Tag Archives: theatre

Picture Me Not Making a Blog Post

One of the finest casts ever to grace the Ilion Little Theatre stage.

When your brain fails, look for a picture to post.

Hmmm…  What kind of a Freudian slip do you suppose made me first type “ficture”?  Would that be a “fictional picture” or perhaps a combination of “fail” and “picture”?  That’s it!  I failed to come up with a blog post, so I looked for a picture!  These things are really very simple, when you get right down to it.

In any case, the above picture is from Leading Ladies, the play I had the delightful experience of directing for Ilion Little Theatre last spring.  I would love to work with any and all of those people again.

I’m the one with the really short hair.

This is a backstage selfie, done with a selfie stick (don’t judge).  This one includes me and the backstage crew.  It was a month after I participated in a St. Baldrick’s Day fundraiser.  I miss my short ‘do.  I thought it was sophisticated (or do I flatter myself?).

 

And in this one, I seem to be getting what some people feel I richly deserve.

I don’t have another shot of the Leading Ladies cast, so I will include this one of the Rubbed Our at Ruby’s gang (I use the term advisedly).

I guess I’m going to call this a Wordless Wednesday post, which I understand is a thing.  It has a nicer ring to it than Wuss-out Wednesday, which some may feel is more accurate.  Then again, who am I to judge?  Happy Wednesday, everyone.

 

A Few Thoughts Before Another Rehearsal

Here I sit, laptop on lap (and if you just said, “Duh,” hey, some people put them on tables), searching for a blog topic.  I push my wet hair out of my face and remember that I can get it cut now.  I kept it “long” for Steel Magnolias.  I put “long” in quotes, because it was not exactly all the way grown out.  It is long enough to get in my eyes and drive me nuts.  With help from fellow cast-members, I made it do for the play.

And why am I not running to the Hot Spot, where I usually get my do’s done?  Well, I have rehearsal for He Laughed Himself to Death, the murder mystery Ilion Little Theatre is putting on at Morning Star Methodist Church in Ilion on April 1.  Yes, this blog may become All Murder Mystery All The Time very soon.  For one reason, I have another one coming up April 22 (Who Shot JS? at the Elks Club in Herkimer, to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society).

In other news, a nor’easter is expected in the Mohawk Valley tonight and tomorrow.  I read a Facebook post from WKTV Weather saying it was a nor’easter not a blizzard, citing the specific conditions to earn the “blizzard” designation.  I was moved to comment that “nor’easter” does not sound like a real word.  It sounds like something the old timers say is headed this way, basing their prediction on their corns or bunions.  My bunions say precipitation, by the way, but they do not seem to feel strongly about it.

Well, I must go.  I need to photocopy the scripts for tonight’s rehearsal.  I am counting on the nor’easter NOT to start till after my actors are safely home from rehearsal.  I am going to call this a Monday Mental Meanderings post and hit publish.  I hope to see you all on Tired Tuesday, although I will perhaps be less tired now that Steel Magnolias is over.

 

Run But No Commentary

After a break at work, I often observe the “after the break hump,”  a metaphorical speed bump I have to somehow get over in order to get back to work.  Today, I said to my co-worker, “After the break hump is nothing compared to after four days off hump.”  I know, I can be happy I had four days off or miserable because I had to go back to work.  Or I suppose I could multi-task.

Be that as it may, I came home from work and went running.  As you can imagine, the “I haven’t been running in I can’t remember how long hump” is quite the obstacle as well. However, I faced it and overcame it.  One help is that I have really missed running.  I have been WANTING to run but haven’t had time.  As you may have heard, I’ve been in a play.  And am writing and performing in murder mysteries.  The play still has a weekend to go, and I’m still working on two of three mysteries.  Nevertheless, I ran.

And now I’m too tired to write about it.

It was a short run, only 22 minutes.  I made up my mind to do 20, as a start, since I have not been running in a while.  Twenty minutes with an eight to  ten minute cool-down walk around the block sounded good to me.  The extra two minutes just sort of happened.

Then again, for Tired Tuesday after a four day break, I don’t think this is such a contemptible post.  Let’s see what happens tomorrow, when I may have a Wuss-out Wednesday.

 

I Should Be a Movie Star

Why would I not have a Lame Post Friday?  It’s opening night of Steel Magnolias!  I have other things on my mind!  Will I remember everything?  I’m not talking about my lines (although it would be good if I remembered all of those too), but what about my costume pieces, props, ooh, and my contact lenses?  Will my hair stay on?

Ah, you think that last one was a joke?  Alas, no.  In the first scene I have to wear some fake hair, so that in the second scene when Truvy calls attention to my new short hair-do, it makes sense.  I meant to write a whole, humorous blog post about my hair troubles, but I’m afraid if I tried to do it now, it would just make me upset (is that a run-on sentence?  I usually know these things, but I am flustered).

Yes,  I have opening night jitters.  The closer it gets to time to go to the theatre, the more jittery I feel.  This is completely natural.  I bet even Tony award winning actors feel this way.  I say Tony not Oscar, because I can’t imagine movies give you the same jitters.  Just do another take! It is really no wonder that many people feel the stage is real acting and movies are not. Now don’t start defending movies to me!  I love movies!  Of course it is real acting (well, some of it is and some of it sucks, we won’t get into that).  But that lots of takes thing really has my envy tonight.

I’m sure everything will go fine.  And if it does not, well, that is the excitement of live theatre. I’m sure enough will go well to entertain our audience (sometime they are entertained by the mistakes, but we prefer to avoid going that route.  I will probably mention it tomorrow, when I make my Scattered Saturday blog post about how I was too tired after Opening Night to do much of anything.  Happy Friday, everyone.

For local, theatre-going readers,  that’s Steel Magnolias at Ilion Little Theatre, Remington Ave., Ilion, NY, March 3, 4, 10 and 11 at 8 pm., 5 and 12 at 2 p.m.  For more information, visit www.ilionlittletheatre.org or go to their Facebook page.

 

Maybe I Should Have Rehearsed My Blog Post

The operative thing to do one a busy week is to write blog posts ahead of time.  I say this merely as an observation.  I am not offering advice to fellow bloggers nor yet outlining a plan I am capable of following myself.  As the expression goes, I’m just saying.

Theatre loving people such as myself tend, by and large, to be too busy.  If we’re not too busy, we are often looking for some project or other to busy ourselves with.  I feel a little silly even talking about it, because there are other theatre people who are way busier than I am.  I don’t know how they do it, although I suspect, for one factor, they get far less sleep than I do.  And I don’t get as much sleep as I would like.

I suspect some readers are nodding their heads wisely, saying, “Ah yes, this is me, too.”  Others are shaking their heads in a superior fashion, saying, “Well, duh.  Do you think you could find something more obvious to state?”  Guess which one is the critic that lives in my head.

That is what I wrote while on a break at work today.  Then I went back to studying my lines for Steel Magnolias at Ilion Little Theatre.  Second dress rehearsal is tonight.  I have a whole new roster of costumes, which I think will work better.  One advantage will be if I actually remember all of them.  Funny story:  Sunday night I dreamed I got to rehearsal and had forgotten the off-white blouse for Act I, Scene 1. Monday night I made damn sure I remembered that blouse!  When I got to rehearsal I realized I had forgotten the jeans and sneakers for Act I, Scene 2.  As I say to others when they make mistakes, this is why we have rehearsals.

So this is my Tired Tuesday post.  I must soon hurry to rehearsal.  I put most of my costume pieces on the same hanger or in the same bag.  This will work!  And if it doesn’t, I’ll have something else to write about tomorrow. Happy Tuesday, everyone.

 

And Another Thing About Ruby’s…

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Right before Ruby’s!

This may be a very short Scattered Saturday post, because I have not done that much today.  In my defense, I feel I must recruit my energies for Rubbed Out at Ruby’s (all together now:) the interactive murder mystery to be presented by LiFT Theatre Company at the Overlook Mansion in Little Falls, NY… TONIGHT!!!  That is, Saturday, Feb. 25 starting at 6 p.m.  Yikes!

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Kind of a suspicious looking bunch, aren’t we?

This is a cast photo taken at the end of last night’s rehearsal. Yes, that outline is all that is left of our beloved Benny the Bootlegger.  Oh how I shall miss him!  (I did mention that Ruby is a terrible lush, didn’t I?)  Rehearsal went very well, but I cannot help but have a few butterflies before a performance.  Additionally, everybody will know I wrote the damn thing.  I mean, not just you, my lovely blog readers.  My name is right there on the front of the program:  Created by Cynthia Quackenbush.  I am so flattered, but the pressure is awesome.

Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of the front of the program to share.  In fact, I stole the above pic from Facebook.  I forgot to bring my Tablet to rehearsal.  However, I did manage to steal a picture of the inside of the program for your delectation:

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We don’t look any less suspicious in close-up, do we?

Hmm… this is turning out not to be a Scattered Saturday post after all, but one last plus for Ruby’s.  I don’t see a problem with that, do you?  Happy Saturday, everybody.

 

It’s Almost Time for Ruby!

Well, what’s wrong with going All Steel Magnolias or All Rubbed Out At Ruby’s All The Time when Ruby’s is the day after tomorrow and Magnolias opens a week from tomorrow?  I am a little obsessed with both of them.  Since Ruby’s is coming up sooner, I’ll share a little about that today.

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Round up the usual suspects.

 

Here is a picture of the characters for Rubbed Out at Ruby’s, taken from LiFT Theatre Company’s Facebook page.  This is the first I’ve seen of some of the costumes, and I’m pretty excited about it.  I confess, I am less than thrilled about how the picture of me turned out.  It seems I am not nearly as cute as I think I am.  No matter. I’m sure I shall be highly entertaining as Ruby.

Hey, I just thought of something.  I wrote the mystery. I named it Rubbed Out at Ruby’s, and I cast myself as Ruby.  Doesn’t that sound supremely egotistical of me?  How embarrassing.  I assure you, I am not the star.  It is an ensemble piece, and all the characters are quite memorable.

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Doesn’t it look mysterious?

Here is a shot of the Overlook Mansion, where it all takes place.  I feel thrilled every time I approach it.  The inside is just as magnificent.

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I end with a couple of Facebook ads for the mystery, just in case any local readers wanted more information.

 

Theatre Memories on Tired Tuesday

I interrupt my reading of other people’s blogs to make my Tired Tuesday post.  I’d like to do the picture thing, but I think I’ve used all the good ones in our Downloads, and I haven’t downloaded any new ones lately. I wonder if Steven has.

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Photo by Mark Hanna, who is also a pretty good actor.

This is the cast of the murder mystery I wrote last year for Morning Star Methodist Church in Ilion, NY, Engaged to be Murdered.  I’m writing a new one for that church, to be presented April 1.  This one is titled He Laughed Himself to Death.  I intend to incorporate the April Fool’s Day holiday in the plot.  I shall write more blog posts about that, rest assured.

 

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They were all leading ladies to me!

To continue the theme of theatre memories, here is the cast and crew of Leading Ladies, which I was blessed to direct with one of the finest groups ever associated with the Ilion Little Theatre stage.  Perhaps you read one of my blog posts about it.

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Full disclosure: a selfie stick was used in the taking of this picture.

Is it silly of me to post two pictures of the same cast and crew?  No matter; it is what is in my downloads, I will post it.  We took a selfie of the whole group a few times before performances.  It was one of those casts that really bonded.  I’m hoping we take a few backstage selfies of Steel Magnolias.  I’ll be sure to share them here if we do.

For now, I must scurry off to rehearsal, which is a little earlier tonight.  Happy Tuesday, everyone.

 

Wrist to Ruby’s and Beyond

It is a later than usual Wrist to Forehead Sunday post, and I really do face a dilemma as I contemplate the upcoming week.  That is, should this blog become All Steel Magnolias All The Time for the next two weeks, or should I first indulge in a week of All Rubbed Out at Ruby’s All The Time or do a weird hybrid such as All Steel Ruby All The Time?

We just got home from another rehearsal for Rubbed Out at Ruby’s, the interactive murder mystery to be presented by LiFT Theatre Company at the Overlook Mansion in Little Falls, NY.  I can report that it is looking good, especially considering the costumes people wore or brought.   I think it will be a great deal of fun.  I only hope I can remember everything.  It’s not my lines I’m worried about.  I don’t have that many lines; it’s mostly improvised.  But I don’t want to forget a prop or costume piece.  I’m so scatterbrained these days!

I have not thought much about Steel Magnolias today; that is, the next production at Ilion Little Theatre, to be presented the first two weekends in March.  This means I must do some serious looking at lines tomorrow.  I hope I don’t forget to bring my script to work with me (see earlier line about being scatterbrained these days).

And what about the other murder mysteries I’m working on?  Well, I’ll bring my notebook to work with me, too.  Write, study lines, I can do it all, why not?  And if the stress gets to me, I guess I’ll just have a Wrist to Forehead Monday, too.  I hope everybody is having a nice end of their weekend.