two, have this be the show I'll be taking around. I have a couple other ideas for the future as well, but this for now.

[ortugatay.livejournal.com]

We don't have a set venue for shows, since we'd like to experiment with being nomadic and traveling to some different places in the DC/Baltimore (and maybe even Philly, on occasion) area.

We'd love to have you if you're up for it and have the time, and heck, if you're using the same fringe script, that makes it even easier because you've already done it!

[heleneotroy.livejournal.com]

So, I gave you my glowing, sunshine-up-the-butt praise on Wednesday. Can I give you my can't-watch-another-actor-perform-without-analyzing opinions sometime?

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Aye, aye, I was doing this to develop it and get constructive criticism, so please go ahead. *takes deep breath*

[heleneotroy.livejournal.com]

I'll be gentle, I promice!

Numero Uno: Put something in the beer bottle. It was quite obviously empty, especially after all of that water you were drinking from the plastic bottle. Its not so much the "realism" of you taking a swig, but more about the weight of the bottle in your hand and when you set it down.

Two: Concentrate on giving the whole thing a narrative quality, rather then a recitiation. You began by reciting things and it seemed very rote. I chalked it up to nervousness, since you became much more fluid after about 15-20 mins (right around where you demonstrated the "chests together hips apart" dancing).

Three: Remember to keep things fresh. Each word doesn't have to be spoken the same way every time. This is a trap that I fall into frequently; I get stuck on a way that works and I don't adapt each performance to the present moment. Even though you are telling tales of things that obviously happened in the past, when you are in the moment they are new and happening for the first time. The intonation placed on a "where" or "and" should be different every time. To the audience, you are making the whole thing up as you go along. You want them to leave saying "Wow, he wrote a whole book of these stories! I bet his show is different each night, since he has so many tales to tell. I wonder how he chose which ones to tell us tonight?"

Four: Don't rely on being able to play off of the audience. Just when you get comfortable doing that, you'll find yourself on a stage so big and dark you can't see a soul. (Not that I mind being your waitress :D )


See? Not so painful.

[heleneotroy.livejournal.com]

Note to self: learn to spell.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Uno: Ha! Um, except, it *wasn't* empty. It was half-filled with water. So, not quite so "obviously" after all. ;)

Two: That's the way I always am at the start. I *still* don't know how to get into it, whether it's this or theatre acting. It's something I'm still working on, and am frankly frustrated by. I run through it backstage, but it's just not the same without an audience. It's like I need a warm-up crowd.

Three: As I always try to look my audience members in the eyes, trying to talk *to* them rather than at them (not always succeeding), I dare say they do come off different night after night. They feel that way to me, anyway. But I'll keep it in mind.

Four: If you'd been there Sunday, you'd have seen that I certainly wasn't relying on playing off that audience. Sure, I had a couple laughing friends, but I very much made a point of focusing on the handful of tired, stone-faced people, and seeing if I could keep up my energy and not be flustered.

[jcsbimp.livejournal.com]

Dang! You had a sparse crowd yesterday? Now I feel worse (if that were possible) about bimpchildsue and me not making it to see the show.