Sunday, February 13, 2011

A Victory Parade For Marat! Also, Blood

Let's talk about standing ovations.

They're great. Really. The thing is, if you think about it, they're kind of like forest fires, in that they spread rapidly, occur only under the right conditions, and enable the reproduction of the Jack Pine tree. (Or something.) Unlike forest fires (unless you're a Jack Pine), they're also highly addictive.

In other news...

So let's say there's a play going on. One of the characters always has a knife on her person. One carries a wooden staff with a metal disk nailed to the bottom. One carries a walking stick with a smart little brass knob handle. On top of that, people get lifted, carried, hop up and down on a wooden board under which Michael's shins are the only break between that and the ground. And then, there's the violence. Hella violence. So which do you think would draw the first blood?

None of the above, obviously, or I wouldn't have perpetrated such a buildup. No. It was the effing metal buckets.
Pictured above: a dirty malicious bastard.

That's all. Carling out.

Friday, February 11, 2011

What Is That Boat You're Rocking In?: How to Introduce Your Parents to Your Twisted, Twisted Psyche

Pictured: a less awkward parental situation than the whole of act II for me last night.

First off, let me give my parents some credit: obviously they never held any delusion that I was "normal". (I mean, what is normal? Who is normal? Nobody, really.) And there's a way of maintaining that illusion, as everyone knows. It has a lot to do with loudly and obnoxiously disagreeing with acts of sex or violence, or both, in the TV show or movie you happen to be watching. And I was considering trying the same thing with Marat/Sade, you know, just sort of scoffing at every bit of sex or violence or sexy violence or violent sex. And then I realized that I couldn't really fool them, I mean, for one, my name's on the poster... awkward.

One might say it's worse for the actors, who have to actually act out my twistiness, but at least I make a wonderful scapegoat when their parents demand an explanation.

For the record, my parents were very, very cool about it. (To my face.)

Thursday, February 10, 2011

IT'S ON.

How not to behave as a director on press preview night:

-Freak out an unreasonable amount.
-Loudly complain about how much you're freaking out.
-Respond to every question by snapping, "I don't know, can't you see I'm FREAKING OUT?"
-Loudly reassure your actors that there is no reason for THEM to freak out.
-Immediately follow up the last with a hearty, "I don't know why I'm freaking out, I'm not the one onstage in twenty minutes."
-Let Tabia Lau get her grubby hands on your notebook.
Above: Another director keeping it together better than I could.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Spoiler Alert - Pictures!

One thing you can't deny our play: we take a great goddam picture.
Charlotte Corday (Rebecca) beating the crap out of Sade (Sam). Her enjoyment is a little too convincing. Photo by Victor Tangermann for the McGill Daily. See the whole gallery!
The Herald (Ayla) giving Coulmier (Niko) the willies. She held that pose for a crazy long time last night. Her glutes are really something else. Photo by Kate Sketchley; see the whole album here!

We open tomorrow. We'll see how I handle it. I love my actors and crew to itty bitty bits and pieces.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Carling's Badass Tips For Some Hardcore Headshots: A Comprehensive Guide to Not Thinking You're Ugly

A few of these suggestions are drawn from my own experiences. See if you can guess which one!

1. Do NOT shower immediately before leaving the house and hope your hair will dry the way you like it. I can assure you that today, it won't.

2. Do NOT assume that the slept-on coif and stubborn waterproof mascara left over from last night's grade 12 semi-formal is sufficient primping. You're not fooling anyone.

3. Do NOT forget it is headshot day and wear a pajama shirt to the theatre because you overslept and you really wanted to get there by the time the building opened and you only have one day in there to do tech and in fact you woke up a full two hours later than you meant to and you're sure this means you're screwed because those two hours would have made all the difference between a passably cute stereotypical MDF set and the BEST EFFING SET IN THE WORLD. You're not, they wouldn't have, and the pajamas your parents bought you last Christmas are only cute in the proper context.

4. Show your teeth! A big smile = a big star!

5. Do NOT forget it is headshot day and hoof it to campus to meet a friend who's selling you a ticket so by the time you get there you're sweaty and you definitely overdressed for the weather but you have an hour before rehearsal to work and then suddenly you remember it's headshot day and you have to run (almost literally) home to snatch up your makeup bag and then run back and you wash your sweaty face with antibacterial foaming hand soap and then frantically do your makeup in the not-well-lit auditorium with only your iSight camera for a mirror while people keep you posted on how much you're holding up the rehearsal and you desperately scream back at them "NO! I WILL NOT BE UGLY!" And even if you're the best makeup artist in the world this whole time your not-clean hair has been in a limp French braid and sometimes it looks good when it's been in a French braid but today is not "sometimes". It is headshot day, and it doesn't. Also you forgot your eyeliner.

6. Just be yourself! This is your time to shine!

7. Do NOT spend most of the night in an ER because of a wound sustained during fight warm-up the night before wherein yes, the spear was blunted, but it still came to a roundish point and did a bit of damage when the whole weight behind Zak Rose's arm landed on your shin instead of the air beside your waist where it was supposed to, and it certainly wasn't the fault of your cargo pants, and after which you figured you might as well go to the ER as suggested by the nearby professors who, let's face it, are employed by McGill for a reason, and that is they're extremely intelligent, so they probably know best, but you certainly didn't have a spare hour for showering between getting home at 3:30 a.m. and waking up for a 10 am rehearsal so instead you try to wet your hair and get it to dry how you like it but it just keeps going limp so you tease it but then it just looks natty and you're too tired to put on a nice, trendy shirt and you certainly can't find your makeup because your half of the New Rez bathroom counter has become a disaster over these weeks of never being home during the day anymore and then you end up with a double chin in the actual picture and there's no black-and-white in the world that can make that look good.

So... avoid all of the above scenarios, and guaranteed you'll have a headshot that you won't be ashamed to show your parents, because you really do love them and one of the best gifts to give them is the gift of doing their gene pool proud, because let's face it, you're only as attractive as your most awkward child.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

The Coulmier Chronicles

After threats, beating up, begging, bragging and bribes, I, your intrepid reporter, was allowed into the rehearsals of the infamous Marat/Sade plays, and I immediately began to gather confidential information.

Although this play contains whipping, ballet, copulation, screaming, philosophy and dancing, I was more intrigued by the strange couple who are always watching rehearsals...the Coulmiers.

Rumor has it Monsieur de Coulmier is the head of the asylum which is producing this superb masterpiece. However, despite this glorious position... I am not impressed by this couple.His wife, for one, is the most ineffectual ditz I have ever seen (and I have seen many ineffectual ditzes in my time) And why does Monsieur Coulmier keep interrupting the play? I would think the director, Monsieur de Sade, would object! It is the hope of this intrepid reporter that he will receive his comeuppance at the play! (and hopefully his annoying wife will get slapped around a bit! I say! (though it must be noted that she is a blond, and thus probably cannot help it))

After careful stalking, I was able to gain access to the Coulmier corner, where I found a shocking piece of paper covered in...doodles! Would this imply that one of the Coulmiers was not giving the play its full attention? Hang them! Guillotine them! KILL THEM! (although, on a side note, whoever the doodler is has quite the talent!).

But worst yet, once your intrepid reporter turned the sheet around, she found a job application to...Barnes and Nobles! (Perhaps his wife is applying to Barnes and Nobles, but, as previously mentioned, she is a blond, and thus probably is not intelligent enough to write. Since there were actual letters on the application, I think this unlikely...) Which would mean that Monsieur Coulmier is the culprit...

What! Is Monsieur de Coulmier preparing to abandon his post at the hospital? Mon dieu! SHOCKING! He should know that doing so would prevent him from keeping his wife up in the style she has become accustomed to.

Your intrepid reporter then snuck behind the Coulmiers in order to eveasdrop on their conversation during the show.

First, the fact that they were speaking at all was horrifying. As everyone knows, people who talk in the theater will go to a special level of hell - one reserved for child molesters and people who take sexual advantage of others. But nevertheless, this intrepid reporter will be objective, and report the conversations.

At some point, the inmate playing Duperette began to molest Madame Coulmier's dress, so she slapped his hand away. Her husband told her "don't worry. He's just a rapist. "

Another rather amusing conversation:

Madame Coulmier: darling, what's a mistress?
Monsieur Coulmier: You know Catherine?
Madame Coulmier: Of course!
Monsieur Coulmier: We play chess.
Madame Coulmier: I don't know how to play chess.
Monsieur Coulmier: No, you don't.

This intrepid reporter also overheard a shocking admission of guilt by Monsieur Coulmier, who mentioned that he had "lost our daughters in the woods," and this was why they could not attend the play.

Both were quite shocked at parts of the performance, prompting Monsieur Coulmier to order his wife not to listen to certain songs(as any good husband should do). But despite this, near the end of the play, Madame Coulmier told her husband that she "quite enjoyed it. Thank you so much for letting me out of my room to see this."

Her husband rejoined: "Your cell, darling, your cell. "

This intrepid reporter will keep you updated as the situation unfolds.