My box office is currently selling tickets for a neighbor club venue that has a floor level and a balcony. When asked about the difference in price, my response is all tickets are $25.00.
Real Question
"What's the advantage of sitting in the balcony?"
Answer in my head
"Well, from the balcony, you can through things, like bar straws and peanuts, down on the people sitting on the floor while they are unable to reach you from the floor for retaliatory fire."
Showing posts with label Theater. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Theater. Show all posts
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Friday, August 08, 2008
Poachers Will Be Shot On Sight!
It is pre-production week for our first show of the season. The Stage Manager is already working and we are 4 days from starting rehearsals.
Another production manager from another theater calls my SM and offers him a job that starts 2.5 weeks into my production. She steals my SM from me with a higher paying contract.
Foul!
Now I know, with Equity rules, I know we are supposed to let people go for more remunerative employ. I am not upset with my SM. I can't blame him for wanting to take the other job with gas and school loans and all else these days.
But the PM from Theater X? I DO blame her! She knowingly enticed the SM away days before rehearsal. I don't care how desperate she was for a good SM, she had to know that she was creating a desperate situation for me! Now I am scrambling for an SM to take over the show during technical rehearsals.
Red Card! You are outta here!
Another production manager from another theater calls my SM and offers him a job that starts 2.5 weeks into my production. She steals my SM from me with a higher paying contract.
Foul!
Now I know, with Equity rules, I know we are supposed to let people go for more remunerative employ. I am not upset with my SM. I can't blame him for wanting to take the other job with gas and school loans and all else these days.
But the PM from Theater X? I DO blame her! She knowingly enticed the SM away days before rehearsal. I don't care how desperate she was for a good SM, she had to know that she was creating a desperate situation for me! Now I am scrambling for an SM to take over the show during technical rehearsals.
Red Card! You are outta here!
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Too Bad, So Sad...
Sometimes I hate being the cold and cruel box office manager.
At my theater, we are currently having a highly successful, sold out run of Present Laughter. Today was no exception. When curtain time arrives, we sell the empty seats to people desperate to get in on stand by and I sold every seat. (Thank you very much!)
After the show starts, 10 minutes after curtain time, a couple arrives in from the suburbs. Because I had sold all the empty seats to stand bys, I had nothing for them at intermission and certainly not for late seating.
Our usual option is to reschedule for a later show. We have a two week extended run, but unfortunately they were going to be out of town then. So, as a final gesture of goodwill without breaking the rules, I offered them a certificate to come back next season. Mr. Late Comer took it because he "had no other choice" but was going to "remember this the next time they got a letter asking for money!"
Ugh! That just makes me feel so mean. But we have limited late seating and no refunds. They knew that, even if they didn't pay attention to the warning when they bought the tickets.
All in all though, Mr. & Mrs. Late Comer are still beat out by the early ticket buyer, when unable to buy a ticket outside of business hours (I was in a meeting! What could I do?), told me that "the Alley [Theatre] is always open!" and walked out the door.
Signed Mr. McScrooge Box Office Manager
At my theater, we are currently having a highly successful, sold out run of Present Laughter. Today was no exception. When curtain time arrives, we sell the empty seats to people desperate to get in on stand by and I sold every seat. (Thank you very much!)
After the show starts, 10 minutes after curtain time, a couple arrives in from the suburbs. Because I had sold all the empty seats to stand bys, I had nothing for them at intermission and certainly not for late seating.
Our usual option is to reschedule for a later show. We have a two week extended run, but unfortunately they were going to be out of town then. So, as a final gesture of goodwill without breaking the rules, I offered them a certificate to come back next season. Mr. Late Comer took it because he "had no other choice" but was going to "remember this the next time they got a letter asking for money!"
Ugh! That just makes me feel so mean. But we have limited late seating and no refunds. They knew that, even if they didn't pay attention to the warning when they bought the tickets.
All in all though, Mr. & Mrs. Late Comer are still beat out by the early ticket buyer, when unable to buy a ticket outside of business hours (I was in a meeting! What could I do?), told me that "the Alley [Theatre] is always open!" and walked out the door.
Signed Mr. McScrooge Box Office Manager
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Starry Friends
One great thing about Facebook is I have been able to catch up with a few old friends from High School. One of those friends is Bobby Getchell.
Bobby is now more widely known as "Robert Getchell - Tenor
". Good ole Bobby, who sang some in High School, ended up studying voice in college, then in Europe and is now pretty big stuff. At least he seems big in the classical world.
It just floors me! I had no idea that someone I knew from back then had taken such an artistic road and had professional success.
As much as I am happy to say, "GO BOBBY!", it puts my recent gig as Tweedle Dee at a Bat Mitzvah in a sad perspective. I want to perform for the crown heads of Europe, not 13 year olds!!
At least Tweedle Dee got me $200 for an hour's work. Expect to see half that go to the big D this week!
Bobby is now more widely known as "Robert Getchell - Tenor
". Good ole Bobby, who sang some in High School, ended up studying voice in college, then in Europe and is now pretty big stuff. At least he seems big in the classical world.It just floors me! I had no idea that someone I knew from back then had taken such an artistic road and had professional success.
As much as I am happy to say, "GO BOBBY!", it puts my recent gig as Tweedle Dee at a Bat Mitzvah in a sad perspective. I want to perform for the crown heads of Europe, not 13 year olds!!
At least Tweedle Dee got me $200 for an hour's work. Expect to see half that go to the big D this week!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
With a Little Bit of Luck
Back in December, I had a loverly little gig singing cockney Christmas Carols for the holiday party being hosted by the landlord of a big downtown building for its tenants.
Somebody had the brilliant idea to make the theme "My Fair Lady". Not Dickens or "A Christmas Carol", not even "White Christmas" or "Love Actually", but Shaw's ever perennial holiday favorite, "My Fair Lady".
The lobby of the building was sparsely decorated into two opposing vignettes. The Ascot race and Kensington Garden. Various characters were hired to entertain the troops. Wandering the party were Henry Higgins and Col. Pickering. At the Ascot were "Ascot" Eliza, Mrs. Higgins and Freddy Ensford Hill. In the Garden were "Cockney" Eliza, Alfred Dolittle, and his friend Jamey (me).
I spent two hours singing raucous versions of carols in a ridiculous cockney accent and working the crowd. ("Penny for a pint!" "Happy Christmas, Gov'na!") We had a little fun with some people who elected to dress up themselves. One group of young ladies were all dressed up as Eliza. There was an "Ascot" Eliza, a "leaving Higgins" Eliza, and a "Ball" Eliza. I shamelessly pointed them out repeatedly as the "Three Elizas". Kind of like the three Marys, but not.
I made $300 for that gig. The rest of December was crazy busy. I had my regular job which included performing in the children's show The BFG (Big Friendly Giant), performing in the MainStage show Mr. Pim Passes By 4 days a week and assistant directing Caroline, or Change (a sort of free internship, prove yourself kind of gig) just about every other day left.
With all this craziness, that meant a lot of eating on the run. Add the holidays to that, and December can get expensive and quickly. So, I have held that $300 in abeyance to make sure I can survive through January. AS it turns out, my earnings for Pim managed to get me through, so now the Cockney Carol money can be attributed to my debt reduction plan. Woo hoo!
Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $300
Total Debt: $15,181
2008 goal Attained: $319 (of $5,500)
Somebody had the brilliant idea to make the theme "My Fair Lady". Not Dickens or "A Christmas Carol", not even "White Christmas" or "Love Actually", but Shaw's ever perennial holiday favorite, "My Fair Lady".
The lobby of the building was sparsely decorated into two opposing vignettes. The Ascot race and Kensington Garden. Various characters were hired to entertain the troops. Wandering the party were Henry Higgins and Col. Pickering. At the Ascot were "Ascot" Eliza, Mrs. Higgins and Freddy Ensford Hill. In the Garden were "Cockney" Eliza, Alfred Dolittle, and his friend Jamey (me).
I spent two hours singing raucous versions of carols in a ridiculous cockney accent and working the crowd. ("Penny for a pint!" "Happy Christmas, Gov'na!") We had a little fun with some people who elected to dress up themselves. One group of young ladies were all dressed up as Eliza. There was an "Ascot" Eliza, a "leaving Higgins" Eliza, and a "Ball" Eliza. I shamelessly pointed them out repeatedly as the "Three Elizas". Kind of like the three Marys, but not.
I made $300 for that gig. The rest of December was crazy busy. I had my regular job which included performing in the children's show The BFG (Big Friendly Giant), performing in the MainStage show Mr. Pim Passes By 4 days a week and assistant directing Caroline, or Change (a sort of free internship, prove yourself kind of gig) just about every other day left.
With all this craziness, that meant a lot of eating on the run. Add the holidays to that, and December can get expensive and quickly. So, I have held that $300 in abeyance to make sure I can survive through January. AS it turns out, my earnings for Pim managed to get me through, so now the Cockney Carol money can be attributed to my debt reduction plan. Woo hoo!
Attributed to Credit Card Debt = $300
Total Debt: $15,181
2008 goal Attained: $319 (of $5,500)
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Reviews are in for "Sylvia"!
Okay, just one, but not bad for my first full Houston outing as a director!
Sylvia, A Masked Ball
Despite some leg humping, A. R. Gurney's fable gets best in show
By D.L. Groover
Published: October 25, 2007
That old showbiz axiom — work with dogs, risk being upstaged — receives a refreshing swat across the snout in A.R. Gurney's romantic fable Sylvia, now running at Town Center Theatre. In this ultra-smart marital comedy, the title character is a dog, played to canine perfection by the spirited Alison Luff.
In Gurney's warm and softly funny play, Sylvia romps with puppy abandon, yapping when annoyed, barking obscenities at nearby felines, humping a leg or two and indiscriminately peeing on the carpet. She is pure love, and her new master, unemployed Greg (John Chandler), who found her wandering lost in the park, is instantly smitten, falling hard under her doggie charm. But Greg's power wife Kate (Bonnie Hewett) is not amused. She's savvy enough to notice who's getting more loving between her and the dog. "Saliva," Kate calls the intruder with disparagement, has got to go. They circle each other warily, both on all fours by the end of Act I, each determined to be top dog.
Gurney's sly treatment of marriage, commitment and New York life gently mocks the universal, age-old battle of the sexes. The playwright's arsenal of tricks is as clever and adorable as Lassie's. Tipping the scales in this domestic triad are three subsidiary characters played by the same actor (Aaron Stryk on opening weekend; Ben Warner for the remaining performances). Buddy Tom is Greg's male chauvinist enabler who swears by self-help guru-type books like Your Pooch and Your Partner. Phyllis is Kate's Upper East Side yenta friend, who thinks a goldfish makes the safest companion for a distracted husband. Then there's Leslie of the indeterminate gender, the couple's marriage counselor who's sorely in need of her own therapist. Each has his or her own comic take on what it really means to a healthy relationship when one of the partners brings a different kind of love back home.
Under director [Drewster's] smooth pacing, Gurney's cozy, hip play gleams with professional polish. The cast is an utter delight. Luff, of course, makes a sexy bitch; lovesick Chandler is as forlorn as a beagle; Hewett fights for her dignity with bulldog tenacity; and Stryk's versatility is truly best in show. A resounding pat on the head to Town Center — good dog!
http://entertainment.houstonpress.com/2007-10-25/culture/top-dog/
Sylvia, A Masked Ball
Despite some leg humping, A. R. Gurney's fable gets best in show
By D.L. Groover
Published: October 25, 2007
That old showbiz axiom — work with dogs, risk being upstaged — receives a refreshing swat across the snout in A.R. Gurney's romantic fable Sylvia, now running at Town Center Theatre. In this ultra-smart marital comedy, the title character is a dog, played to canine perfection by the spirited Alison Luff.
In Gurney's warm and softly funny play, Sylvia romps with puppy abandon, yapping when annoyed, barking obscenities at nearby felines, humping a leg or two and indiscriminately peeing on the carpet. She is pure love, and her new master, unemployed Greg (John Chandler), who found her wandering lost in the park, is instantly smitten, falling hard under her doggie charm. But Greg's power wife Kate (Bonnie Hewett) is not amused. She's savvy enough to notice who's getting more loving between her and the dog. "Saliva," Kate calls the intruder with disparagement, has got to go. They circle each other warily, both on all fours by the end of Act I, each determined to be top dog.
Gurney's sly treatment of marriage, commitment and New York life gently mocks the universal, age-old battle of the sexes. The playwright's arsenal of tricks is as clever and adorable as Lassie's. Tipping the scales in this domestic triad are three subsidiary characters played by the same actor (Aaron Stryk on opening weekend; Ben Warner for the remaining performances). Buddy Tom is Greg's male chauvinist enabler who swears by self-help guru-type books like Your Pooch and Your Partner. Phyllis is Kate's Upper East Side yenta friend, who thinks a goldfish makes the safest companion for a distracted husband. Then there's Leslie of the indeterminate gender, the couple's marriage counselor who's sorely in need of her own therapist. Each has his or her own comic take on what it really means to a healthy relationship when one of the partners brings a different kind of love back home.
Under director [Drewster's] smooth pacing, Gurney's cozy, hip play gleams with professional polish. The cast is an utter delight. Luff, of course, makes a sexy bitch; lovesick Chandler is as forlorn as a beagle; Hewett fights for her dignity with bulldog tenacity; and Stryk's versatility is truly best in show. A resounding pat on the head to Town Center — good dog!
http://entertainment.houstonpress.com/2007-10-25/culture/top-dog/
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