Tag Archives: actors

Still Shooting (for an On-Time Blog Post)

Posted on May 3, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Before this blog at last segues out of All Shooting at the Grange All The Time,  I would like to use up the last four pictures I took on Saturday.  For a late Tired Tuesday Post, I thought it would beat whining about how tired I am (more than is warranted, I feel) (both my tiredness and my whining).

One actor is blurry; I am nobody’s idea of a good photographer.

This shot shows the stage, which we only used briefly.  The actors thought it would be better to stay amidst the audience, and I agreed.  We have a lot of Actor’s Choice in my murder mysteries, although I reserve the right to all final decisions.

Another blurry actor, but what a fabulous outfit she has on!

As I said before, it was very uncomfortable for me to watch the mingling without participating.  To me it is the most fun part of the shows.

You wouldn’t believe this was the guy with the bugs in Donate to Murder.

One of the other fun parts of these shows is seeing actors play different roles.  Tucker, for example, was the dashing leading man on Saturday but previously played the creepy Renwick Spaulding.  I was thinking about writing a mystery called Renwick’s Revenge (preview of coming attractions).

A better view of the fabulous outfit, including the boots.

The actor on the right (as you may have noticed, I do the thing of referring to both male and females as actors) is new to my murder mysteries.  She came on Tucker’s recommendation, and a good recommendation it was!  The other two, a mother/daughter team) participated last November in He Laughed Himself to Death.  I was delighted to work with them again.

So I have gone a whole two days without definitely committing to another murder mystery, although I know a few groups who would like one.  Well, perhaps with no commitments or definite plans to actually perform it, I might just start writing a few notes on Renwick’s Revenge. No promises.

 

 

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About That Murder Mystery…

Posted on May 2, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Regular readers may be anxious to know how our murder mystery turned out, and I kept them in suspense by neglecting to post either Saturday or Sunday.  Or perhaps I flatter myself.  For anybody just tuning in, I refer to Shooting at the Grange, which we presented to benefit Salisbury Grange on April 29.

She welcomes you to my blog post.

I foolishly did not get pictures of each character, but I did take a few shots while the actors mingled with the audience before the scripted part of the performance.

They got a big crowd.

Everybody seemed to be having a fine time.  For my part, I was a little uncomfortable, because I am usually one of the actors.  I wanted to be out there interacting with the audience, dropping clues and dissing the other characters!

The Grange volunteers were very sweet.

They served pulled pork, corn, potatoes, cole slaw and rolls.  The actors and I ate after the performance.  It was delicious!

I should have gotten a closer shot of that glamorous character.

The whole thing went pretty well.  The audience seemed to enjoy it.  The actors did a good job.  The Grange people are hoping we will return with another murder mystery,  perhaps this fall.

I personally need to take a break.  When I mentioned this to a co-worker on Friday (incidentally, I had named the victim after this particular co-worker), he said, “Then on Monday, you’ll say, ‘I have an opportunity to write another murder mystery.’ ”

Who, me? Write another murder mystery?

 

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Not Enough Actors? Say It Ain’t So!

Posted on July 29, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

I went to the second night of auditions for Shattered Angel on Friday.  Once again, that is a play about a local historical murder being presented by the Herkimer County Historical Society in cooperation with Ilion Little Theatre (or is it “in conjunction” or “under the auspices of”?  I don’t know the details).   As it turns out, we have a slight problem.  Not enough actors showed up.

The background was from a different play.

There were enough folks there to read a couple of scenes.  Unfortunately, even with doubling parts, I don’t think we got enough to cast the play.

These guys read several time.

One fellow read but thought he could not do the show, because of his work hours.  Three weekends is a kind of a large commitment.

Another scene.

I read this scene on Wednesday.  I was just filling in, though, because there was nobody present who really qualified for the part I read, that of the young murderer (I didn’t need a spoiler alert for that; this is a murder play but not a murder mystery).

Another angle.

I wanted to include one shot with the director, Stephen Wagner.  He’s pretty cool.

So, local readers, are any of you actors?  Would you like to be in a play?  Go to the Ilion Little Theatre Club Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ilionlittletheatre/.   Send a message, write a post, call the theatre.  Older male actors are primarily needed.  Can anybody help us out?

 

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Alas, No Naked Actors

Posted on April 22, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

Yesterday before rehearsal for Leading Ladies (remember, that play I mentioned once or twice?), I got a Facebook message that the OD wanted a photograph of the cast.  In costume.  That night.  Yikes!  Oh, for non-local readers, if any, the OD is the Utica Observer-Dispatch, one of the local newspapers.  Of course we have been working on costumes right along, but with a cast of eight, numerous costume changes and two cross-dressing characters, these things take time.

I emailed the cast to give them a heads-up and searched my house for a few things.  One thing I needed was Steven’s three-piece pin-striped suit.  He has worn that suit for roughly 859 plays since the late ’80s (I just made that number up; I really have no idea).  Here is the story of the suit:

Back when we were merely dating, we had gone to the thrift store in Potsdam, NY (we lived up north at the time).  I was looking for men’s blazers, which I love to wear. Steven was just looking.  He found a practically brand new, dark blue, three-piece pin-striped suit that fit perfectly.  When we went to pay for it, the lady said in kind of a hushed tone, “You know, three piece suits are eight dollars.”  I worked at JC Penney at the time, and I knew that suit had cost at least a hundred bucks new.  I was happy to pay eight dollars for it.

Getting back to 2016, I got to Ilion Little Theatre (ILT) early and once again went through the costume room upstairs.  It took me several trips to bring down all the stuff I pulled.  I’m certainly going to get my exercise putting it all away.  As cast members started showing up I got them started trying things on.  One fellow went upstairs in search of a suit.  When he came down with one, I sent him back up with the actor playing his son to find another one (um, another suit, not another son).

We all had great success with our finding and trying, although I could not convince one cast member that the mauve hat does NOT go with the blue dress.  She won’t wear it, because as her director I told her not to, but she is not happy about it.  However, we were able to begin rehearsal not too late with everybody wearing something (although naked rehearsal shots would indeed cause a sensation in the local paper).  The secretary of ILT was there to take the picture to send to the OD.  She got some good action shots and one or two posed pictures.

Alas, this is not a photo blog, so I cannot share them here.  Perhaps one day I will figure out how.  Don’t get your hopes up too high, though:  I probably will not be able to talk the actors into naked rehearsal shots.

 

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