Tag Archives: rehearsal

All Lights, Camera, Murder! All The Time?

Full disclosure:  I would not have made a blog post this morning, but my attempt to walk was foiled by rain.  Yes, I know, some people like to walk in the rain.  I personally do not mind it but did not want to either change my clothes or show up for work in a sodden state, although in a general sense I am not especially fastidious (I just wanted to use the word “fastidious” in a sentence. How often to you get to do that?).

Where was I?  Ah yes, making a blog post.  I think I will begin with a plug of our latest murder mystery, Lights, Camera, Murder! to be presented Saturday, Nov. 11 at the Herkimer Elks Lodge for the benefit for the Herkimer County Historical Society.

May be an image of text that says 'HERKIMER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND CYNTHIA QUACKENBUSH PRESENTS LIGHTS.... CAMERA... MURDER!! CAN YOU SOLVE THE MURDER BEFORE MURDERER IS REVEALED? SATURDAY NOVEMBER 11th Elks Club 112 Mary St. Herkimer, NY Doors Open at 5:30pm Dinner at 6pm Basket Raffles & 50/50 Raffle Dinner catered by PK Pubs Tickets $40.00 per person Tickets are available at The Herkimer County Historical Society 406 North Main St, Herkimer 315-866-6413'

Wow, that turned out big!

I am a little embarrassed they put my name up there in big letters.  I think I should give my little murder group a name like “Q Mysteries” or “Murder for Non-Profit” for such situations.  We have rehearsal tonight.  Perhaps I can get a few pictures for blogging purposes.  In the meantime, why don’t I finish out this post as a Throwback Thursday (or late Way-Back Wednesday) and share a few shots from previous mysteries.

She is always fabulous.

Here is my friend Kim in Fabulous and Fatal in 2019.  She is in the new one, and I expect she will be equally as fabulous.  It is always good to have a tall, gorgeous blonde in the cast.

He is fine, too.   I need to get the other one in a murder mystery sometime!

This is not from a murder mystery but from Love’s Labour’s Lost presented by LiFT, Little Falls Theatre Company in 2022.  That is local author C.T. Avis, who is cast as Jarod, the screenwriter of the movie in Lights, Camera, Murder!  He asked if he was being typecast as a writer.  I said that actually I gave him the role on the strength of his portrayal of the lovelorn Don Armado (he was in love with Jacquenetta, played by me, I add modestly.  It was so flattering!)

I will try to show a couple more cast members after tonight’s rehearsal.  I don’t promise any hints about the plot, though.  I want any local readers who decide to attend to be surprised.

 

It’s Been Murder on my Blog!

I guess this has been a Blogger’s Sick Week.  I have been plagued by terrible headaches.  I try so hard not to whine but sometimes find embarrassing little whimpery noises coming out of my mouth.  Luckily nobody else has heard them.  Even more fortunately, my bosses at work believe me when I tell them I have a migraine and need to go home.

Oh dear, what a boring post this is turning out to be!  I don’t suppose it matters, though.  I am on my Tablet which still won’t let me put in a headline.  I will try to finish this in the morning, when I will feel more like sitting up at the dining-room-table-top.

This was taken at the Inspire Moore Winery.

I put in a picture to represent the passage of time.  It is now early Friday morning and I am at my dining-room-table-top, ten-finger typing and waiting for the coffee to perk.  I think it finished perking while I searched for an appropriate picture.

Ah yes, coffee always helps.  When I write letters to my sister Diane, she likes it if I give her a blow by blow of where I am and what I am doing while I write.  I tend to use the same technique with my blog.  Is a blog like a letter to anybody who chances to click on it?  Discuss amongst yourselves.

I may wear the same dress in our upcoming production.

I was going to share the posed picture of the cast of Fabulous and Fatal, which I have shared many times, but opted for an action shot instead.  This was the murder mystery we presented to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society in 2019.  I use the picture because last night I was at the first rehearsal for Lights, Camera, Murder!  the murder mystery which will benefit the Historical Society on Saturday, Nov. 11.  Yes, it is close.  We put these things together quickly.

So there you have it:  an apology for my absence and a Preview of Coming Attractions.  Am I back to daily blogging?  I hope so.  And I hope people will continue to tune in.

 

In My Defense, Cheese!

Hands up, everybody who figured I would be making my Tired Tuesday Post late.  Now pat yourself on the back, because you were right.  I could say I was tired after my rehearsal, but the rehearsal was, in fact, not that strenuous.

What rehearsal, you ask?  Well, yes, I am in another play, this one with LiFT, the Little Falls Theatre Company.  I guess I just can’t help myself.  In my defense, it is a short, reader’s theatre piece, meaning minimal rehearsals and no lines to learn.  Additionally, it is in conjunction with the Little Falls Cheese Festival.  How can I resist cheese?  Most importantly, it was written by Angela Harris, the brilliant writer of Strike Story.  I love Angela!

Angela and I at a previous cheese festival.

I was a little stunned to realize that the Cheese Festival is this Saturday, Oct. 7.  I guess I somehow thought there was more space between September and October, or maybe that October had longer weeks.  Widow brain.  It’s a thing.

A shot of the 2019 cast.

The cheese plays are done like an old time radio program, complete with microphones.  The plots concern Mac Blac, the only problem solver in the Little Falls phone book.

A rehearsal from 2018.

This year’s play will be held at Little Falls Public Library at 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.  Come on out and see us!  If you can tear yourself away from the Cheese!

 

Late, Dramatic Throwback Thursday

Is a late blog post better than no blog post at all? Discuss amongst yourselves while I get a cup of coffee.

And not that skinny.

My tiredness continues.  It would be more dramatic, and part of me feels more accurate, to say exhaustion.  Who, me, dramatic? SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!

I was with this bunch last night.

Of course, as regular readers know, drama is my life.  Part of it, at any rate.  Last night we had our pick-up rehearsal for The Man in the Bowler Hat, the play I am in at Ilion Little Theatre (ILT).  As I mentioned before, it is part of An Evening of Timeless Comedy, three one-act plays of significance in ILT’s history.  They are celebrating 100 years this season.

It was a Wrist to Forehead moment.

I thought I would add a picture from another ILT production, thus making this a Throwback Thursday Post as well.  This is from Dirty Work at the Crossroads,  which was directed by my late beloved husband Steve.  I am the one in blue, dramatically posed with the back of one wrist to my forehead.  The other lady is Julianne Allen, a stalwart ILT member who has also sadly passed away.

On that sad note, I see I am over 200 words.  I have time for more coffee!  An Evening of Timeless Comedy continues this weekend, Sept. 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday Sept. 24 at 2 p.m.  For more information visit the Ilion Little Theatre Club Facebook page or website, http://www.ilionlittletheatre.org

 

By the Way, I’m in a Play

So yesterday it was a migraine.  I made it through rehearsal, so that was something.

Oh yeah, rehearsal.  I have not said much about the play I am in at Ilion Little Theatre (ILT).  It is being billed as An Evening of Timeless Comedy and consists of three one-act plays of significance in ILT’s history.  I am in The Man in the Bowler Hat.  The other two plays are  So’s Your Old Antique and The Mayor and the Manicure.

One reason I have been so tired lately is the wear and tear of being in a play.  Another reason is that seasonal allergies are doing a number on me.  The other reason is my ongoing grief and depression.  So once again I ask my readers for patience as my blog suffers.

It’s called a table reading, although we do not actually read the table.

Here is a picture from our first read-through.   I meant to take more rehearsal shots but did not get to it somehow.

That same night.

Performance dates September 15, 16, 22, 23 at 7:30 p.m. and September 17, 24 at 2 p.m. at Ilion Little Theatre, 13 Remington Ave., Ilion, NY.  General Admission is $20.  For more information,  you can visit the Ilion Little Theatre Club Facebook page or website www.ilionlittletheatre.org

 

 

 

 

Pre-Rehearsal? Post-Rehearsal? It’s a Post!

I just remembered that I was going to do a Pre-Rehearsal Post today.  However, I do not think I can manage to make a blog post and get ready for rehearsal.  How ready do I have to be, you may ask.  Well, I think I should at least wear something other than the old lady cotton shift I put on after my shower.  I don’t know if “shift” is the right word.  It is not quite a dress nor a nightie nor even a robe.  I shall not enlighten you with a selfie.

That paragraph certainly told you a lot about the play I’m in.

Different play, same hammy me.

This picture showed up in my Facebook Memories, and I said, “Hey, why was that never in my blog?”  My late husband, Steven, had shared it, tagging me.  I do not know where he got it.  Anybody who read yesterday’s post may recall that the play shown was The Tempest,  presented by LiFT, Little Falls Theatre Company in the summer of 2017.

That was as far as I got pre-rehearsal.  Before rehearsal actually started, I got a migraine.  My director told me to go home, a direction I gratefully followed.

In future posts I hope to tell more about rehearsals, taking a few pictures with my Tablet (although I fear I will never be in such a dramatic costume as pictured above).  For now, at least I have made a post, and (knock wood) my migraine seems to be in abeyance.

 

Wuss-Out or Way-Back, At Least it’s still Wednesday!

I might just as well admit I am having a bad patch of days.  I feel down.  I feel tired.  I have no energy or ambition to do anything.  So I guess this will be a Wuss-out Wednesday Post.  And I am kind of forcing myself to make it on Wednesday instead of early Thursday morning.

However, I have gotten a whole paragraph pecked in and have not backspaced it out, so there’s that.

I am the one in the purple cape.

I thought it would be nice to make it a Way-Back Wednesday Post as well so found this picture in my Media Library from August 2017.  It is the cast of The Tempest as presented by LiFT, Little Falls Theatre Company.  It was a fun show.  I need a little more Shakespeare in my life.

You can see me better in this one.

Tomorrow I have my first real rehearsal for The Man in the Bowler Hat,  the one-act I am in as part of An Evening of Timeless Comedy at Ilion Little Theatre.   I do not know my lines yet.

Regular readers may notice that I am not at Fratello’s Pizzeria in Frankfort for music and food, as I often am on a Wednesday.  I actually fixed my hair and put on a cute outfit including earrings, but I just could not get myself out the door.  These things happen, I suppose.

In the meantime, I see I am over 200 words.  Not too much of a Wuss-out after all.

 

Flustered Thursday, Late Post, No Alliteration

Yesterday I was a whirlwind.  Sort of.  I had a few things I felt I had to get done and a limited amount of time to do them in.  Full disclosure: my problems mostly stem from lack of planning and organization on my part.  You are free to judge me or just quietly enjoy feelings of superiority if you so choose.  I am content to stand as a bad example.

I throw in a picture to pep things up.

The reason I was in such a hurry was that we were to rehearse Shooting at the Grange at Salisbury Grange, which is almost a half-hour drive from Herkimer.  My first chore was to throw in a load of laundry, so I would have clean work clothes for tomorrow. I actually acquired another pair of work pants yesterday, so now I have three. Still not enough to get me through the week, but one does what one can.

Laundry in, I put on old sneakers and a hat (to protect my complexion from the sun), went outside, hefted my defective garage door open (broken spring, not my fault), and pulled out my non-power lawn mower. My bunions told me I ought to seize the non-rainy day.  Additionally,  with a non-power mower, it doesn’t do to let the grass get too high.

I intersperse the post with pictures to show that rehearsal was on my mind throughout my gyrations.

Laundry in the drier or hanging on the indoor clothes-drying bars, I did the dishes I had neglected, a truly judge-worthy omission.  While scrubbing I kept an eye on the time.  I still had to shower and get dressed!

I managed it.  I even put together a fairly color-coordinated outfit, although I could not find the ideal blazer.  One settles for less than perfection in this life.  The only thing I did not have time for was supper.  I munched down a roast beef and cheese roll-up with the result that I had to brush my teeth, which I did not have time for.  Luckily Kim was a little late picking me up.

They look thoughtful. Trying to remember lines?

Rehearsal did not go too badly.  The Grange people are very excited about the sold-out show.  I succumbed to their enthusiasm and may write further murder mysteries for their benefit.

First I need to get a handle on making my blog posts on time.

 

I Wuss Out on my Post Rehearsal Post

Wuss-out Wednesday follows Tired Tuesday,  we all know that.  Or I could call this All Shooting at the Grange All The Time. Full disclosure: I am ready to call it a day and go to bed, with or without a blog post.  What, me go to bed without making a blog post? Say it ain’t so! Additionally,  I am working on my Tablet with a stylus pen that does not work as well as some I have worked with.

Might as well share this again.

I think I heard they have sold out for Saturday.  This is bad news for some cast members who had loved ones who would like to see the show.

When I was better about getting rehearsal shots.

I put in a picture from another murder mystery rehearsal, because I did not get any pictures of tonight’s activities.  I hope to get pictures tomorrow,  when we plan to rehearse at the Grange.

From my Media Library,.

The Grange will look different tomorrow.  They will have tables set up for that sold-out crowd.  We must decide where we will do our part.  Actually I use the term “our” lightly as I do not have an actual role in Saturday’s script.

So this is my Wuss-out Wednesday Post for the week.  Thank you for tuning in.

 

Oh Yeah, Tired Tuesday

I just this minute remembered I ought to make a blog post today.

Just to make it look like I have been doing something.

Earlier tonight I had a rehearsal for Shooting at the Grange, the murder mystery we are putting on to benefit Salisbury Grange on April 29.  I think it went OK.  Herkimer Elks Lodge graciously allowed us to use their space for our rehearsal. I love those guys at the Elks Lodge!

We plan to rehearse at the Elks Lodge again tomorrow then at the Grange on Thursday.

I can’t wait for everybody to see the Grange!

Here is a photo from when I visited the Grange’s Open House a couple weekends ago.  One of my cast members went there too.  I was so pleased!  I think it is a great space and I am very excited to perform there.  I am only disappointed I do not have a role in this murder mystery.

I had hoped to take a couple of rehearsal shots from tonight’s run-throughs for this post.  However, since I was reading one of the parts myself, I neglected to do so.

Not exactly a related photo.

I searched my Media Library for a picture from another murder mystery at the Elks Lodge and found this one from Donate to Murder in November 2021.  It was to benefit Herkimer County Historical Society.  This fall we may do one to benefit the Elks.  After all, they have been so nice to us about rehearsal space!