A month to go and shopping until I drop

With just over a month until opening night for the show, I thought I would post a little update. Cast and crew had our deadline to hand in our programme bios and had our pics taken last weekend. I am finally starting to get to work on the show now that I've had my sit down with the director and we've settled on ideas. She felt we were 90% on the same page. The tutus I mentioned in my last post are done, I probably spent a good 12 or more hours cutting tulle and tying it to elastics. I had seen the technique before but had never done it before. It looked like a big pink fluffy cloud when they were all hung up together, it kind of freaked out my boyfriend a little. I had to hang them to keep the cats away or they would have been shredded and not the way I wanted!  I used a total of 16 metres of fabric, and the cost was 10% of the total budget, little scary, but I am happy with how they turned out. My co-workers got a kick out of watching me work at my tulle covered desk (Someone even offered to pay me to make some for her nieces!). Here's a pic of the tutu cloud and one of me in the tutu.

I have also done another technique that I have never done before: tie dying. I apparently missed out on that rite of childhood even though I was Girl Guide. One of the characters is described as having hippie parents and pride in his homemade clothing, what says homemade and hippie more than tie dye? I tried to do a spiral technique, but I didn't use enough colour so the shirt came out whiter than anticipated, but I still really like it quite a bit here's a photo. 

 

Every once in a while there are costuming miracles. Traditionally in the show one of the characters wears a very specific uniform, and although I wanted to go in a different direction, that is what the director wanted. The miracle comes in that the actor's father actually the uniform that we needed! It totally helped out my budget and reduced my work load! (Bonus)  On the last show I worked one of the cast member's wife had a actual nurses uniform from the 70's which is exactly what we needed, I even got to try it on. 

Things seem to be coming together, I feel like I am in good shape. At this point after my last shopping trip 5 of 9 cast members have all their main outfit.  No one realizes the amount of shopping that actually goes into costuming. The tulle, elastics, and tie dye kit didn't magically appear, we need to shop for supplies. I met up with one of the cast member's earlier this week to shop for his costume. Why can't I do that with everyone? It is so much easier than carrying around my binder of measurements and a measuring tape! I have probably spent over 3 hours thus far in secondhand clothing stores. I still have a few more pieces to get and there are some shoe covers to make, but mostly it is just odds and ends. No real major builds, just possibly some alterations like shortening an actual Scottish kilt with out cutting it, because I don't want to wreck it. Anyway I scoured Goodwill yesterday because it was their end of month 50% off sale, I got $34 worth of stuff for $17! I bet when whoever donated their clothing they never thought it would be a costume one day! A thrifty costumer am I, one character's entire outfit cost $10 and I love it! Here's a pic:

 

The important thing is that I am having fun, if I am not why do it?  Rehearsal last weekend was a blast. The show calls for audience volunteers and as the cast stumbled through a run through of the first act I helped out by being an audience volunteer, so much fun! I had a hard time not singing along and wrecking the harmonies ( Not that I am totally tone deaf or anything) So that's the latest, I will continue to keep you posted if I can.

My birthday at the ballet

My blog is called confessions of a theatre addict, but so far I have really only talked about one kind of theatre: musicals. I also quite enjoy ballet. For my birthday earlier this week I saw Swan Lake for the first time. I am a huge fan of Tchaikovsky's work and thought it would be a great way to commemorate the day, especially it being the only one of his major works I haven't seen.

I took ballet for the first time when I was 4 and studied it off and on, but never got very far, never en pointe. It wasn't until I was in my early 20's that I saw my first ballet. I was living in Vienna (Wein), Austria. The Staatoper there offered 2€ standing tickets. At the time I didn't like the performance of Kadettenball because I thought it was unconventional. I wonder what the more seasoned ballet goer I am now would think if I saw it today. (I think I have seen probably close to 30 different performances since 2006)

I digress, these days I still line up for tickets, but a little more expensive $35 but better seating! Because I don't live in Toronto ensuring that I get good seats means getting up before the sun. The rush tickets go on sale at 11 when the box office opens, usually there are over 60 people queued up. Being there early is key my plan was to get to Toronto around 8, catch the subway and arrive by 8:30 at the opera house. Slight snag we arrived discovered the subway doesn't start running until 9! There was someone else waiting too so we suggesting splitting a cab. This young guy was from Orlando, Florida, and paid for the $60+ cab-ride that was only supposed to be $30 max at flat rate, my boyfriend N. handed him a $20 though.

When I last lined up a year ago, we could wait in the subway/lobby area, but I guess the building manager had a fit and now it is not allowed, N. and I were definitely not expecting to wait outside (I am not sure he would have agreed to go if that was part of the deal, birthday or not) for two and half hours. What we did was everyone waiting when there wasn't that many of us, we rotated waiting outside and inside the door out of camera view.

There was a bit of injustice in the line. This woman who was fifth in line (I was seventh) had her daughter show up at ten to eleven and join her in line they needed four tickets and it is a max of two tickets per person.  This is unfair because now someone who did wait in line for a long time didn't get tickets, I feel really badly for them, especially because it wasn't even for good reasons, the grandkids had activities like swimming. Even a little girl who was in the ballet, lined up with her mother so they could get 4 tickets. Seriously if seeing the ballet is that important to you put in the effort! After acquiring out tickets we went for a sort of French themed brunch of crepes, and I treated myself to a mimosa.

I was like going to the pre-ballet talks which usually talk about the particular ballet's history, or technique. I find them really interesting especially because I dabble in the production side of theatre. I particularly love getting seats near the stage, so I can get a close look at the costume details. This talk was really dry and I didn't really find out anything that wasn't in the programme. One thing about the ballet that blows my mind is that they spend $170,000 a year on pointe shoes alone!

As to the performance I was meh on the first act, although the violence implied against the character of the serving wench stood out. It was amazing watching the dance of the four little swans in act II - for those that don't know it is a famous dance where four ballerinas link arms and ance in sync- it is quite something to see.

I loved the third and four acts, perhaps, because that is where more of the action takes place. The sets and costumes were really luxe as well. The dancer playing the Swan Princess Odette and the dual role of Odile was fantastic. I could really tell the difference in her movements as she portrayed both parts. It was also impressive watching her all those consecutive fouettes that Swan Lake is famous for. I wasn't able to count if she did all 32 or not (Fouettes are basically turns when you are balanced en pointe on one foot) I enjoy learning about the technique of ballet.

I didn't stalk former prima ballerina/current Artistic Director Karen Kain this time;O), I already have a signed programme that she signed. After the ballet N. got me a little pair of ballet slippers for my Pandora bracelet. We returned home and I got my fav homemade eggs benedict, I guess you could said I had a somewhat French theme, ballet, crepes, hollandaise.(All sort of fitting because I just found out I am going to need to make tutus for the show I am working on) Anyway there was the special Wicked cake he bought me. I will leave you with a pic of my special cake, and of the ballet slipper charm. 

 

And sew it begins

I have officially started work on costumes the show. Less than 2 months until opening night! Last night I started by taking cast measurements. I really had only done it a bit on the last show, but it went pretty well. I only have 3 people left to measure. I think measuring another person is rather intimate because you are in such close proximity. With my little arms I was more or less hugging people as I was trying to get the measure tape around their chests and waists etc. One trick I picked up from the last costume designer I worked with was measuring the guys to the sides when measuring their hips so so your hands don't accidentally slip somewhere they are not supposed to! Also asking them to hold the tape when doing the inseams. I couldn't help thinking about the episode of Friends where Chandler goes to Joey's tailor and was measured shall we say inappropriately and how I didn't want it go down like that. I didn't find it nearly hard as I thought it was going to be being 4'9" measuring someone over 6 feet. I was expecting to have to use a stool, but I didn't need it after all.

It was alot harder than I thought it was going to be just to grab people during a quiet moment, because of the nature of the show, alot of the cast is on stage at all times. One of my LOL moments was when a buddy of mine Kevin came over when he had a second and said "do me, do me quick."

While I was waiting, I started to go through the immense wardrobe area for which you need a moving scaffolding and a clothing hook to getting certain things down. There are about three long rows of clothes, and each one has another row suspended on top of that.  The theatre group moved to a new facility and it's not quite as easily accessible as the old storage area. I did manage to pull a couple pieces that could work. Now it is a matter of finalizing my ideas for the characters, pulling, shopping (I am sure my mom would love to come to Value Village with me) and altering. The producer also wants me to estimate what kind of budget I will need, keeping in mind that this is community theatre and there is no money ;O)  I am sitting down with the director on the weekend to show her my ideas etc. Enough blogging time to get back to work, I will leave you with a pic of our storage area, hope I don't get lost!